Ready meal contract for Lock
Country Chef has become the first Belgian company to invest in its
triple frequency metal detector.
Lock Inspection Systems has announced that ready meals manufacturer Country Chef has become the first Belgian company to invest in its triple frequency metal detector.
One of two new Lock systems installed at the plant, the company says that the MET 30+ 3f offers the highest levels of sensitivity for their fresh and frozen products. Lock has also installed a MET 30+ mounted on a MicroConveyor to cater for space constraints on Country Chef's salad line.
Based in Aalter, Belgium, Country Chef produces and exports ready meals to major supermarket chains in the UK and Europe. Lock's challenge was to provide the most up-to-date and effective equipment available to meet the high standards set by Country Chef's customers. Two systems were required as the company operates separate lines for meat, fish and chicken based products and for salads and sauces. Installed at the end of the line for the final check before the products are distributed, both units operate at speeds of up to 50 pieces per minute.
Lock recommended the MET 30+ 3f for the meat, fish and chicken line since it can detect in both fresh and frozen foods. Operating at three crystal frequencies - low, medium and high, the detector's Automatic Frequency Selection facility will choose the optimum frequency for the application in hand. The company says that this functionality meant that when inspecting frozen products the machine automatically selects the high frequency setting, whereas for fresh produce it will select the low frequency setting, ensuring ultimate sensitivity at all times without the need for two separately tuned detectors or manual resetting.
Lock's ADC software is incorporated into the MET 30+3f with Datachek, Lock's management information system, as an added feature. ADC, a powerful on-screen diagnostic tool, helps Country Chef optimise system detection performance, identify and resolve problem areas and simplify data analysis. The company adds that with Datachek, ADC and metal detector performance data can be accessed from an office remotely.
For the salads and sauces line, Lock's compact MicroConveyor was installed. Measuring just 500 mm in length, and fitted with a MET 30+ metal detector, this unit is said to provides maximum reliability while occupying minimum floor space.
"As a new business it is vital for us to install the most up-to-date equipment, capable of performing to the highest standards. The 3f was ideal for us, as the detector automatically switches frequency when a different product is introduced. We are now confident that the highest levels of sensitivity are being achieved for our fresh and frozen product lines;" commented Mr. Kochuyt, operations manager at Country Chef. "The two way communication system on the data management feature provides useful feedback on detector performance. We can adjust the settings from the office as well as from the production line, which we have found to be very convenient and labour-saving."
Lock Inspection Systems designs and supplies metal detection and checkweighing equipment to manufacturers in the food and pharmaceutical industries worldwide. The group has operations in the UK, Netherlands, France and USA as well as a growing distributor network.
For further information about the company please contact Karen Simkin.
