Rex Pak's Business Thrives with METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection Technology

Rex Pak Limited is Canada's leading dry food blending and packaging co-manufacturer, who have recently invested in product inspection equipment. The company manufactures and packages a wide variety of dry powder foodstuffs, including rice, pasta, cheese, soup mixes and sugar sachets at its 100,000 square-foot production facility in Ontario, Canada.

Founded by Louis Sabatini in 1973, Rex Pak's day-to-day operations are now managed by Louis' daughter Denise, along with his son and vice-president of manufacturing, Devin Sabatini.

“There is a 60-percent chance that if you open up your cupboards you're going to find a nationally branded product that was actually packaged by us,” explains Vice President of Operations Denise Sabatini Fuina.

Production Inspection Technology Offers Peace of Mind

Mr Sabatini explains that installing product inspection equipment from METTLER TOLEDO across the plant's 30 automated packaging lines and, quality assurance laboratory, is helping to keep brand owners happy, as well as enabling the co-packer to respond quickly to new trends.

Recent investments in product inspection include the installation of laboratory equipment, checkweighers and three x-ray inspection systems - including two X36 models.

"More and more, our customer discussions reveal a high level of interest in having their products x-ray inspected and we've also had many potential 'would-be' customers contact us to ask if we have x-ray inspection units in place," explains Mr Sabatini.

Operating at just 20 watts of power, the X33 was selected for its low total cost of ownership and is used to inspect filled, sealed and weighed bags. The X36 systems inspect larger products, offering flexibility by efficiently handling multiple product types and changes.

"We're very happy with our x-ray systems, they're very reliable and they allow us to search for a wide range of contaminants such as small mineral stones and other natural products,” says Mr Sabatini.

"All our METTLER TOLEDO equipment, from the checkweighing systems to our new x-ray and laboratory equipment, provides both the customer and us with peace-of-mind that only safe food is going out in the market."

The past 10 years have seen a lot of the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brand-owners increasing delegation of their manufacturing functions to companies like Rex Pak. “Prior to that most of the major brand-owners employed their own packaging division at their own plant,” explains Mr. Sabatini.

Co-packers manufacture and package a wide range of branded products and deliver them complete to the customer’s distribution center. “This development has allowed Rex Pak to become a market leader in the dry powder segment, enabling business growth in recent years.”

Mrs. Sabatini Fuina explains the company’s vast experience and expertise in high-quality customs, blending powdered and dry bulk products to the exacting standards of its many national brand-owning customers as a key core competency.

Flexibility Is Key

Serving customers in the ever-changing food industry requires a lot of flexibility from its co-packing business partners to keep brand-owners happy and ready to respond quickly to new trends.

“This is why we provide such a wide range of options,” says Mr. Sabatini, stressing the company’s number one priority of meeting customers' specifications and helping to make sure that consumers receive the safest, highest-quality finished product possible. “Our highly skilled Quality Assurance (QA) team performs rigorous tests on all in-house blending and finished goods as per our customers' specifications.”

“Over the years there have been instances where our customers have given us specific requirements regarding what they need for food safety assurance and compliance,” Sabatini says, noting the plant has recent updated its HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and the SQF (Safe Quality Food Institute) Level 2 certifications.

Laboratory Equipment Solutions

Rex Pak currently uses the Titrator Excellence T5 system from METTLER TOLEDO to conduct a chemical analysis to identify the concentration of ingredients to meet customers’ specifications. The lab also employs other laboratory equipment from METTLER TOLEDO such as the SmartSample Flexibility reader, the InMotion Flex Autosampler analysis machine, and a model P25 printer.

Product Inspection Solutions

"Quality is the cornerstone," Mr. Sabatini reveals. In addition to x-ray systems, Rex Pak also use additional METTLER TOLEDO product inspection technology, previously supplied in Canada by Oakville-based Shawpack Systems Limited. On the busy production floor, each of the 30 lines are equipped with checkweighers from METTLER TOLEDO to weigh pouch fills. There is also a checkweigher at the end of the line to weigh the total weight of each finished packed product.

