Brewery and Beverage Manufacturing Equipment Co. Uses Cardinal Scales in Process and Packaging

In the case study below, we take a look at how a brewery and beverage company that manufacturers equipment for that industry, uses Cardinal Scale equipment in its process. The company that is featured in the case study chose Cardinal products for various reasons, one important reason was the wide range of products that Cardinal offers which allowed the company to utilize Cardinal Scale products throughout and not have to contend with multiple different brands of scales.

Cardinal 190 indicator

The systems provided by IDD provide answers for operations such as keg cleaning, sanitation and filling, flash pasteurization, bottling, and their HEBS (High Efficiency Brewing System). IDD manufactures these intricate and precise equipment systems to meet the distinct needs for their many customers in the beverage industry.

IDD’s reach extends all over the world. While primarily servicing America and Canada, IDD Process and Packaging, Inc. ships to Western Europe and as far as countries in the Oceania area, such as Australia. The burgeoning craft brewery and distillery movement in America and Canada provides IDD with a great deal of business opportunities; however, they are not limited strictly to beer and spirits. IDD delivers expertise in more traditional beverage production, such as grape juice, to more exotic and contemporary drinks, like kombucha and cold-brew tea.

To round out the design of a few of their systems, owner Jeff Gunn researched scale manufacturers to compare products lines and breadth of products. Cardinal Scale was capable of providing the load cells he preferred, along with the digital weight indicators meant to complete filling functions for keg, grain, and yeast managements systems, plus the scales themselves. “Cardinal Scale provided all of the implements that I needed within one company, and that influenced my decision to go with them,” said Gunn.

Cardinal Scale products are featured in Squire Keg Systems, Grain Handling Systems, and Yeast Management Systems. For the Squire Keg series, Cardinal Scale’s model EB-300 scale is coupled with the 190 STORM indicator. The EB-300 weighs the keg that can be moved on a roller platform, and the 190 provides the weight preset programming that is invaluable to precision filling. The Squire Series system can fill up to 30 kegs per hour.

The Grain Handling Systems and Yeast Management Systems utilize Cardinal Scale’s 825 or 225 weight indicator and the company’s TCBSS1KM-4 load cell kits. The TCBSS1KM-4 load cell kits provide the durability and precision needed to take on filling of grain augers, mills, and hoppers or multi-tank yeast propagation systems. The 825 or 225 weight indicator guides the more complex filling functions associated with the aforementioned tanking systems.

So as you can see, the robust product features of the Cardinal Scale Manufacturing lineup of products was a key ingredient in the success of the featured company in the case study. With more than five years of business between the two entities, both the companies are poised to achieve even more success in the beverage industry.

You too can enjoy this same level of success for your business. Contact our sales department to discuss adding load cells under your tanks or adding digital weight indicators to your scales that can collect data that you can then analyze in a spreadsheet on the computer.  Call (919) 776-7737 to get started.

Digital Scales For WinSPC Real-Time Statistical Process Control Software

Today more and more customers want to not only measure the weight of their products, but they also want to capture that information and send it to their laptop computer for data collection and further analysis. There are several ways to do this, and various software programs to help accomplish this as well. We offer various communication types like USB and ethernet and we offer some of the software as well, such as Doran Excelerator.

But today we wanted to mention the WinSPC software. Quite a few customers over the years have been interested in having their digital scales be able to connect to this real time statistical process control software.

WinSPC basically allows companies to compete in today’s worldwide economy since many manufacturers must constantly discover new and innovative ways to cut costs while consistently delivering the highest quality products for their customers. Now it’s important to note up front that we don’t sell WinSPC. The product does seem to be a really nice software though.

WinSPC provides a proven, effective way for manufacturers to quickly improve quality, reduce variation, monitor production or process changes, increase profitability and more. Best of all, WinSPC runs in real-time, collecting data to deliver real meaningful process information directly to operators or to quality engineers, supervisors, and management. WinSPC is a very popular real-time process control tool of choice for manufacturers that need a top of the line solution because WinSPC provides real time SPC capability than quality modules or other process control software products.

A key requirement of most continuous improvement, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma programs is the ability to access timely manufacturing data. WinSPC’s data collection software enable manufacturers to quickly obtain product and process data from nearly any shop floor source, including: serial devices, text files, machines, gauges, databases, and other manufacturing systems. WinSPC’s data collection features offer the fastest, easiest way for quality engineers to quickly gather manual input, connect to devices, and capture data from other manufacturing sources.

