PET Food Processing - December 2019 - 44

"By replacing a worker with a scoop and a
scale with a computer and scale, it
virtually eliminates the cost of human error."
Jessica Stank, Automated Process Equipment Corporation

Tanks that hold fats and
oils often heat the liquids.
Sensors designed to monitor ingredient levels must
withstand harsh environments including a wide
range of temperatures.
Sosland Publishing

contact surfaces, equipment that is fully enclosed with
locking lids and automation programs that include track
and trace technology have addressed concerns regarding
safety and sanitation," she says.
Due to Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements, pet food processing facilities have moved to foodgrade equipment and components that have increased the
level of sanitation in plants tremendously. Keeping ingredients contained inside fully enclosed equipment prevents fugitive particles from making their way into the air and onto
the floor, which also improves worker safety.
Steve Sawyer, factory sales, Dynatrol Division of
Automation Products, Inc., Houston, says equipment
needs to stand up to the harsh environments found in pet
food and treat applications. "Our customers handle large
and small amounts of bulk ingredients and are requesting equipment to operate successfully on products having
wider ranges of bulk densities and consistencies," he says.
Sawyer's company manufactures the Dynatrol DJT Level
Detectors, which are sensors that provide information on
product levels within hoppers, offering high-, intermediateor low-level detection in temperatures exceeding 300 F.
"We have added a line of specialty coatings for detectors
to protect components from steam cleaning and aid in decreasing build-up while not affecting sensitivity," Sawyer
says. This maintains the product's accuracy, decreases down
time and increases productivity and product life.
Joseph Cross, engineering and process manager,
Zeppelin Systems USA, Inc., Odessa, Florida, says producers are demanding increased automation that reduces
human interaction to provide labor savings and improves

employee engagement by eliminating repetitive tasks. "This
has led Zeppelin to develop our Kokeisl dosing system, a
way to dose ingredients in large and small amounts both
very quickly and extremely accurately," Cross says.
The Kokeisl system offers a unique discharge aid in combination with a large port and a fast-acting discharge valve
that can be opened and closed from a 0 to 100% aperture
in milliseconds, allowing a large flow of ingredients during
the initial delivery followed by a very small trickle-feed to
complete the batch with extreme accuracy and repeatability. "By automating an increasing number of ingredients,
many processes may be completed simultaneously, reducing the overall batching time and increasing the throughput of the line," Cross says. "Furthermore, increased automation allows for more accurate lot tracking of all major
and minor ingredients, allowing for better inventory control and decreased reaction time in the rare case of recalls."

Batching systems
Don Goshert, vice president and general manager, Sterling
Systems & Controls, Inc., Sterling, Illinois, notes the latest
trends he is seeing are automatic and semi-automatic minor ingredient weighing/batching systems that dispense
raw ingredients while tracking lot information and validating batched ingredient weights. "Lot tracking with total
ingredient material traceability is a requirement in many
industries, particularly in the pet food, feed and agriculture,
and food industries," he says.
Data collection and management of ingredients and
batches from the feed processing batching control system
has improved processors' ability to meet product safety requirements. For example, Sterling Systems engineers and
produces customized batching control systems that can include as little or as much ingredient lot tracking and traceability as the customer wants to implement. It just depends
on the customer's ability to fund and implement the tracking system, as several inventory strategies are available.
Utilizing batching controls and automatic dispensing/
dosing systems to handle minor ingredients can reduce or
eliminate the need for reliance on personnel to manually
track or document ingredient lots and weights.

Automation streamlining improvements
Processors are under pressure to maximize both throughput and accuracy. "Increasing demand, custom ingredients and pet food quality enhancements have all driven
the demand for increasing efficiency in the process controls and automation process systems that produce pet
food, such as the minor ingredient batching systems,"
Goshert says. The addition of both automation and highly
accurate weighing technology can contribute to a major

44

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PET Food Processing - December 2019

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