Food Manufacturing Africa - latest Issue

Manufacturers on the African continent are seeing the value of upgrading operations and implementing smart technology to optimise output and productivity. In this edition of Food Manufacturing Africa, we unpack some of the latest innovations that can assist this call to action. Optimised production processes based on digitisation and interlinked networks is the focus of the IFFA trade show, which kicks off from 4 to 9 May in Frankfurt, Germany. On page 11 you can read all about how smart sensors, condition monitoring and digital twins can impact the way you do business.

Dairy

SA’s first cannabis laboratory opens
Israeli food group offers R4.8 billion for Clover
International Breweries inaugurates world-class plant
Analytica Lab Africa 2019
New specialty starches launched

While these technologies are creating a buzz, their complexity can be overwhelming. ‘With a practical, incremental plan of action, including options with minimal disruption and low-risk, even those who have been reluctant to embrace next-generation technology can get started on the journey,’ advises Adriaan Rossouw, director of EOH Infor Services. There are five steps to embracing the digitisation journey: easing in; determining the goals; addressing funding issues; prioritising actions and delineating the size of the move.

Without a concerted effort to change industry processes and infrastructure, and upskill the workforce, countries on the continent risk falling behind in their efforts to become players in the global manufacturing market. New initiatives are emerging to address the skills shortfall and help propel Africa into a smarter era of manufacturing. Speaking ahead of Africa Automation Fair 2019, automation industry stakeholders said aligning with the global Industry 4.0 revolution would demand a great deal of change and progress. A key priority had to be skills.

Optimised production processes are based on digitalisation and interlinked networks. The objective is to increase security of production and optimise the use of machinery. This allows energy efficiency and the ability to react flexibly to market changes.

Despite missing a legal or commonly accepted definition, clean label pushes industry to re-evaluate ingredients, formulations and processes. It can be interpreted as all natural, minimally processed and non-GMO. It is driven by demand for reducing the number of ingredients, while avoiding those perceived to be artificial or synthetic. The aim is to replace these with natural looking, recognisable and transparent pantry ingredients.

Ditch the fat for crumb coated snacks
Innovative solutions for processed meat

Natural casings are made from the sub-mucosa of an animal intestine and consist mainly of collagen. These products can also be made from the bladder, stomach, caecum or esophagus. The advantages of using a natural casing are that they are extremely permeable to moisture and smoke. It can help develop a beautiful smoked appearance and enhance a product’s nutritional value since it is a protein-based material. They are edible and tender enough to be easily chewed and don’t create off-flavours in sausage products. On the downside, they are least resistant to breakage, yield the least amount of product and are non-uniform in size. This makes it difficult when used in industrial production and handling.

The primary role of modified atmospheric packaging is to extend shelf life of fresh food. 'This is done without artificial additives, chemicals, freezing, preservatives or processing – while retaining those fresh food tastes, textures and appearances,’ Strydom notes. For most food products, oxygen (O₂) levels in MAP package are kept as low as possible, typically by substituting the air surrounding the food with gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and/or nitrogen (N₂). ‘Red meat products are an exception and oxygen is an important constituent of the packaging gas. Oxygen reacts with myoglobin in red meats to give it its rich red colour,’ Strydom continues.

Tech-savvy millennials are entering the work force in large numbers. Their familiarity with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn is driving contemporary social mediatype interaction in the workplace. It helps promote a more collaborative way of working by harmonising data with people, thereby providing users a familiar, easy and effective away to connect, communicate and conduct their daily business. By accessing, and relating real-time information, insights, and trends through Social ERP, users can act instantly and decisively. This assists in increasing responsiveness, lead times and overall productivity.

The industrial bakery market is evolving and consumers are seeking authenticity, improved quality and a broader, diverse range of bakery, pastry, patisserie and snack products. These developments have implications for production processes and require equipment adapted to new demands, without compromising industrial performance or operating costs. Mechanisation plays a vital role for industrialists in the sector. It is involved in many stages of processing, proofing, cooling and freezing. It is also used in the storage of products and trays. Patented handling systems offer a tool, adapted to market and industrial developments and demands.

As a supplier to M&S, Irish-based Avondale Foods was faced with the challenge of overhauling its outbound shipping systems to comply with the retailer’s new requirements for improved inbound logistics visibility. Delivery lead times are very short with orders typically received at 6 AM for shipping accuracy for dispatch the same day. Speed and the absolute elimination of shipping errors are paramount to efficiency and on-time service commitments. Previously, Avondale used RFID as a means of verifying shipping contents prior to transportation. This is no longer suitable for the increased speed and accuracy required.

Long-term partner and expert in turnkey solutions for the beer industry, Sidel supported this ambitious goal with a complete line project. It features among other highly efficient and high-performing solutions, the new Sidel filler EvoFILL Can. A subsidiary of the Heineken Group, Heineken Vietnam is the second largest brewer in the country, operating six breweries and employing around 3 000 people. With a focus on high output and high efficiency lines, they produce the most famous international and local brands through dedicated single-format lines.

The bottling specialist is currently in the process of manufacturing an all in one filler with filling capacity of 4 000 bottles and cans per hour for its customer, East Coast Brewing Company, situated in Unkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal. Vipoll launched the innovative technology in 2017. It is capable of filling glass and PET bottles and cans in the small and medium output range. The order includes a mixer and a flash pasteuriser, which will be installed at the same time as the filler in the spring of 2019.

The brewery fills 0.5l and 0.33l bottles. Fast format part changeovers ensure a high level of flexibility during production planning and line efficiency. KHS provides its hygienic Quicklock fast-acting locking system as a new standard. Bottle guide parts can be exchanged with a few manual adjustments. These remain securely in place thanks to the positive fit between the mount and format part. Conversion time for fillers with a crowner is cut by up to 33 per cent to between 15 and 20 minutes. ‘Simple lever knobs release and lock parts. They are robust and can withstand broken glass or chemicals,’ states Ludwig Clüsserath, head of filling technology development at KHS.

BoostPRIME is an innovative PET packaging solution. The system offers a great alternative for hot-filled beverages in PET bottles. It expands opportunities for product premiumisation and revenue generation with no compromise on packaging performance and consumer experience.

Polyoak's national executive for its specialist PET division, Polypet, maintains that PET has significant advantages as a packaging material. It offers strength, thermo-stability and clarity; is shatterproof, safe, hygienic, portable, resealable, lightweight, easy to recycle and cost-effective. The weight of PET packaging has reduced by more than 30 per cent in the last decade. Polyoak’s Wessel Oelofse agrees, ‘Over the last ten years Polypet has reduced the weight of its four and five litre PET bottles by an average of 30 per cent, while maximising robustness and improving top load strength. Smart design improves performance, whilst utilising less resources for a greener footprint.’

Automated systems can improve a line’s effectiveness, by performing tasks quickly and accurately. The real benefits only materialise when ‘smart’ automation is implemented, utilising such features as smart data. When this is applied to vision inspection systems, defects can be spotted and dealt with swiftly with minimal impact to the line.

In this constant race to the top, business process engineering is one area that is often overlooked and neglected, even though it offers obvious benefits and savings to the entire company. This is the view of Kishan Singh, managing director of GI Business Solutions– a Durban-based consultancy that specialises in implementing business management systems. GI Business Solutions is a DNV.GL/ ISO9001:2015 Certified, level one B-BBEE company that specialises in the design, development and implementation of business management systems, auditing systems, process re-engineering and packaging optimisation solutions.