The reason we’re mentioning all of this is that if you’re currently using WinSPC (or you’re thinking of purchasing it) and you need to add some digital scales to your company, give us a call at (919) 776-7737.

Our outstanding selection of Doran Scales can be setup to communicate effortlessly with the WinSPC software. Doran Scales offers RS-232 serial, usb, and ethernet connectivity. Many of these scales are NTEP legal for trade and many of the scales are available in stainless steel washdown capability if needed.

With Doran’s Excel Series Indicators line comes an array of “Value Added Standard Features and Options” for a wide variety of applications. In the scale industry, the RS232 Serial Port has been used for communications between scales, computers, or printers since the introduction of the personal computer. In 2002, PC manufacturers agreed to obsolete Serial Ports over time and replace them with USB communication ports.

Doran 2200CW stainless steel checkweigher

Therefore, today’s computers are not always equipped with an RS-232 port, which makes the use of USB absolutely necessary. There are several benefits to using USB communications over RS232 Serial Ports. These include ease of use, reliability, flexibility, and compatibility.

Virtually every company today has an Ethernet network to distribute email, provide Internet access, share printers, and run enterprise wide software. Customers both large and small can leverage their existing Ethernet and PC hardware infrastructure and extend it to the factory floor. The merging of the administrative, control level, and device level networks makes for a less expensive and more connected data network. The result is an efficient end-to-end flow of data from the plant floor to the front office network, where it can be used to better manage operations.

Adding scales to an existing Ethernet network will not adversely affect the network speeds for existing devices. The speed of 10/100Base-T Ethernet networks that provide up to 100 Mbps communication bandwidth clearly eclipses the requirements for scale communications. A typical scale data string only requires about 200 bits, a tiny fraction of the available bandwidth for Ethernet.

As an example of the speed of Doran’s Ethernet option; The Excelerator Data collection software can monitor up to 20 scales with continuous print into one spreadsheet workbook in real time, while only utilizing 0.004% of the total network’s Ethernet bandwidth. Compare this to loading Google on Internet Explorer, which requires quite a bit more network bandwidth! Utilizing the existing Ethernet network without affecting existing devices makes Doran’s Ethernet communications option extremely cost effective.

The point of this article is to simply let you know that if you currently use WinSPC, or are considering purchasing the software, please keep us in mind when it comes to purchasing new digital scales that can connect to WinSPC software. You can reach our sales team at (919) 776-7737 or fill out our RFQ on the website.

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Digital Scales

Food safety is extremely important to all of us. In today’s ultra competitive and fast paced world, it’s imperative that we have laws in place to ensure that the food we eat is as safe as possible.

We hope the article below helps you better understand information about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Ultimately we think this information will highlight the ability of Rice Lake’s washdown products to meet your requirements of commercial processing industries. The FSMA info below not only informs producers about how to meet compliance laws, but demonstrates how Rice Lake scales can help prevent food contamination by the integrity of their construction and design.

For all producers, from the farm to the table, purchasing equipment that meets Sanitary Design Principles (SDP) is considered a mandatory preventative measure by the FDA. Our product offerings that are microbiologically cleanable, hermetically sealed and compatible with hostile environments can greatly assist you in adhering to these strict guidelines.

On January 4, 2011, President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law. The FSMA brought a much-needed focus of food safety laws into the food processing industry as well as to consumers, and the general public as a whole.

The signing of the FSMA was arguably the largest reform to food safety in the previous 70 years. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the FSMA “aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it.” The key focus being prevention versus reaction in regards to food safety, from all aspects and stages of food—from the farm to the table.

The FSMA was spurred into action from an increase in foodborne illnesses in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report almost 1 in 6 Americans fall ill to food borne diseases each year. Foodborne illness became an issue of public health in the early 2000s, enabling the FDA to set higher preventative standards for food safety and elicit enforcement agencies to hold companies to these standards and contain any potential problems before they become a widespread risk of foodborne illness. To do this, the FDA under the FSMA can order companies to recall when needed.

The primary role of the FSMA is prevention. As noted by the FDA, “for the first time, FDA will have a legislative mandate to require comprehensive, science-based preventative controls across the food supply.” This legislative power ensures all U.S. companies that contribute to the food supply, no matter their size, are subject to the authority of the FDA and their preventative and responding agency.

