Ishida: food firms scrapping in-house technical staff

Japanese packaging firm Ishida displayed the most recent model of its flagship multi-head weigher. This one, the “RV-Series​”, is IP67-certified, meaning it is waterproof.

“You can hose it down under pressure or even put it completely underwater,​” said Peter Friis Mortenson, general manager, Ishida Europe.

The weigher is customizable according to clients’ needs, and Ishida has created a specific model capable of dealing with sticky products like chicken fillets, as well as snacks and crisps, which have historically been among the biggest sectors for this type of machine.

The machine was a response to an industry-wide trend for greater speed and operational efficiency, said Ishida’s European director.

“Ten to fifteen years ago, every factory had its own technical department,​” but streamlining and downsizing have created a trend for food production firms to farm out their technical needs to their machinery suppliers. This means today’s clients demand greater line efficiency between different machines from equipment providers.

“The customer now wants a complete solution. They ask us, ‘Will there be downtime?’ and ‘What is the result for me?​’” said Mortenson.