Real-time data: The key to on-spec products—every time!

The risks of not meeting specifications

The challenge of meeting multiple specifications is further complicated by the fact that most convenience food producers make a variety of products, meaning that they have to manage numerous different ingredients, pieces of equipment, settings, product changeovers, and so on.

Imagine your cooking process runs for several hours with an incorrect setting. Without real-time data or alerts, the problem could go unnoticed until the end of the day, when you discover that you’ve produced several tons of products that don’t meet your customer’s specifications. It’s a nightmare scenario: Customers are disappointed, food is wasted, and profits are lost.

With so much to consider, it’s essential to have software that gives you full insight and control of production. Without this, the logistics can be overwhelming, and problems are more likely to go undetected—with potentially disastrous results.

The good news? Marel's Convenience Line Software provides the tools you need to safeguard and streamline your production. It supports the complete process of prepared food production with user-friendly dashboards that display critical parameters in real time and alert operators to potential problems, so they can be corrected swiftly or avoided altogether.

Seizing opportunities to optimize food safety and yield

Of course, running a successful production is about more than just averting a crisis. It’s about seizing every opportunity to make the most of your time, ingredients, equipment, energy, and labor. To do this, you need relevant data on key factors such as throughput, use of raw materials, equipment settings, process status, and more. Every detail counts.

In convenience foods, a common area for improvement is the issue of undercooking and overcooking. Food must reach a certain core temperature to ensure safety, but erring on the side of caution can lead to overcooking, which means wasted product and loss of earnings.

Software Product Manager at Marel, Laura Boon, recalls one customer who, with the help of Marel’s Convenience Line Software, found an excellent opportunity to improve yield by preventing overcooking. “He could see in real time that the core temperature of the products was increasing gradually. Because of this insight, he could intervene instantly and prevent the loss of yield. Without the Convenience Line Software dashboard, it would’ve taken a lot longer to notice and identify the cause.”

Examples like this show how having Marel’s Convenience Line Software can make all the difference. When you have a dashboard that gives you real-time insight into your production, it’s easier to meet product specifications, reaching the precise temperature consistently and correct any deviations quickly if they do arise. Moment-to-moment adjustments like this can add up to big improvements in yield and quality.

Traceability is key

Traceability is vital for food processors to minimize the risks of contamination and costly product recalls that can damage a company’s reputation. By the time a chicken nugget, schnitzel, or hamburger lands on a consumer’s plate, it’s undergone multiple steps of processing—with the inherent risks of contamination along the way. Without the right software, tracing back through multiple steps can be a slow process. And the longer it takes, the greater the impact it will have.

It is therefore essential to have detailed information on each ingredient and every step along its journey. With Marel’s Convenience Line Software, you can store this information and have it ready at your fingertips so that products can be traced quickly if needed.

Making work easier and more accurate

Another major benefit of Marel Convenience Line Software is that it provides practical guidance for equipment operators. It can guide them clearly through machine setup in a convenience line, when to take QC measurements, and how to manage ingredients to achieve maximum product consistency. And with the click of a button, operators can send the right machine settings to all the machines at the same time. “This saves time, but most importantly, it also reduces the chance of human error,” explains Laura Boon.

The Convenience Line Software dashboard also greatly enhances the work process for managers. For example, it gives continuous real-time insight into production progress and early warnings if processes or products run outside specification, allowing operations managers and plant managers to intervene quickly.

Access to historical data also makes it quicker and easier to troubleshoot problems. All data is stored connected to a certain batch or LOT number, so quality managers can find it in the system for QC evaluation or for customers and audits. Maintenance managers can also find information on equipment, helping to streamline the maintenance schedule for more uptime, better performance, and better equipment life.

At every stage of production, Marel’s Convenience Line Software provides peace of mind and the numerous other benefits of having a controlled production process.