Page 67 - Food&Drink Business magazine September 2022

15 ■ SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2022 MACHINERY MATTERS
Foodmach wins Leader in Innovation award
Automation, robotics, and integration specialist Foodmach has won the Leader in Innovative Product Development and Commercialisation award at the 2022 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards.
Now in its 20th year, the awards programme acknowledges
individuals and companies that embrace new technologies, are globally competitive, and excel in business innovation – showcasing Victoria’s leading manufacturing capabilities.
Award winners were announced at a celebratory event at Crown Palladium, with Australian journalist Virginia Trioli as host.
Earle Roberts, company CEO, collected the award for leadership and commitment to developing smart, innovative solutions for the food, beverage and industrial manufacturing industries.
According to Roberts, the award recognises the Foodmach team’s outstanding R&D work over the last decade.
“Foodmach has been honoured to receive many awards within the packaging and processing machinery industry over the years, and they are all highly valued,” he said.
“The Victorian Hall of Fame Awards saw Foodmach competing on a much bigger stage against all manufacturers in Victoria, so it was a delightful and somewhat unexpected win.
“Given that Foodmach is known as a mechanical engineering company, winning an award in large part due to our software is great recognition of Foodmach’s transition from just building machines to providing fully integrated solutions with machinery, controls, software and service.
“Of course, after 50 years of supporting our customers, we know that no software can fix poor mechanical and electrical design and construction, so that expertise will always be a core focus.”
Formally launched this year, Foodmach’s latest innovation is LMES (Line Management Execution System), an advanced software package for packaging line control developed by the company’s software controls
team under the helm of Foodmach veteran Gavin Adler.
“LMES is a culmination of over 10 years of design, development and refinement, and it revolutionises the field. As well as offering next-level OEE, LMES provides absolute control and visibility over every aspect of the line’s function,” Roberts explained.
“Product changeovers happen at the push of a button, automatically adjusting the control and data settings on every single machine, device and piece of conveying on the line. The right product goes into the right packaging, with the right coding and labelling. Production is completely paperless.
“It’s error-proof packaging with higher line uptime, operator errors eliminated and direct integrations to the clients ERP systems – more than previously possible. We’re currently installing LMES at natural beauty business BMX and Pernod Ricard’s new complex glass and canning line in South Australia.”
Foodmach was also a finalist in two other categories: Outstanding Responsiveness to Covid-19 Award for Project Med-Con; and Honour Roll – Service to Industry Award for Foodmach director, the late Peter Marks. ■
Foodmach’s CEO Earle Roberts accepts award from David Chuter of Innovative Manufacturing CRC.
Leak detection for cheese packaging
Growing awareness around the importance of a healthy lifestyle is driving demand for ready- to-eat dairy products, including cheese.
equipment’s test chamber, which is then monitored over a time period. If a pressure increase is detected during this period, it is determined that a leak is present, and what size it is. This method provides accurate detection of large, small and micro leaks without damaging packaging.
Cheese processors are using the Oxipack Stationery Leak Tester to detect leaks in all types of cheese packaging. Oxipack solutions are
suitable for all package sizes,
up to 25kg, and for detecting leaks down to 25 μm. The equipment can be calibrated to a known minimum hole size. ■
Accurate leak detection of cheese packaging is a critical part of the production process. Any micro leak can have a major impact on a product’s quality, shelf life and safety; and irregularities must be detected in time to avoid leaks.
Leak detection specialist Oxipack, represented by Heat and Control, has developed
several solutions for the cheese industry that will quickly and accurately determine if packaging is leaking. All tests are 100% non-destructive and no added gas is required.
The Oxipack solutions use two rubber membranes (or a deep chamber depending on the product’s packaging) to create a vacuum in the
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