Under the Prevention section of the FSMA, controls are given to the FDA for the following:

• Mandatory preventive controls for food facilities
• Mandatory produce safety standards
• Authority to prevent intentional contamination

These measures need to be qualified by scientific justifications by the FDA and are enforced by legislation. Under the mandatory preventative controls for food facilities is the addition of a preventative control plan that includes the following:

1 ) Evaluating the hazards that could affect food safety
2 ) Specifying what preventive steps, or controls, will be put in place to significantly minimize or prevent the hazards
3 ) Specifying how the facility will monitor these controls to ensure they are working
4 ) Maintaining routine records of the monitoring
5 ) Specifying what actions the facility will take to correct problems that arise.

Purchasing and using equipment that meets the Sanitary Design Principles (SDP) falls under these mandatory preventative measures as a control to prevent or minimize the possibility of foodborne contamination and disease. Continue reading

How Can I Send Weight Data From My Scale To My Computer?

At Central Carolina Scale we focus on scales and weighing equipment, first and foremost. That’s what we’ve always done. We are constantly working and training to be the best and most knowledgeable scale company that we can be. Now most of that training and on the job training focuses on digital weighing indicators, load cells, scales,  etc… We send scale weight information to various devices such as remote displays.

Customers have always been curious on how to send weight data from the scale to the computer since personal computers and laptops became prevalent.

send scale weight to computer

When it comes to sending your scale weight data from the actual digital weighing scale to the computer, how do you accomplish this task?

It actually might be easier than you might think and something that you can accomplish on your own using our scale equipment and a readily available accessory.

Please note, if you are operating a legal for trade weighing scenario, then you will need to make sure that any software or method that you utilize is legal to use. For example, if you are operating a truck scale and you are looking to send truck weights to your computer, then you will most likely need to utilize a software like Cardinal WinVRS or Rice Lake onTrak. If you are using a Doran Scales indicator, you would be interested to know they have made great software available for their products. The Doran Excelerator is likely the most basic software that is offered by Doran; it allows weight data to be taken from the scale readout and placed into Microsoft Excel. Doran also has more advanced software packages available.

USB Scale

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing also offers a USB option for many of their weight indicators, which makes sending weight data from the scale controller to a USB thumb drive very simple. You can just take the USB stick out of the indicator, load it into your PC and see the weight data on your computer screen.

If you’re using a digital counting scale like the Counterpart, Rice Lake has the WeighVault computer software, which is a comprehensive software package that stores and manages data on your PC. With Counterpart, you can create custom reports for inventory, threshold, location and more. It is designed for operators with minimal computer experience and managers who require quick and accurate information. Scales can be added or moved on-the-fly without interrupting other scales operating on the network.

Likewise, the WeighVault is also available for the CW90 checkweigher. In this case, WeighVault allows CW-90/90X users to add, edit, and access IDs over a network connection. WeighVault surpasses the CW-90/90X’s 50 ID limitation and eliminates front-panel entry of ID parameters. It also collects data as transactions occur, and provides detailed transaction and productivity reports which can be exported to Excel, Word, or as a PDF.

In addition to scales with a digital USB output, there are also a few other choices available for end users to consider. 

TalTech WinWedge

TalTech WinWedge Serial Device Data Collection for serial devices, including meters, balances, scales or any RS232 instrument. WinWedge captures data directly to Excel, Access or any Windows application or web page. It can even send commands out a COM port so you can control your device through hotkeys, buttons, or DDE.

WinWedge easily collects data from balances, gauges, meters, sensors, micrometers, barcode scanners, GPS, PLCs, analyzers and other measuring devices, and laboratory instruments. It can send the data directly into any Windows program, including Excel spreadsheets, Access databases, and more.

WinWedge is designed to be highly flexible and can easily parse, filter and format your device data to fit your project’s requirements. It can also transmit prompts or commands through the serial port to control your instruments. Winwedge comes in both Professional and Standard versions.

 Setup is as Easy as ONE, TWO, THREE

  1. Select your device’s parameters.

Connect your device to your PC’s serial or USB port (installing any necessary drivers) and use the WinWedge interface to select your device’s communications settings, such as the COM port, baud rate, parity, data bits, and stop bits.

  1. Define the data structure.

Intuitive, walk-through menus allow you to tailor the data to your needs by splitting the record into multiple fields, filter out certain characters, or format the data to meet your requirements. You can also easily define hot keys and buttons to send serial commands to your device or perform other tasks.

