According to statistics from the American Egg Board, per capita egg consumption in the United States is trending up. From 1998 to 2016, the egg consumption of the average American went up over 11%.
This trend, combined with increasing pressure from the market and regulatory agencies to move toward cage-free and bio-secure production practices, means that egg producers in America are being forced to adapt their facilities – and fast.
If you’re in the market for a new belt conveyor system, you’ve got a lot to consider. One of the most important questions is what kind of belting to use. There are a number of different options when it comes to conveyor belts, and each has its own benefits for specific applications.
Some of the most common options are called modular plastic conveyor belts. As the name suggests, modular plastic conveyor belts are made with a series of several long, narrow modular plastic segments which are interlinked to form a continuous belt.
While this configuration may seem cumbersome at first, it offers a number of benefits over alternatives like standard flat belt conveyors. Keep reading to learn more.
Conveyors play a vital, and often overlooked, function in today’s manufacturing plant. Whether the facility is manufacturing circuit boards, truck transmissions or the latest high protein energy bar – you are sure to find conveyors. Whether carrying raw parts or bringing finished assemblies into the shipping and palletizing areas, conveyors are used at every stage of production and assembly. Conveyors can be used for bulk handling, or for more specialized processes – such as back-lit conveyors for vision inspection or vacuum conveyors for product placement. Conveyors can be auxiliary equipment or they can provide a crucial function, such as indexing conveyors feeding upstream processes.
On January 4, 2011 President Barack Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The bill was designed to put regulatory pressure on food growers and processors to prevent contamination of the food supply, rather than relying on recalls and other reactive measures to deal with instances of foodborne illness.
For consumers, this means greater confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply. For manufacturers and processors, the law has meant higher standards of manufacturing best practices, hazard analysis, and preventative controls. One area where these standards come into play is that of food handling and processing and conveyor systems.
With compliance deadlines for these new standards set for September 19, 2016, most food processors should have already upgraded or confirmed the adequacy of their food-grade conveyor systems. But without the proper education, some processors may install conveyor systems that aren’t as “sanitary” as they thought, reducing their chances for compliance when it comes time for an inspection. This is because they may confuse conveyors that are merely made with stainless steel for those which are truly sanitary.
As global population rises, demand for fresh and processed food increases. This puts those in the food processing and related industries in a position with a great deal of room for growth, but with the need for operational efficiency and overall competitiveness more urgent than ever.
One way those in the food processing and packaging industries can maximize efficiency while honing their competitive edge is with effective food conveyor systems, to keep supply chains moving smoothly from farm to fork and every step in between. But with government regulations and other regulatory standards in place, not just any food conveyors will do.
“Use the right tool for the job.” This seems like pretty easy advice to follow, and quite often it is. If you need to drive a nail, you use a hammer. If you need to dig a hole, you use a shovel. But what about when you need something a little more complicated than a hammer or a shovel, like a belt conveyor system? How can you be sure you’re using the right one for your specific application?
