Profiles of the six finalists in the Food & Beverage category that is sponsored by ifm efector.
Rheology Solutions
The OnLine Rheometer for enhanced process monitoring and control
The project was to commercialise, in two years, novel technologies for an online process control instrument that delivers real-time data to afford better quality control for production processes, initially in the food, personal care and, later, mining and other sectors.
The instrument is an OnLine Rheometer, which measures and delivers a characteristic flow curve for a liquid in a pipe in real time. The market need for this instrument is acute, and there are no direct competitors.
Across key sectors, product quality is verified by measuring flow properties of liquids. Currently, these measurements are either through laboratory analysis which is highly accurate but adds significantly to process time, or real-time, through in- or on-line viscometers.
AP Automation
Grinding and Batching upgrade
Thompson & Redwood, an animal feed manufacturer embarked on a plan to modernise its manufacturing plant. Initially, the idea was to find a solution that would see the plant grow in line with its modern requirements, become more efficient, consume less energy and comply with food safety regulations of tracking and tracing, while being robust enough to handle the repetitive grinding and batching functions.
For Thomson & Redwood, the key attraction of the solution was its ability to adapt to any grinding or batching application and its advanced diagnostics capability. The solution was based on software libraries which can be tailored for any application and consequently provide Thomson & Redwood with the flexibility to produce various product lines efficiently.
Treasury Wine Estates
Treasury Wine Estate Global Packaging Optimiser project
In 2013, Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) decided to implement a global supply chain network optimisation to answer the strategic business question of "what to pack where" and to determine the lowest total cost solution to TWE's wine packaging and logistics operations.
With production in four continents, over 100 packing routings and greater than1,900 individual product lines, the sheer complexity of TWE's supply chain meant the historical manual approach to supply chain solutions was no longer viable. The solution was designed specifically to address these "whole of business" business problems.
The resulting supply chain network optimiser solution provides TWE with a strategic decision support tool that is used to optimise and reduce costs across the global packaging network.
Columbus Group
Flat surface mix and make systems
Mixing is a fundamental process in many manufacturing outcomes, from processed food production to making building materials like concrete and pavers.
The components for such mixing procedures usually have a mixing container, mixing implements, equipment to add ingredients, addition of heat and cold to advance the mixed materials and methods to move the mixed materials to the next stage.
Columbus flat surface mix and make systems incorporates these components in an interactive tessellation auxetic robust surface that is easy to clean. The system works by raising containment profiles and moving paddle mixing profiles under movement software. More than one mixing action can happen at the same time on the same surface.
Elemental Manufacturing
World's first environmentally harmonious and safer salmon pen
An Australian designer has played a key role in producing a world first in aquaculture – a salmon protection pen that not only protects the fish, but also safeguards the seals that want to eat them and the staff who might be caught in the middle.
The new pens employ a double-net system to protect the salmon and prevent seals from ramming themselves against the inner netting to get at the fish inside. It also allows easier and wider egress for the seals.
Because the double net design is 50 percent wider and more stable than conventional designs, a challenge for Elemental was to produce a triple collar stanchion that was strong enough to cope with the flexing and stresses imparted by the wider design.
Hoshizaki Lancer
Lancer Soft Drink Superchiller
Hoshizaki Lancer is an Adelaide-based manufacturer of bulk carbonated draught beer and soft drink beverage dispensing systems. It employs 130 nationally with export offices in NZ, HK and Singapore.
Its Soft Drink Superchiller is the main soft drink equipment platform of Australia’s on-premise, fast food restaurant, cinema and convenience store outlets. Lancer recently majorly redesigned the Superchiller, and reduce energy consumption by 34%, lower price by 15%, and failure rates from 2% to zero.