Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Automation

Keeping weight errors low in LoSalt

April 6, 2010
New checkweighing equipment keeps product giveaway to a minimum.


LoSalt passes over the Checkpoint S-MB checkweigher before going on to the cartoning stage. Under- or over-weight fills can be corrected almost immediately. Source: Avery Weigh-Tronix.
Klinge Chemicals of Glasgow, Scotland is a manufacturer of food-grade and pharmaceutical potassium chloride (KCl) products. Klinge uses a 2/3 KCl and 1/3 sodium chloride formula to produce LoSalt, a low-sodium alternative to table salt that is available to the retail, catering and industrial food manufacturing markets in 40 countries.

Given the various uses of LoSalt, the product is packaged in 75-, 90-, 250-, 350- and 700-g tubs for retail sale. Industrial food markets generally receive 25- and 50-kg packages, while LoSalt is packaged in 1- and 3-kg sachets for catering markets.

European regulations strictly enforce product weight compliance. To ensure compliance in final product weights, Klinge Chemicals operators were sampling just 0.4% of production output. Every 15 minutes, line operators took 5 tubs off the line and weighed them for accuracy. Necessary adjustments were made to the filling heads based on the sampling results.

During the inspections, when operators found an under-filled tub, the entire batch since the last sampling-as many as 1,250 tubs-had to be checked for weighing compliance. To save time on inspections, it was easier to overfill the tubs.

In addition to inefficient weighing practices, sampling results were handwritten on record sheets, which were then filed with a separate printout for traceability purposes. This slow process made it difficult to identify net weight trends.

After analyzing two years of reports on tub-fill levels, Klinge Chemicals concluded it gave away an average of 56 tons of product annually. The cost of this alone justified the purchase of a new checkweighing system.

The manufacturer installed an Avery Weigh-Tronix in-line checkweigher and average weight monitoring software technologies. The Checkpoint S-MB was integrated into the production line after the filling heads. Using electromagnetic force restoration (EMFR) weigh cells, each tub is weighed automatically after being filled. The weight is then recorded, allowing Klinge to optimize fill levels with 100% product sample of LoSalt tubs produced. EMFR weigh cells are an electronic version of a simple beam scale.

With the new checkweigher and weight monitoring system in place, Klinge saves an estimated 70 pallets of LoSalt each year. The instant data capture in the monitoring system also provides statistics for production and quality control, ensuring that LoSalt tubs are filled with the appropriate amount of product.

“We are completely satisfied with the equipment and the amount of time and money it saves,” said Klinge Chemicals Plant Manager Steve Lockie. “The checkweigher has more than paid for itself.”

The checkweigher technology recognizes up to five weight classes for out-of-tolerance products. If the average weight of the product is too high, the supervisor can adjust the filling head to reduce the amount deposited into each tub. If weights are too low, a ram-pusher mechanism rejects the tubs into a receiving bin for proper disposal. According to Lockie, total rejected tubs due to poor filling are now less than 0.5%.

Current statistical information, status bar and nominal weights are displayed directly on an LCD touch-screen built into the front panel of the checkweigher. Setting and production adjustments are easily made by way of menu-guided operation and navigation icons.

The flexibility of the new system makes it possible for Klinge Chemicals to weigh products in sizes ranging from 0 to 1,500 g, satisfying the varying sizes of LoSalt tubs that are produced.

“The checkweigher can output up to 130 tubs per minute, but we’re consistently running product in the 80 to 90 output range; sometimes reaching up to full capacity,” Lockie said.

For more information, contact: Avery Weigh-Tronix, 507-238-4461, usinfo@awtxglobal.com.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    People & Industry News
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

More Videos

Popular Stories

Conagra Logo

Conagra Brands to Sell Chef Boyardee Brand to Hometown Food Company

Salt

FDA to Amend Standards of Identity to Include Salt Substitutes

Butterfly pea flower

FDA Approves Three Food Colors from Natural Sources

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 5, 2025

Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 

June 5, 2025

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • Keeping key performance indicators in context

    Keeping key performance indicators in context

    See More
  • Five keys for low-temperature valve and fluid automation device selection

    Five keys for low-temperature valve and fluid automation device selection

    See More
  • Attacking inefficiencies in warehousing

    See More
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!