  1. Select the mode and activate

Select from either Keystrokes Mode, DDE Server Mode, or Log to Disk, specify the target application or file, and activate WinWedge! Watch as the data from your device “pops” into the Windows application you selected. You can even input the device data directly to a chart or use Excel’s built-in functions to perform real-time analysis.

MicroRidge designs and manufactures a broad range of wired and wireless measurement collection solutions, including WedgeLink hardware and software keyboard wedges. Measurement collection is what they specialize in. They don’t manufacture gauges, but they support gauges from a wide variety of manufacturers. The products are made in the USA and support the broadest range of digital and RS-232 gauges, digital indicators, scales, and more. They also provide free unlimited and knowledgeable technical support on all of the products that they manufacture, particularly the keyboard wedge and software keyboard wedge.

Keyboard Wedge vs Hardware Wedge

A hardware wedge reads data from digital gauges or RS-232 devices and sends the data to the PC via a keyboard or USB port. The data sent by the hardware wedge looks like keyboard data to the current application. The more common applications that are used with keyboard wedges include Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and other database types of applications.

A keyboard wedge is used when you are trying to get data from some type of measuring device into applications that cannot accept data from a serial port. A software keyboard wedge reads data from a serial port and passes this data to a PC application in such a manner that the application thinks the data is entered via the keyboard. 

Software and hardware keyboard wedges are used extensively in data acquisition applications that include statistical programs, spreadsheets, barcode, LIMS, etc. MicroRidge keyboard wedges can accept input data from any RS-232 serial device. The data is then passed to a Windows application in such a manner that the application thinks the data is actually coming from the keyboard.

Popular Question: How does the digital weight indicator prevent input of fluctuating weights?

The digital weight indicator can usually have a built-in solution to prevent the input of fluctuating weights. One of the key features is the Print-at-Stability function. This function ensures that the software only records weight readings when the object being weighed reaches a stable weight.

Popular Question: Can the digital weight indicator record weights automatically or manually?

The digital weight indicator or shipping scale provides users with the flexibility to choose how they want their data to be received. You could have your scale continuously sending weight data automatically or manually by pressing a button such as the Print key.

Does a scale with digital output mean the same thing as sending weight data to a computer?

Some scale users search for the term scale with digital output when they are searching for a scale that sends weight data to their computer although it is technically not quite the right terminology if you are looking to connect a scale to a computer.

Do you offer usb scale software  or rs232 weight scale software?

As mentioned in this entry, Winwedge is a good choice for many of you. Also Cardinal offers the PC Companion software which works with some of the Cardinal weight indicators. Doran offers Excelerator for weight data capture. AdamDu is also available for the data stream coming from an Adam scale indicator or weighing scales.

Get Started With Central Carolina Scale

Hopefully this month’s article will provide you with available resources and ideas when it comes to sending weight information from your laboratory balance to your laptop computer (or whatever your particular needs are). As you can see, there are several available that will hopefully work for both your budget and your particular requirements. In some cases, you may very well be able to send data from your scale to your computer; and set it up all by yourself with the help of a wedge software.

For more information and assistance for your particular situation, contact our sales department by calling (919) 776-7737 or visiting our website and clicking the Request a Quote button.

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Digital Weight Scales

Maintaining a pristine environment is absolutely critical to the success of food manufacturers. Unhygienic conditions within food manufacturing plants can have a potentially catastrophic impact on public health, not to mention the public relations and revenue impact on the company in question. It is not surprising, therefore, that increased consumer awareness and demand has seen safety standards become increasingly rigorous.

It is vital that companies manufacturing weighing equipment for the food industry ensure that the products they supply comply with best practices and meet strict legislative requirements. On a food production line, fast and accurate check weighing is vital to a company’s bottom line – the visibility of weighing data and statistics can help maximize performance and profitability – but the equipment chosen must meet stringent design requirements when it comes to construction and ease of cleaning.

With U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deadlines for small and medium sized companies to meet requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) hitting in late September 2017, the industry is under pressure to deliver high quality food while also meeting the requirements of this new legislation.

The date for registered companies with greater than 500 employees to comply with the first FSMA rule Preventive Controls was September 2016. For companies with fewer than 500 employees, the compliance date was September 2017.

Why is the FSMA being implemented?

