3Industrial Weighing and Measuring

Fruit & Vegetables News

Net Weight Under ControlPreventive Quality Assurance

Atlanta AG, a group of companies based in Bremen, is the European mar-ket leader in the fresh fruit sector, specializing in the import, ripeningand distribution of bananas. Atlanta chooses statistical net weight control from METTLER TOLEDO for preventive quality assurance at its premises.

TheGerman distributor is amember ofthegroupChiquitaBrandsInternationalInc.,andmaintainsitsownprocurementoffices inGermany,Spain,France, ItalyandBrazil,aswellasaworldwidenetworkoffruitagencies.ThequalityofAtlantaʼsproductsandservicesliesattheheartofits corporate strategy. QA and IFS certi-fication of Atlantaʼs premisesunderpinsthetraderequirementsforanintegrated,comprehensive,preventivequalityassur-ancesystem.

Stringent control of incoming goodsInadditiontobanana-ripeningfacilities,the premises have large order pickingareas, pallet racking, combination coldroomsandafruitpackingstation,whicharecapableofmeetingallofthedemandsofthetradeinregardtopre-packedgoods.

PrecisecontrolofincominggoodstoDINENISO9002 is taken forgranted in theAtlantapremises.Dependingontheitem,upto200controlpointshavetobehan-dledinIncomingGoods.Thisiscarriedout as anAtlanta service in conformitywith the customersʼ guidelinesandpre-scribedcontrolmechanisms.

InAtlantaʼsHabecoFruchthandelestab-lishment in Munich, weighing solutionsfromMETTLERTOLEDOsupportefficientprocessingofthissuccessionofchecksofincominggoods.

Pallet weight checkedParameterssuchasquality,temperatureandweight(grossweightofthepalletsandnetweight of the packaged products) ofallincomingdeliveriesareassessedona

METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 32

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PublisherMettler-Toledo AGIndustrialHeuwinkelstrasseCH-8606 NänikonSwitzerland

ProductionMarCom IndustrialCH-8606 NänikonSwitzerland

Subject to technical changes© 02/2008 Mettler-Toledo AGPrinted in Switzerland

randombasisandenteredonarecordofacceptedgoods.Thecleanlinessofthede-liveryvehicleandanydamageorinfesta-tionbypestsorverminarealsocheckedtotheHACCPcriteria.Theseparametersarerecorded in the materials managementsystem.Theconsignmentisonlyreleasedifeverythingisinorder.Anycomplaintsareclarifiedwiththesupplierorthegoodsrejected.

Thetradehasmandatoryrequirementsinregardtothemaximumheight,numberofboxes,weight,etc.ofapallet.Palletweightis therefore checked on receipt anddis-patch.ArobustMETTLERTOLEDOfloorscalewith strip printer todocument theresultsisusedtochecktheweightofthedeliveredpallets.

Statistical net weight controlThe net weight of pre-packed consign-mentswithfixedweights(e.g.tomatoes)ischeckedonarandombasisinIncomingGoods.AteststationwithaBBK462compactscaleconnectedtothePC-basedStatisticalQualityControlsoftwareFreeWeigh.Net®carries out this task to the completesatisfaction of Manfred Zipka, HabecoFruchthandelʼsMunichWarehouseMan-ager.A totalof30operatorsworkat thestation.The test report printed out im-mediately after weighing of the sampleis passedon to Administration togetherwiththedeliverynote.Hereaswell,anycomplaintsareclarifiedwiththesupplierbefore the goods are released. Mr.Zipkaexplains:“Thescalesalwaysoperateper-fectly despite the high workload. All ofour operatives find FreeWeigh.Net® very

quickandeasytooperate.Theyonlyhavetobeshownonce.Wealsobenefitfromtheexcellent service provided byMETTLERTOLEDO, which ensures the necessaryhighlevelofsystemavailability.”

Automated controlFreeWeigh.Net®offersahighlyautomatedsolutionforcontrollingnetweight.Alltheoperatorhastodoisweighthepackagedproducts.The sample is then statistical-ly analyzed by the system and checkedto ensure it conforms to the applicableregulations. A report configured to At-lanta requirements is generated auto-maticallyaftereachsampleistaken.WithFreeWeigh.Net®,Atlantahasanextremelyeffectiveanswertothechallengeofprovid-ing thepreventivequality controlmeas-uresrequiredbythetrade.

