How Sparc Systems’ products ensure COP compliance and boost productivity
Amidst tight deadlines and pressure to deliver on time, the need for food manufacturers to increase productivity has never been greater. In essence, this means doing more with less.
Paradoxically, manufacturers are facing stricter demands for compliance with food safety regulations and retailers’ codes of practice (COPs).
To resolve these seemingly conflicting requirements, food manufacturers across Europe are turning in increasing numbers to Sparc Systems’ products.
With their targeted data capture, built-in reject integrity test and real-time reporting functionality, the check weighing and vision inspection systems ensure compliance while increasing productivity. What’s more, they’re the only machines on the market with this capability.
Ensuring compliance with targeted digital data capture
Retailers’ COPs require strict food safety processes to be documented, implemented and monitored. Unannounced audits mean that records need to be immediately available to prove that procedures are being followed consistently and correctly.
Sparc Systems’ inspection and check weighing equipment is designed to provide interactive, user configurable checklists that guide operators through the process, ensuring compliance with the latest COPs while increasing efficiency.
Data can be captured by customer COP, specific check, and even specific employee. Once recorded, it’s automatically sent as both a CSV data file and as a secured, digitally signed, PDF file to the manufacturer’s network in real-time, where it can be viewed instantly by managers and compliance auditors.
Any problems are immediately flagged for investigation, helping ensure the highest levels of compliance. And, as records are digital, they can be easily shared with retailers, providing a gold standard service which improves the supplier relationship.
Increasing productivity with reject integrity test
Most COP checks are still recorded manually on paper. This is time-consuming and prone to errors or even falsification, while records can be easily mislaid or damaged in a busy production environment.
However, for users of Sparc Systems machines, reject integrity tests are automatically scheduled, easy to follow, properly recorded and instantly filed. What’s more, if the results are not as expected, an alert message will be sent directly to the supervisor.
Sparc Systems’ equipment provides both a status message and visual indication that a reject integrity test is due. Step-by-step instructions, along with graphics and images, guide operators through the process clearly and consistently, monitoring their actions and the test results.
Not only does this reduce operator training time and costs. The secure, time-stamped, digital record of the individual responsible for the check, as well as the test result, provides peace of mind. As a result, the quality of the testing and record keeping are improved and productivity is increased.
Driving performance with real-time data
Spotting when things are going wrong can be difficult for managers, particularly if they are not based on site. With paper-based checklists, there’s no real-time reporting and no indication of which operator is carrying out the task.
By switching to Sparc Systems and receiving data in real-time, managers benefit from automatic alerts if checks have not been carried out or if issues occur. As a result, it’s straightforward to analyse staff activities in real-time, helping to ensure that they are all performing effectively, wherever they are.
Getting the best out of staff is central to success within the food industry, yet existing paper-based checklists make it difficult to get new joiners and temps trained and up to speed quickly. Sparc Systems’ digital COP management ensures consistency, reduces risks and drives productivity, minimising the impact of staff churn.
Ultimately then, those manufacturers that rely on new or temporary operators and old style paper records are setting their businesses up to fail. Missed checks or incomplete paperwork lead to decreased supplier confidence and, if not managed properly, the loss of hard won business.
However, with the reject integrity test and real-time reporting functionality incorporated into its Cerberus, Cerberus Twin Head, Titan, Theia, Apollo and Raptor products, Sparc Systems is delivering results across the food manufacturing sector.
More Information and Press Enquiries:
David Mill, Editorial Manager, Cognition
+44 (0) 1926 330800
