Case Study: Kinnerton Relies on Advanced Product Inspection for a Successful Future

"We wanted to convert Kinnerton from a seasonal business into an all-year-round operation," explains Technical Manager Nick Raby, "and to be able to do that, we realized that we needed to comply with all major retailers' latest codes of practice.

Consequently, there was a conscious change by the directors to build a management team that could facilitate that shift. People with the necessary experience and knowledge were brought in and, over the past two years, the site has undergone a massive transition from an entrepreneurial-type spirit to a more systems-oriented business that meets the needs of today’s retail market." 

Future-Proofing Operations

Kinnerton has an extremely low metal contamination complaints record* and already has several metal detectors installed into its production lines. However, part of the transition involved Kinnerton investing in new product inspection equipment – as Site Engineering Manager Mike Gee explains: "Our decision to invest in product inspection equipment wasn't driven by a desire to resolve a contamination issue – because we simply didn't have one!

We wanted to have robust contamination detection systems in place which could handle our current range of packaging, as well as coping with new and complex packaging formats in the future. This will help ensure that we continue to comply with the latest supermarket codes of practice – so the decision was driven by a desire to future-proof the site, as well as reduce our extremely low complaints record to zero." 

Prior to the insertion of METTLER TOLEDO equipment into the production line, the company would launch a product and then spend several weeks moving metal detectors about or hiring equipment to try and find a way of inspecting it. "Now though", says Gee, "we've found a solution that will cope with whatever packaging format we desire – so we've essentially taken that packaging element out of the contaminant detection equation.

Whatever product we put through the throat metal detectors, we know that the detectors will be able to cope, which means we can pack to whichever format we require. We also benefit from a slight saving in waste, since we're able to re-use the test packs on a throat metal detector – which you can't do with a standard metal detector."

Foil Wrapping Is No Barrier to X-ray Inspection

The X33 incorporates new detector technology five times more sensitive than detectors used in traditional x-ray systems, so the power needed to operate the system is five times less. This makes the X33 from METTLER TOLEDO ideal for inspecting small and medium-sized packaged products.

"When I first looked into x-ray systems some time ago, they were big and bulky – but designs have moved on a lot since then," explains Gee. "It's obvious that METTLER TOLEDO has put a great deal of investment into developing their x-ray solutions – you can see it simply from the compact size of their machines."