Test station for net content control with BBK462 compact scale connected to the PC-based Statistical Quality Control system FreeWeigh.Net ®

FreeWeigh.Net ® test sample screens

First sample: net weight within tolerance Seventh sample: overfilled

Typical FreeWeigh.Net ® monitoring screen showing net weight of test samples

METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 3 3

Oerlemans Foods has its roots in the south of the Netherlands. As a grower,

producer and supplier, Oerlemans Foods specializes in ‘freshly frozen’ veg-

etables, fruit and potato products. The innovative assortment consists of

more than 1000 products and varieties.

advantages of equipment designed af-ter theEHEDGandNSFguidelines.Thecomplete stainless steel constructions(AISI304,1.4301)withnohiddenholesandasmoothhygienicsurfaceareeasy-to-cleanhelping to improve food safety.WiththeIP69kprotectiontheywithstandhighpressurewaterjetcleaningandarecompletelydustproof.

With METTLER TOLEDO weighing so-lutionsdedicated foruse inharsh envi-ronments,OerlemansFoodhas the free-domof fastandpreciseweighing resultscombined with a maximum uptime.Mr. YvesHuÿbnegt,Headof theTechni-calDepartment, confirms: “Weare verysatisfied with the performance of theMETTLER TOLEDO scales and termi-nals in our demanding cold and wetproductionenvironment.”

Wet and Frosty Production Environment?No Problem for Our Scales and Terminals

Fast facts IND449 weighing terminal

• Full stainless steel, IP69k • Checkweighing, totalizing, user identification, date & time• Foil-keypad, scratch resistant, numeric block• Display: LCD backlight, bargraph• Optional battery pack• Interfaces: RS232, optional: RS422, RS485, Ethernet, WLAN, USB (Slave), Digital I/0• Connect up to 2 scales

IND449 weighing terminal DNE1500 floor scale BBA330 bench scale

OerlemansFoodsisa‘globalplayer’,withsales in over 50 countries. A significantpartoftheweekly800tonsproductionvol-umeoftheplantinWaalwijkisexportedtoGreatBritain.

Strict quality controlIncomingvegetablesunderlieastringentquality control. Parameters like mois-tureornitratecontentaredeterminedtoguarantee quality, fulfilling regulatoryrequirements.WiththeBBA330operatorshaveasimple-to-operateandprecisecom-pact scale to determine the baseweightforprobes.

Production in the refrigerating house After quality control vegetables arewashed,cut,mixedandfrozened.Atthemixing station a METTLER TOLEDODNE1500floorscalewiththenewIND449weighing terminal check if the correctamountofvegetablesisbatchedintothemixingmachine.Thedarkandextreme-ly cold environment in the refrigerat-inghouserepresentsnoproblemfortheterminal. In contrary, the large backlitLC display with +/- checkweighing bargraphenablesacomfortablereadingofftheweightbythepallettruckdriver.Andthe terminal withstands the extremelyfrostyenvironment!

Scales and terminals for harsh environmentBoth the BBA330 bench scale and theIND449weighing terminal combine the

METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 34

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Being one of the top banana exporters in the world with a 30 % share,

Ecuador has strived to elevate their banana industry to the highest

quality level, assuring a year-round supply of bananas to the Global

market. METTLER TOLEDO and its partner Espinosa Páez S.A. have

provided an innovative solution to serve the quality system require-

ments of Ecuadorian banana producers and exporters.

Espinosa Páez S.A. has long been serv-ingtheneedsofmajorbananaproducersinEcuadorwiththeirBana-Scalesystemsolution.TheBana-Scalehelpsusers toquicklyandaccuratelyweigh,classifyandcollectqualityrelateddataonthevarioustypesofbananasproduced.ThesystemhadoriginallyincorporatedtheMETTLERTOLEDOJagXtreme®terminalwithcustomJagBasicprogramming.Whilethe JagXtreme® has reliably performedthroughout the years, its successor theIND780 terminalbringsevenmorepow-erandflexibilityintothesystemtomeettheongoingcustomerdemandsforauto-mation and productivity improvements.

0.5 seconds per stemmaximizes throughput Productivity is of major importance forbananaproducers inEcuador. Approxi-mately 4000banana stems weighing140000kggothroughamid-sizedcheck-ingstationdaily.TheBana-Scaleisconnectedtoananalogweighingbridgethatdynamicallyweighs100%ofthebananastemsharvested.WiththeIND780terminal’sfastscaleA/Dup-date rate, advanced filtering technologyandmulti-taskingprocessor, the systemisabletoweighaccuratelyuptospeedsof0.5secondsperstem.Thishelpstomaxi-mizeproductionthroughput.

