Dutch cheese producer Schipper Kaas has updated its quality control system with the installation of Lock Inspection Systems' new generation metal detector.
Schipper Kaas is a leading European distributor and producer of soft cheeses sold in "sausage" form. With a customer base throughout Europe and overseas in Japan, Australia and the USA, the company has to offer the highest standards of product quality and safety.
According to Lock Inspection Systems, occasional metal contamination is a concern throughout the cheese industry, whether metal swarf from machinery, fractions of broken cutters and blades or fragments of the clips used to seal packages.
Schipper Kaas realised they needed to address the problem, which, at the same time, would enable them to obtain HACCP certification.
The company decided to install three MET 30+ Pipeline detectors at the plant. Lock claims that the ruggedly constructed MET 30+ Pipeline will easily withstand the aggressive cleaning conditions encountered at Schipper Kaas, where abrasive chemicals and high temperatures of up to 70º C are common. The units are fully waterproof - sealed to IP66 - and modular construction ensures simplified servicing.
With lines operating at between 20 and 40 products per minute, Schipper Kaas was also keen to reduce downtime and product wastage. The detection units were therefore placed towards the end of each line, between the filling and the sealing machines, to detect any metal contamination before the packaging was sealed.
T.M. Schipper, technical director at Schipper Kaas said:"Since the installation, we've been very pleased with the performance of Lock's MET30+ Pipeline detectors and contaminant detection efficiency has improved greatly. As well as being extremely sensitive, reliable and very user friendly, the units have enabled us to obtain HACCP certification."
UK-based Lock Inspection Systems supplies metal detection and checkweighing equipment to manufacturers in the food and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.