Sustained innovations and quality service enable Mettler-Toledo to address customer needs

Innovation continues to be the driving force behind Mettler-Toledo, steering product development and services and enabling the product inspection technology expert to meet the needs of its customers. For many years now, the company has been providing high-end products and solutions that address market requirements across the value chain from R&D, quality control, production, logistics to retail. Mettler-Toledo technologies not only empower its customers to improve operational efficiency, reliability and increase productivity but also to meet regulatory standards and offer product quality across all processes.

For food manufacturers, Mettler-Toledo’s wide range of smart product inspection solutions helps counter rising manufacturing costs especially as they pursue digital transformation. Mettler-Toledo’s latest innovations enable multiple product inspection system to connect to its ProdX™ data management software, a complete quality inspection data management system with fully automated real-time monitoring and paperless reporting. ProdX™ supports Industry 4.0 and is scalable, which means companies can deploy it for single-site installations or for multiple-location sites with multiple devices as they grow their business.

Ian Robertshaw, Global Key Account Manager at Mettler-Toledo (Source: Ringier)

Ian Robertshaw, Global Key Account Manager at Mettler-Toledo, notes technology investment costs may be prohibitive for some manufacturers, particularly those still recovering from the pandemic and are hard-pressed to tighten purse strings to manage costs better. “Maybe they’re holding back on their investments a little bit at the moment. But in some industries, such as the snack food and health food sectors, manufacturers are investing and buying lots of equipment. The food industry remains very much buoyant. The population is growing; people are always buying food. But it also depends on the sector of the food industry. It could also be that some companies are more cautious given many have yet to fully rebound from the slump of previous years,” he added.

Digitalisation is another area where adoption – or company investment -- is taking more time than initially anticipated. “We’ve been talking about digitalisation for some time now. There was some resistance amongst several of the big organisations to embrace digitalisation, but I think that’s changing now,” he said.

Mettler-Toledo notes how digitalisation can bring a higher level of automation to the production line toward substantially improving line efficiency and productivity. “More and more companies are beginning to realise this, and this is why I think digitalisation is now increasingly rising in the list of priorities amongst manufacturers,” he added.

A broad range of contaminants that includes metal, glass, mineral stone, calcified bone, dense plastic and rubber compounds are detected by the X2 Series of x-ray systems.  (Source: Mettler-Toledo)

High-performance inspection systems

Mettler-Toledo has launched its X2 Series of x-ray systems for food manufacturers. This high-performance system is designed for the inspection of small and medium packages with 300mm and 400mm belt width.

The X2 Series of x-ray systems delivers reliable contamination detection capabilities to ensure high product quality, product safety and brand protection. Its inspection technology covers not just metal but a broad range of contaminants that includes glass, mineral stone, calcified bone, dense plastic and rubber compounds. It likewise handles several QC and integrity checks.

According to Mr Robertshaw: “A lot of what we are working on is to try and help manufacturers increase productivity. For instance, with our product inspection solutions, the goal is to inspect the product, but we also have to consider that the last thing we want to happen is to affect the manufacturer’s productivity. What happens if there’s an issue with the product or the inspection system is not performing very well? This affects not only the manufacturer but their customer as well. And it is those issues in the production line that we factor in our technologies.”

The X2 Series comes in two x-ray models – the X12 and X32. Both are available in multiple line configurations: 800mm, 1300mm, 1800mm and 2000mm line lengths. To meet client needs, the system can be tailored to a customer’s production line, with the X32 enabling additional customisation options. 

The X12 is a single-lane x-ray inspection system that comes in standard configuration and is ideal for small to medium food products. It features a HiGain detector to generate sharper images for outstanding contaminant detection. This IP65- and IP66-rated system packs a 10 to 60m/min conveyor speed and a 15.6-inch capacitive touchscreen.

The X32 is an advanced x-ray system featuring enhanced sensitivity and product integrity performance with its HiGain+ detection capabilities. It comes in standard and custom configurations with single- or multiple-lane support. Besides IP65 and IP66, it has IP69 rating and up to 100m/min conveyor speed. Like the X12, it adopts a 15.6-inch capacitive touchscreen.

“With this new generation of x-ray inspection systems, we reaffirm our principle of growing our business as much as we possibly can through innovation. But what this also means is we’re looking for means of doing things better than before to empower our customers. Our approach really with our customers is very much about understanding what their issues are and what their pain points are and then trying to address these with the technologies and solutions that we have developed,” he said. 

Cost reduction and sustainability and other key issues

Besides productivity, cost reduction is another issue Mettler-Toledo sees as a high priority. “One of the things that we’re really focused on actually with all of our customers is cost management. We understand the pressure on them in terms of cost. So, a lot of the features in our equipment are aligned with enabling them to increase their productivity whilst reducing costs. This is also why we want to help them sort of embrace things like digitalisation and automation,” Mr Robertshaw explained.

Mettler-Toledo is likewise keen on achieving sustainability and enabling its customers to do the same. The company is adopting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices across its supply chain from material sourcing to the environmental impact of its products in alignment with its GreenMT strategy. Beyond boosting production line efficiency and productivity and lowering costs, Mettler-Toledo’s innovations aim to cut waste and energy use, he added.

The company’s operations have been carbon-neutral since 2020. Mettler-Toledo has been pushing down its absolute greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain, enabling it to secure Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approval for its near- and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets. For new product development, Mettler-Toledo requires specific sustainability improvement targets in line with its updated Design for Environment Principles. It has also been working very closely with its direct material suppliers to engage them more actively and make them accountable for their shared ESG targets.

“With the products themselves and the equipment we’ve been manufacturing such as our new x-ray inspection systems, we also adopt and implement our GreenMT practices to achieve our ESG goals. The new X2 Series, for example, uses a power generator that is set at a level that’s just enough to get the correct image and the best sensitivity on the machine. So, we reduce the amount of power that we put into the generator, and we use high-gain detectors underneath, which means that basically we’re using less power. This allows us to manage energy consumption better and in the long run, the overall costs as well,” he noted.

Compliance is another big thing. Ian Robertshaw noted that for Mettler-Toledo, asset management is a commitment when dealing with customers. “Making sure that the equipment is looked after properly is very important for us. We work with our customers and support them in combating pain points, specifically pertaining to productivity and costs, with the machines and solutions that we provide. But it’s minimising the potential for equipment breakdown and line stoppage that’s actually going to make all these work for the long term,” he said.

The X2 Series complies with industry standards and regulations through its inspection monitoring software, which provides an audit trail and recorded image database for full traceability. The machine’s new product inspection chamber and modular mechanical design provide full frontal access to the most common operations for ease of use. A stainless-steel reject bin collects substandard products, preventing product line contamination and enabling the manufacturer to review the product and its contamination. For an uncomplicated maintenance, the conveyor belt can be removed without having to use tools simply by releasing the tension with the handle located on the infeed roller.

“We are constantly working on ways of testing equipment to ensure that besides the regular maintenance tests, we are able to undertake such tests with the least impact on our customers’ productivity. What this means is that if we need to stop the line, they stop at the minimum amount of time, and we can get it back up and running again soon enough. It’s all about trying to keep the customer’s line running and maximising their uptime,” he shared.   - Interview conducted by Marijo Gonzalez

For more detailed information about Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection, please visit: www.mt.com/pi-pr