The new rules are intended to minimize the serious illness and death that can be caused by unsafe food products, by focusing on preventing food contamination throughout the entire production process.

The link between HACCP, HARPC and FSMA

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic, preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe. It focuses on the hazards that are unique to the product being manufactured, so the concerns for a seafood processor will be different from those of a coffee roasting company.

With the implementation of FSMA, HACCP becomes a part of a food manufacturer’s compliance to Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC). In short, the FSMA act aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it.

Digital Weigh Scales

This risk-based, preventive approach to food safety relies on data and expertise to pinpoint potential food safety issues along the production, distribution and supply chain. The FDA has advised that facilities should set up a thorough system for documenting internal processes and record keeping, so that they can clearly demonstrate that legal standards are being met.

As a crucial element in most industrial manufacturing processes, weighing equipment for the food industry, can play an important role in FSMA adherence procedures, including, for example:

  • Updating weighing equipment to more hygienic options, such as stainless steel and a fully enclosed cover for easy and efficient washdown.
  • Ensuring that weighing equipment is used effectively: for instance, using checkweighers at appropriate points in the production process to obtain and record production data.
  • Weighing solutions such as the ZQ375 or IP rated bench and indicators can help food suppliers to achieve both backward and forward traceability (be able to identify where all the ingredients came from and where they went).
  • Using the right scales to provide the most accurate, legal for trade weights, to avoid mislabelling and eliminate costly mistakes or re-works.
  • IP69K enclosures ensure instrumentation protection in heavy washdown environments.

Many companies, regardless of size, need to be looking for digital scales and weighing systems to help them to align their current HACCP and HARPC processes in order to meet FSMA requirements.

Heavy wash-down: IP69K

Equipment used in the food processing industry must be able to withstand rigorous wash-down procedures. Designed specifically to kill micro-organisms and bacteria, this heavy duty cleaning process typically uses high temperature, high pressure jet sprays and detergents. The combination of water, chemicals, high pressures and temperatures used in this cleaning process can prove fatal for electronic circuits and instrumentation.

food safety scale weight indicator

The Ingress Protection (IP) rating system is an internationally recognized scale that relates to proven protection against environmental factors such as liquids and solids. A product with the highest rating available, IP69K, offers complete assurance that it has been subjected to a challenging set of tests to ensure protection against penetration of high pressure, high temperature water and dust particles – making it ideal for use in conditions where equipment must be carefully sanitized.

Scales designed to resist extreme temperatures

In the food industry, equipment such as check weighing scales may be subject to rapid temperature change, whether due to operating conditions or wash down procedures. Extremes of temperature inside and outside the enclosure can result in expansion and contraction of gases, which in turn can lead to moisture and humidity becoming trapped inside.

When selecting a piece of weighing equipment for use in the food industry, ensure that the manufacturer has not only recognized the challenges posed by this stringent environment, but also risen to them by incorporating design elements into the structure of the product that will counter issues such as humidity and condensation

 

Eliminating bug and food trap areas

The process of welding two pieces of stainless steel together can have implications for the corrosion resistance of the metal. Ideally, the surfaces of your equipment/scale should be continuously welded within an inert gas atmosphere – helping to ensure that the metal remains corrosion and crack resistant and that there are no edges or un-leveled surfaces that could trap food particles or impede cleaning.

Areas of the product that have internal corners and angles of less than 135° – and which come into contact with food – should have a smooth, rounded finish to minimize food trap areas.

Scale designs should, where possible, avoid flat horizontal areas to stop water from collecting. However, in some applications, offering a flat under structure base design can be more hygienic than open tubular base frames where high pressure cleaning can cause food particles to bounce off the work surface and lodge deep inside the loadcell area, making it harder to clean.

Fully welded tubular designs can also be hard to clean. A welded structure can result in bacteria becoming trapped within the tube and thriving in the constantly changing atmosphere often found within the food industry. Conversely, base designs with flat bases and open corners ensure that any food particles can be quickly and easily washed away during high pressure cleaning.

Threads should be covered and small components such as rubber feet should be well secured and bright blue in color, allowing them to be easily located should they become detached from the scale.

Safeguarding your business

Investing in a new digital check weigher scale is all about safeguarding quality and, fundamentally, profits – underweight packages can lead to unhappy customers, while overweight packages lead to costly giveaway and overweight shipments. When it comes to the food industry, safeguarding quality, profit and reputation must go one step further – selecting a piece of equipment that is fit for purpose is vital.

