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Heavy metal
Candies enter the wrapper, where they are individually wrapped in pillow packs. Next, a pouching machine packs the candies into bags in quantities of 50 and 400. Cabrillos declined to name the manufacturer of the wrapper or pouching machinery used. After the wrapped candies are packaged in secondary bags, the bags enter the metal detector. “The Apex detects ferrous metal as low as one millimeter,” says Cabrillos. For URC to meet HACCP standards, the company also follows sensitivity targets of 1.5 mm for nonferrous metal and 2.5 mm for stainless steel. The Calamba facility uses both metallized and nonmetallized film to package candy, which presented a challenge.Thermo Fisher Scientific adjusted the radio frequency instrument to a lower setting (between 50 and 100 kHz) so that the machine was less sensitive to the metallized film. “We were still able to show a very good level of metal detection performance,” says Ries.
After the bags of candy exit the metal detector, they are packed into cartons, sealed with a carton sealer from Siat (www.siat.com), and conveyed to a palletizer.
Peace of mind
Since installing the metal detector units, URC has passed several HACCP audits. Cabrillos now relies on the metal detector as a last line of defense and no longer has to place additional sorters on the line to ensure product quality. But more important than the reduction in labor is the increase in product reliability. “I’m now confident that my product is metal-free,” he says.
Prior to using the metal detector, the plant received product complaints. Since installing the unit, there haven’t been any. “If you ensure the product is of good quality, you increase the volume of sales,” says Cabrillos. “Quality and productivity should go hand in hand.”
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