“We’ve had nothing but great results from using these checkweighers. However, we're now upgrading to a new controller (HMI)," reveals Mr. Sabatini.

“This is a major benefit to Rex Pak as they don't have to replace complete systems, as some of these units are highly integrated with the existing packaging systems," explains Shawpak's Vice President Larry Swift.

“The upgrade will provide optimal data capture and statistical reporting functionality that will allow Rex Pak to track full production data, while enabling the company to achieve a quick return on their investment by controlling all the product trends more accurately. Other recent investments in product inspection at the plant include installation of three METTLER TOLEDO x-ray systems, including an X33 installed in 2013 and two X36 models, which have been in operation since early 2016. The systems are used to inspect filled, sealed and weighed bags.

“We’re very happy with these new x-ray systems, they're very reliable, and the data they provide goes a long way to fortifying our formal product safety quality control procedures. “The X36 x-ray units, along with the X33 x-ray system, can each run at speeds up to 250 feet per minute (76 meters per minute) as standard or up to a rate of 450 feet per minute (137 meters per minute) on the X36 with a different conveyor configuration. The actual running speed is limited only by the product handling and rejection speeds.

Value-added features of the x-ray systems include:

Optimal traceability, with the units offering full built-in due diligence and production monitoring statistics, along with real-time process monitoring and the ability to save all the generated x-ray images
Customizable material handling solutions, with METTLER TOLEDO and Shawpak working together to design the system to fit the customer’s production line requirements
Live HMI (human-machine interface) x-ray power change, a key factor for co-packers that allows them to adjust the x-ray power requirements to the product being produced without needing a service technician
Data capture for food safety certification requirements
Large technical service support across the U.S. and Canada

Many of the package types utilized by Rex Pak contain a metal barrier within the film, so the only viable option for proper safety inspection, notes Mr. Sabatini, is to use an industrial x-ray inspection solution. “The x-ray systems allow us to search for a wide range of contaminants such as small mineral stones and other natural products,” he explains.

“Our METTLER TOLEDO equipment, from the checkweighing systems to our new x-ray and laboratory equipment provides both the customer and us with peace-of-mind that only safe food is going to go out in the market.

“Increasingly, our customer conversations reveal a strong interest in x-ray inspection for their products. We’ve also been approached by many potential customers asking if we use x-ray inspection systems.

“So, when the need arises to add some more x-ray inspection systems to our operations,” concludes Mr. Sabatini, “we know exactly where to turn.”

All product inspection solutions for the Canadian market can now be supplied directly by METTLER TOLEDO.

Why METTLER TOLEDO?

METTLER TOLEDO is a global leader in designing proven product inspection solutions that empower manufacturers to inspect every product with confidence, protect their brands, profits, and productivity, and comply easily with industry requirements.

Our systems help you:

Enhance product safety by detecting and removing physical contaminants.
Improve quality control with weight control and automated vision inspection of labels and packaging.
Increase production efficiency by reducing waste and optimizing processes.
Support compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.
Protect brand reputation by delivering consistently high-quality products.

Our regional support centers offer free product tests and live demonstrations, allowing you to test our solutions before you invest. Additionally, our global service solutions provide comprehensive support to keep your inspection systems running smoothly throughout the entire lifecycle of your equipment.

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Case Study: Rex Pak Business Grows with Product Inspection Equipment

Customer Satisfaction Depends on Safe, Premium-Quality Food

Production Inspection Technology Offers Peace of Mind

Flexibility Is Key

Product Inspection Solutions

Why METTLER TOLEDO?

Search suggestions

Case Study: Rex Pak Business Grows with Product Inspection Equipment

Customer Satisfaction Depends on Safe, Premium-Quality Food

Production Inspection Technology Offers Peace of Mind

Flexibility Is Key

Product Inspection Solutions

Why METTLER TOLEDO?

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