To maintain food safety and meet the requirements of the act, it may be necessary for many businesses to upgrade to equipment that is more sanitary.

Contact the sales team at Central Carolina Scale, (919) 776-7737 to discuss the products that we recommend.

Cardinal Admiral Series Bench Scales Now IP69K Rated

IP69K Rated for Washdown Weighing Applications

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing Admiral bench scales now feature an IP69K-rated load cell and indicator, so any sensitive electronics are fully protected against close range high-pressure, high-temperature spray downs making them ideal for the food processing industry where equipment must be carefully sanitized.

The Admiral’s heavy-duty stainless steel base is built solidly for high-usage durability. The bright, vivid ColorZONE display changes color automatically as pre-assigned target weights are reached for efficient check weighing.

In environments that require heavy washdowns, such as in the food processing industry, the combination of water, chemicals, high pressure and high temperature can prove fatal for electronic circuits and instrumentation. The Admiral bench scale’s IP69K rating offers the highest protection rating possible.

washdown safe load cell

Built for extreme-use applications in the weighing industry, the 190 STORM’s IP69K-rated polycarbonate enclosure withstands high-temperature (up to 176º F / 80º C), high-pressure wash downs (1450 PSI). The 190 STORM features capacitive touch keys, 1-inch-high clearly visible LCD digits, built-in RS232 communications port, and versatile power options: AC, DC, and rechargeable battery.

The 190 STORM’s bright, vivid display changes color automatically as the pre-assigned target weights are reached. The operator knows immediately when they’ve reached the acceptable weight range based on the amber, green, or red color changes for UNDER, ACCEPT, or OVER weights. NTEP, OIML, and Measurement Canada.

The Admiral’s colorful 190 STORM indicator is positioned at the optimum viewing height and out of the way of the product being weighed. The display tilt feature allows the display to be positioned just right for each operator.

The entire LCD display can be set to any of seven different ColorZONE colors during checkweighing. This exclusive ColorZONE feature takes the guesswork out of the weighing process making the Admiral the top bench scale in the industry.

The Admiral’s polycarbonate and ABS enclosure to the weight display is watertight and allows operation in the harshest of environments while the stainless base and column construction ensure long-lasting durability.

The scale’s 190 STORM indicator features four captive screws in the back panel, so they cannot be lost when unscrewed (important for food processing applications).

Contact the sales team at Central Carolina Scale today. Call (919) 776-7737 or visit centralcarolinascale.com and click the Request a Quote button.

Reducing Food Waste is Becoming an Important Source of Increased Revenue for Commercial Kitchens

According to the USDA, every year the United States wastes an estimated 30 to 40 percent of its food supply. Statista reports that, in 2015, of the USDA estimates, roughly 16 percent of all food waste is attributed to restaurants and foodservice institutions-nearly one-fifth of all wasted volume! This is a huge source of overhead costs, but also a great source of improvement for food service entities to leverage in retaining their hard-earned profits. With food costs rising, waste reduction systems are becoming more important to reduce strain from front-end costs.

Waste reduction companies are taking advantage of this need for tracking inventory and getting more accurate weight counts. DETECTO Enterprise series scales, PS portion control scales, and PZ series wireless ingredient scales are all very important tools to aid the fight to increase inventory efficiency, and ultimately, creating increased profits. The accompanying advances in connectivity-Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth-create a more streamlined process for saving inventory data and yield a precise representation of a facility’s inventory strengths and weaknesses.

detecto food service scale

DETECTO’s foodservice scales are the first line in establishing a solid reduction program. High weight-resolution scales deliver highly precise weights and the associated costs. The ability to audit cooking processes and concomitant prices concretely establishes hard data to analyze. This analysis implementation forms the possible paths to be executed by foodservice management and personnel.

Facilities can track reduction areas, foodstuffs to be saved or discarded, and foodstuffs that can be repurposed. Knowing the usage levels of each product determines which products to reduce and where businesses waste capital. Product usage levels can help businesses push certain menu items and discard those that don’t sell well.

Businesses can more accurately spot and predict trends in their kitchens in a highly responsive manner. With the power to trend waste areas, kitchens can adjust their cooking implementation, labor cycles, use more efficient recipes, and utilize batch cooking to match customer trends. This knowledge can better serve the needs of their customer base and attract new clientele.