Effective production and quality control managementDuringtheproductionprocess,manydif-ferent typesofbananasare checkedandclassifiedbasedontheirweight,colorandquality.TheBana-Scalesystemallowstheoperatortoeasilycaptureallthenecessaryinformationtofacilitatetheclassificationprocess.To monitor the production, weight to-tals are automatically accumulated andassessed for the day, color code, lot andcable numbers. Furthermore totals aregenerated foreachindividualharvestingcrewandthisdataisusedtocalculatethewagesforthecrewmembers.

Classifying and Quality Control Automated, Fast and Efficient

IND780 monitoring screens with on-screen view of the process status

METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 3 5

Rejectionreasonsandweighttotalsforre-jectedstemsarealsocapturedtoassisttheuserintheirqualityanalysisandtorectifyproblemareas.Operatorsarealsorequiredto capture sample data onother qualitymeasurementssuchasthecalibrationofthesecondandlasthandsofastem,fingerlengthsandnumberofhands.

User friendly operator interfaceIND780 comes with a bright 145mmQVGAgraphicalLCDdisplayavailablein

monochromeorActiveTFTColor.Opera-torscanappreciatetheclearandintuitiveon-screenviewoftheprocessstatuswhileitisrunning.Largepushbuttons,helpin-structions and local language operationare provided by the system. As a result,minimal training is required to operatethesystemwithouterrors.

Customizable platform for full operational flexibilityUtilizing the IND780 terminal’s newand improved programmable platformTaskExpert™,EspinosaPáezS.A.isabletodevelopasolutioncustomizedtotheendusers’ needs.Makingmodifications to aprogramismadeeasywiththeflowchartbasedTaskExpertdevelopmenttool.The true multi-tasking architecture al-lowsTaskExpertprogramstobeexecutedsimultaneously. The dynamic weighingprocesscanberunninginthebackgroundwhile the operator performs reportingtasksordataentrysavingpreciousopera-tiontime.

Efficient on-line data management and accessibilityIND780providesabuilt-inSQLCEdata-basethatallowseasydatastorageandre-portgenerationontheproductionprocess.Differentcombinationsofdatacanbeeas-ilycompiledandreportedbasedonfieldssuchasthedate,lot,cablesandcolorcodeasanadvantageoftherelationaldatabasestructure.Withupto200MBofflashmemory,longterm records are stored and can be re-trievedashistoricaldataoraccumulatedforahistoricalanalysis.Reports aregeneratedonaprinter posi-tionedat theproductionlinefor theop-erator’sconvenience.Supervisorsandpro-ductionmanagerretrievetheirreportsataPCconnectedtothesystemviaEthernetTCP/IP.Thiseaseofdatamanagementandacces-sibilityimprovesevaluationofthebananaplantation’soperationalperformanceandgivestraceabilityoftheprocesses.

BanaScale-780 at Pongarbel S.A., Hacienda San José, Ing. Jorge Marun Ramirez ownerand manager of the banana plantation

METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 36

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The BBA221 is a scale for your routine applications in dry areas,

such as your receiving department or warehouse.

Bench and Mobile Weighing For Your Routine Applications in Dry Areas

Theterminalwithitslargedisplayisfastandeasytooperate.Thescaleoffersover/undercheckweighing,portioning,classi-fyingandcountingfunctions.ItfeaturesaRS232interfacetocoveryourdatacom-municationneeds.Furthermore,itispow-eredeitherby4-Csizebatteriesoroption-allybyarechargeablebatterypack,whichenablesthescaletobeusedflexiblyacrossthewholepremises.

Choosefromawiderangeofaccessories:rollertrack,ballplatter,standorwallfix-turefortheterminal.The500x650mmand600x800mmsizeweighbridgescanalso bemounted ona cart andused asmobilescales.

Easy to operateFor manual portioning or checkweigh-ing applications the BBA221 featuresa straightforward and easy to handlethreshold definition system. Activate theapplication by F functionkey, store thetargetweightaswellasthepredefinedtol-erancesandyouarereadytogo.Automatic taring allows operationwith-outpushingthetarebutton.Afterplacingtheemptycontainerontheweighingplat-form,theweightisautomaticallysavedasthe tareweight (net indicator appears),thisallowsfastandtime-savingoperationandalsoresultsinlessfailure.

