Testament that digital is the future, Fortress Technology triumphed at the recent PPMA Group Industry Awards 2022, winning the top prize for Halo Digital Testing in the most Innovative Processing System category.
Topping off another successful PPMA show, judges commended the company’s Halo Digital Testing solution for “solving a problem applicable to all food manufacturers doing metal detection testing, making it simpler for staff with no production disruption.”
Celebrating the best in British manufacturing, earning such high acclaim in the Most Innovative Processing System category showcases the appetite for digital tools among industry leaders to improve efficiency and increase audit transparency. Highly regarded in processing, packaging, manufacturing and robotics circles, Fortress fought off strong competition from automation counterparts to win this revered trophy.
Commercial Manager Jodie Curry exclaims that it’s a sign of the times how much ‘digital’ tools are changing and improving the way tasks are performed. Particularly in fast paced food processing environments. She expands: “The adoption of automated technology features that deliver standardisation, less complexity and ease of access, all help food processors to be more efficient and productive. Our Halo Digital Testing is a brilliant example of how our company goes about creating technology tools that give corporations better control over compliance data, optimising food safety and providing fully traceable and auditable reporting documentation.”
Unique to Fortress and developed in-house in collaboration with the largest snack factory in the United States, Halo Digital Testing was originally engineered to overcome the major limitations of performing manual checks on vertical snack inspection lines.
With over 100+ Vertex metal detectors operating around the clock, 24/7, side-by-side, this global snack manufacturer, and subsequently several more, reported significant challenges resourcing manual checks to adhere to international food safety reporting standards. In particular the access challenges, high waste and health and safety risks incurred when testing metal detectors located below walkways on high freefalling product lines.
Answering their calls for a productive automated testing solution, Halo Digital Testing – a separate kit of electronics from the metal detector search head – was engineered. Mimicking the signal disturbance without physically passing a test sample through the product, food operatives and QC staff can activate tests remotely or from ground level via the HMI. Not only is this safer for staff, it saves snack, ingredient, cereal, meat and dairy processors and packing plants significant time, money and other operational costs, with an ROI of less than 12 months.
“No other technology in the food inspection market can test all sizes and metal types so reliably, precisely and at such a fast speed,” commented one snack manufacturer.
Honouring the cream of the manufacturing crop, the annual PPMA Group 2022 awards recognised just five companies for their technological innovation, packaging prowess, vision and robotics machinery and customer service. “Winning this respected award was a great way to celebrate another highly successful PPMA show. Having our product, time and money saving engineering efforts endorsed by our industry counterparts proves that innovation is alive and kicking in UK food manufacturing,” adds Managing Director Phil Brown.