The power of an efficient waste reduction system yields amazing results with effort and consistency. Businesses can expect to save significant amounts of front-end revenue, revenue that can be circulated back into other costs and investments. Foodservice businesses large and small can now bolster their earnings and alleviate one of the most costly factors in their respective operations. And it all begins with a weight measurement of the wasted food combined with a digital tracking system for recording that measured waste.

Learn more about DETECTO foodservice scales by contacting the sales team at Central Carolina Scale, call (919) 776-7737 or visit the site at  https://www.centralcarolinascale.com/Detecto.htm

Our Scale Helps us to Reduce Waste, Accurately Weigh our Meat, and Ensure Customer Gets What was Ordered.

We dare you to read this blog post and not crave a big juicy burger! The pictures and the write up tell the story about how a restaurant uses the Kilotech counter top dial scale for simple and consistent check weighing. Whether you’re weighing ingredients for gourmet burgers or pizza, the ingredient costs can really add up and customers love consistency when it comes to their foods they order on a regular basis. So let’s take a look at Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce, cleverly named after Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, the Montreal neighborhood where it resides.

weigh meat and food ingredients

Do you ever crave a burger where the flavor explodes the minute you sink your teeth into it? Top the burger with super fresh ingredients and it is like a party in your mouth! Well two years ago, in my quest for gourmet burgers, I chanced upon a new upscale burger place called Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce. The décor is a mix of brick, wood and glass, designed to enhance your culinary experience. The music is excellent and covers most tastes.

Their menu offers something for everyone and most certainly will not leave you hungry. Fresh meat is ground daily and is always gluten-free because there are no fillers. There are also vegetarian options for the non-carnivores. Choose from their fresh cut fries (they really are fresh as we brought some home and two days later they were still intact, not soggy or hard!), beer battered onion rings, sweet potato fries and potato skins to complement your burger. Also available and made in-house are their gravies, sauces, milkshakes and cocktails. Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce also supports local suppliers and serves locally-grown food as much as possible.

A couple of weeks ago, while dining at the Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce Côte-Vertu location, the manager Dennis Mandros approached us and asked us how we were enjoying our meal. Considering how busy the restaurant was that night, we were surprised to see that the manager was going from table to table providing that personal VIP touch! I took the opportunity to ask him if he used a scale to weigh his patties. When he replied, “Yes, absolutely!,” I just had to know if it was a Kilotech scale.

countertop dial scale

Dennis immediately went to the kitchen and like a proud father of a newborn child, held a Kilotech scale in his hands to show me! I knew then and there I had to write a blog about Dennis and his restaurant. When a restaurant uses a scale to ensure that their customers get what they paid for you know that they have the customers best interest at heart.

A few weeks later, on a beautiful Monday afternoon, I showed up at the restaurant. Dennis Mandros and Zakria Dehghani, the owners of this franchise, were hamming it up with their customers on the terrace. When they spotted me, they both greeted me with the kind of warm smiles you reserve for your long lost friends.

I sat down with Dennis and we talked business. I quickly cut to the chase and asked him what his Kilotech scale meant to them. Without hesitation Dennis said that it helps them to reduce wastage, accurately weigh their patties, and more importantly, ensure that the customer gets exactly what was advertised and ordered.

Their burgers come in three sizes: 3, 6 and 9 ounces. Dennis asked one of the cooks to grab a 6 oz. patty. He placed it on the scale and immediately the scale showed 6 oz. Dennis beamed! He is proud of his restaurant and the integrity with which it operates.

If you operate a restaurant, bakery or some other type of food related business; contact us at (919) 776-7737 and let us assist you with your weighing needs. It could be that you need a simple way to make sure your hamburgers weigh the same. Or it could be something else, either way, the odds are we can find a solution for you that will save you time and save you money.

The New Look of the UWE PS2 Stainless Steel Scale and Why It Matters

The UWE PSII (PS2) is a Stainless Steel, Washdown bench scale that is great for sanitary applications, as you can lightly spray it off without worry of damaging the scale. This scale comes with a stainless steel load cell as well, so rust and water damage is less of an issue over time. This is great for food production, and messy environments. The manufacturer lists this scale as IP67 rated.

FDA safety regulations on food production have compelled process equipment manufacturers to rethink their designs. The UWE PS2 sets the pace for industry standards by producing a medium capacity food service bench scale that utilizes easy to clean stainless steel parts which wipe out the chances of food particles becoming trapped or hidden during washdown.

