When you evaluate new inspection equipment today, you should ensure that it supports connectivity, and that it can connect with a data collection system such as METTLER TOLEDO’s ProdX system, which can store data collected from multiple lines, and even multiple facilities, and make it immediately available when needed. Standardized reporting such as ProdX provides also meets the due diligence requirements required by your HACCP-based food safety plan, required by FSMA.
These systems allow multiple product inspection devices to be integrated into a central system that can be monitored from multiple locations. The user interface provides at-a-glance device status and health. As a result, operations managers can plan maintenance and/or repair interventions for times of lowest production activity, such as on weekends or during shift changes, to maintain maximum productivity, rather than responding to crises as they occur.
The ProdX dashboard, for example, enables management to receive in one central location critical early warning alerts about key situations affecting product quality, such as receipt of non-conforming raw materials from suppliers, serial automatic product rejections and machinery maintenance requests – all of which can have a significant impact on overall product quality standards.
These systems can carry out changes to product set-ups on multiple product inspection devices at one or more plant sites simultaneously, reducing reliance on multiple line operators. This both reduces the likelihood of unforeseen human error and lets management keep product data secure.
All levels of data and performance information are designed to be as transparent as possible. If any issues arise the ProdX program will immediately issue an alert.
Rejects and event monitoring screens and their associated reports further enhance production uptime. By receiving detailed information in real time, users can avert potential downtime events and product waste, manage production processes proactively and better utilize valuable maintenance and production personnel.
Such a sophisticated data collection and management system literally tells you what is going on in production on a regular basis, alerts when it foresees a problem, and keeps accurate and complete records to produce on demand when required by an FDA visit and to provide insight for your quality management team. Being automated, it never takes a break or vacation, and being an electronic system, it is reliable both for speed and accuracy, and relieves your human staff of the drudgery of collecting and storing data, letting them concentrate instead on analyzing the data and using it to improve the quality of your operation.
Written by: Robert Rogers
Senior Advisor for Food Safety and Regulations
METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection
