In addition to product quality, what matters more than anything else in the confectionery industry is the efficiency and safety of production. With its weighing and inspection solutions, Minebea Intec provides the basis for an efficient production chain and, with support software such as that used for statistical process control, allows the entire production chain to be monitored upstream.
Leading companies in the confectionery industry such as Sulá, a company that produces hard and soft candies, are faced with major challenges every day: confectionery products, so varied in shape, taste and texture, have an equally exclusive and innovative packaging. Nutritional and recycling trends also suggest new products and packaging solutions. In addition to uncompromising product quality, this also translates into the need for great flexibility to keep pace with these developments.
Static and dynamic weighing is the key to optimal production. Weighing processes are an integral part of cake production along the entire production chain: from the arrival and storage of raw materials to the packaged product. Everything starts with the acceptance and temporary storage of raw materials, where Minebea Intec ensures the correct supply quantities with the weigh bridges, weighing platforms, loading cells for silos and, on request, also with specially designed solutions. "Our Inteco digital load cell, in combination with the Connexx converter, is a good example of the inexorable digitization taking place in weighing processes. Customers can count on fast reporting times and maximum transparency when dosing and weighing ingredients and mixtures. Another plus for our products: in case of errors in the measurement results, a defective load cell can be detected immediately," says Nick Parsons, Deputy CSO at Minebea Intec, highlighting the advantages.
For the subsequent procedural steps in confectionery production, reliable weighing devices with static and dynamic weighing systems are essential to ensure consistent product quality. For example, Combics approved industrial scales or Midrics series bench and floor scales are very useful for processes with spices and flavourings. Minebea Intec also offers "Engineered-to-Order" solutions that fully meet customer requirements. Sulá uses the dynamic checkweigher Synus, which ensures accurate measurement results even at high process speeds and allows the ejection of packages that are not within the prescribed tolerances. Thanks to the integrated trend control, the checkweighers are able to adjust the upstream filling systems in case of overfilling or insufficient filling of the packs. Despite all this flexibility, there is one aspect that never changes for the customer: confidence in the quality of German products. "Dynamic checkweighers from Minebea Intec have been a key element of our confectionery production for around 30 years. The reliable technology and, last but not least, the ease of use demonstrate the efficiency of our system," explains Franz-Josef Laumann, Plant Manager at Sulá GmbH.
With the right software you can achieve much more from production: with ProRecipe XT, Minebea Intec offers an intuitive recipe management system for all manual and semi-automatic formulation processes. This innovative software guarantees total and controlled product safety in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and many other industries. At the same time, Sulá analyses data for performance evaluation and optimization. In this way, the potential for an increase in production is soon visible and the reports are automatically forwarded to the recipients. The digital offering is complemented by innovative solutions such as the miRemote service tool: thanks to Augmented Reality technology, miRemote enables an immediate online connection between the customer and Minebea Intec, thus saving waiting times for technicians and unnecessary production downtime. Sulá is just one example of a satisfied customer, but with its weighing and inspection solutions Minebea Intec offers the ideal complete package, from goods entry to packaged goods inspection, for confectionery manufacturers.