The PS2 features all stainless steel platform, pillar, indicator, load cell and base. This means easy to clean for food processing or harsh environments / washdown resistant scale. The open pillar design allows for thorough washdown with less chance of food particles remaining. Heavy duty construction Will withstand harsh industrial operation and the sealed electronics leads to improved water and dust resistance. The low profile design is easy to load and unload with platform only 3.7 inches high. The scale displays weight in grams, pounds and pounds:ounces for flexibility of operation.

The UWE PS2 stainless steel scale is great for stationary applications or can easily be moved around with the built-in rechargeable battery or external power adapter. The battery lasts a minimum of 100 hours (without backlight). Automatic power save conserves battery power. And, Low battery indicator / charge status indicator alerts you to charge the battery, saving downtime.

Accumulation function allows you to add together consecutive weights to arrive at a total. Adjustable stainless steel feet with rubber inserts help to make sure the scale remains level for accurate results on uneven working surfaces – anti-slip. The wide angle LCD display with backlight can be seen from a wide viewing angle. Gravitational correction software enables you to input different G acceleration factors.

Food safety regulations have caused manufacturers to adjust or improve their designs over time. The UWE PS2 was recently redesigned and utilizes easy to clean stainless steel parts which wipe out the chances of food particles becoming trapped or hidden during wash down with water. The easily accessible pillar design eliminates the chance of food particles remaining behind after washdown.

uwe ps2 scale designed for food safety

• Same Dependable Bench Scale
• New FDA Safe Pillar Design
• Rechargeable Battery Eliminates Cord Clutter
• Stainless Steel Parts Made For Washdown
• Large Back-lit Display
• Gravity Compensation
• Accumulation

Contact our sales department today for additional information regarding the UWE Scale lineup. You can call us at 919-776-7737 or complete our request for quote form on our website.

Are You Paying For Your Frozen Yogurt Cup too?

Believe it or not, the warmer months will be here before long and we’ll all be looking to cool down at the local froyo shop. Today, many of these frozen yogurt shops allow the consumer to dispense as much frozen yogurt he or she wants. 

The yogurt is priced at around fifty cents per ounce, so if you want many different flavors or a cup that is filled sky high, you can. However, the real question is are you paying for just the yogurt and toppings that you consume or are you also paying for the cup that the yogurt is placed in?

Many yogurt shops determine price based on the weight of the yogurt and toppings, but they are required to subtract the weight of the cup or package first (which is called the tare weight). According to Jerry Butler, NCDA & CS Weight and Measures program manager, not every shop is aware of that. Butler heads a team of 24 inspectors whose job is to inspect scales in the state, and he guesses that they’ve inspected around a hundred or so yogurt shops so far. Of those, he estimates about 75 percent have not been using their scales properly. “Say you’re a family of four,” Butler says, “you could be paying up to a dollar extra just for the weight of the cups. So it’s important that the shops know how to use their scales.”

Now that the NCDA & CS inspectors have discovered that yogurt shops use scales, they’re keeping an eye out for them as they drive to other jobs. If they see a frozen yogurt shop while they’re out, they’ll step inside to inspect it. Most shops that have been violating are quick to correct their mistakes, which were usually made in ignorance, Butler says. A second offense would result in a notice of violation, and a third offender must pay a penalty of up to $5,000. So what can frozen yogurt eaters do to make sure they’re getting the most yogurt for their buck? “The bottom line is: the consumer needs to look and ask,” Butler says. “Make sure that the yogurt shop employee uses the tare. And if they’re not, the consumer needs to call me.”

Fortunately for frozen yogurt shop owners, we have electronic scales available that make this process fairly easy to accommodate. Contact the sales staff today (919) 776-7737 and they will be happy to provide you with prices for the legal for trade scales that will work best to accommodate weighing frozen yogurt by the ounce, and using the tare feature to subtract out the weight of the cup.

scale for weighing frozen yogurt by the ounce

Scales for Every Application 

We have standard legal for trade counter top scales. We have point of sale scales that can connect to your cash register. Finally, we have price computing scales that can display the weight and price on both the front of the scale and the back of the scale. 

We offer over 40,000 products (and counting) — the largest selection of quality weighing products available—and the best customer service in the business. Contact us today for all of your scale needs.