The weight valueFor higher precision measurements theterminal featuresax10 function,whichdisplaysthereceivedvaluewithahigherresolution(x10)forapproximative20sec-onds(notWeights&Measuresapproved).

Over, ok, under indication for checkweighing, portioning

and classifying applications

BBA221 bench scaleFunctional design allowing easy, intuitive operation

Printing/transferring data

Key benefits and facts BBA221

• Easy to perform accurate check- weighing, portioning and classifying measurements• Weighing range 6 to 300kg or 13.5 - 660lb• Max. Resolution: 30 000d, OIML 3000e NTEP 5 000d• Fast indication of the weighing result on the big LED display (< 1s)• High mobility due to integrated 4-C size batteries or optionally a rechargeable battery pack and cart • Standard RS232 Interface• Rugged, painted carbon steel plat- form with 6 integrated overload stops• Optional: Stainless steel terminal (IND226), internal rechargeable bat- tery pack, cart, roller track, ball platter

Mobile weighing:IND221 with cart

x10 Function for higher resolution

Function key

Ball platter Roller track

Stands: carbon orstainless steel(300, 600, 900mm)

Unit switch indication

METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 3 7

New Wash Down Statistical Quality Control TerminalWaterproof to IP69k – Hygienically Designed

METTLER TOLEDO has added a new model to their SQC16 product line. The IND469SQC stainless

steel terminal is the ideal stand-alone solution for sample based net content control in environments

where hygiene is paramount.

TheIND469SQCterminalplusapplicableweighingplatformsandstripprintershasa rugged andwaterproof design,whichenablesthissystemtobeusedeveninex-posedlocations.

Ingress protection and hygieneThe smooth stainless steel surface andthedesignaccordingtoEHEDGandNSFguidelinesforuseinhygienicallysensitiveareas,allowstheterminaltobeeasilyandthoroughlycleaned.Itisdust-andwater-prooftoIP69k(DIN40050),soapressurecleanercanbeused.

Easy to useThedesignoftheterminalandtheeaseofuseoftheSQCapplicationareidealforusewithinthefoodindustry.

Clear graphic displayThecleargraphicdisplayconsistentlypro-videstheuserwithessentialinformationconcerning theproduct, randomsampleresultsorlong-termstatistics.

Printed reports are protectedReports on random samples are print-ed automatically. The paper strip canexit the printer housing for tearing offor remain protected against water byremaining enclosed within the printer,dependinguponyour requirements. Allstatistical results required by law aresaved in thesystemandcanbeprintedoutatanytime,alongwiththecompleteitemlist.ThesamedatacanalsobesavedonacomputerusingtheoptionalBR16backup/restoresoftware.

Fast facts IND469SQC

• SQC16 application for net content control of up to 300 articles

• Stainless steel terminal with IP69k ingress protection for easy cleaning with a pressure cleaner

• Connectivity of wash down – analog or digital (IDNet) weighbridges – Strip printer

Your benefits

• Compliance with net content control legislations (e.g. -mark labeling)

• Significant reduction of overfilling costs• Compliance with EHEDG and NSF –

guidelines for equipment used in hygienically-sensitive areas

• Standalone solution (no extra infra-structure required)

• Minimal effort for training and maintenance

European HygienicEngineering andDesign Group

Dustproof and suitablefor cleaning with high-pressure equipment

National Sanitation Foundation (US)

EuropeanCouncilDirective

www.mt.com/ind-fruit-vegetablesFor more information

Mettler-Toledo AGCH-8606 GreifenseeSwitzerlandTel. + 41 44 944 22 11Fax + 41 44 944 30 60

Your METTLER TOLEDO contact:

A Wide Range of Solutionsto Improve Processes

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1.CombiChecker–checkweigherandmetaldetectioninone2.BBA449over/undercheckscalewithcoloredbacklight3.Manualandautomaticweigh-pricelabelers

1.StatisticalQualityControl/StatisticalProcessControlsolution2.4seriescheckscales(BBA4x9,IND4x9)3.BBA221BenchScale4.IndustrialWeighingCatalog2008

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Learnmoreaboutallofoursolutionsforthe fruitandvegetables industryonourwebsite. You can find informationonawiderangeoftopicstoimproveyourproc-

esses,includingcasestudies,applicationstories,return-oninvestmentcalculators,plusalltheproductinformationyouneedtomakeaninformeddecision.

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Yellow – weight above tolerance

Green – weight within tolerance

Red – weight below tolerance