Italian meat producer, D’Autore, is a perfectionist when it comes to the quality of its packaged meat products, which include cured ham, bresaola, salami and other deli items. Its single, highly automated facility in Castelnuovo Rangone employs 35 people, where products are packed for private-label customers as well as the D’Autore brand.
To assist in maintaining high quality, the processor wanted to develop a zero tolerance for errors in product quality while increasing production rates. This was a case where machine vision could outperform human eyes, not only in checking for quality but also in maintaining a consistent level of performance.
“We needed to install a system capable of detecting a number of potential problems with the trays that could arise on packing lines with an extremely high daily throughput, and which are operated by a number of different teams,” says I. Maroni, plant director. “We wanted to inspect for the presence of product in the seal area and the incorrect positioning or absence of the label. The two determining factors that led us to consider a computer vision system have been our desire to increase productivity and to apply quality control procedures that are compatible with the high quality levels that we are seeking.”