A videographic recorder from ABB is now doing the job of five traditional paper chart recorders at Premier Foods' Sarsons vinegar factory at Middleton in Manchester. As well as delivering an initial cost saving, the SM3000 has reduced maintenance costs while improving data storage and handling.

Kanes Foods, based in the Vale of Evesham, which supplies bagged salads, vegetables and stir fry ingredients to supermarkets across the country, has installed a sophisticated quality and process control system to ensure that it meets retailer demands.

A new range of units is available to improve the control capabilities of food and beverage processing machinery. The Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1400 controllers from Rockwell Automation are said to give better control at an affordable price.

Simultaneous enumeration of two food industry pathogens - E.Coli and Enterobacteriaceae - is now possible for use by food laboratories using a single agar type pre-poured chromogenic medium from AES Chemunex.

The Siemens Industry Automation Division has expanded industrial wireless local area networks (IWLAN) with something called the iHOP function. This guarantees reliable communication even with interferences in the radio field. The access point together with its clients automatically 'hops' to a different radio channel should it need to avoid any interferences.

Ishida Europe has launched a new system for the fast and efficient packing of trays into cases and Eurocrates. Operating at speeds of up to 150 trays a minute, the Ishida IPS has been designed for a wide range of products and applications, including ready meals, meat and poultry, seafood, salads, dairy, fresh fruit and confectionery.

An order for a new line of its Porky White brand of sausages from Tesco, has led London-based Graham White & Co to hire a semi-automatic tray sealer to keep up with the growth in sales.

Accurate and reliable flow measurement is essential for consistent product quality and high product yield.

Hartleys Farm Foods has installed a novel sanitising system in its production facility at Nelson in Lancashire, which uses oxidising technology to ensure its food preparation facility is free from potentially harmful contaminants before production begins.

Northern Foods has reduced running costs and improved product quality at its Fox's Biscuits plant in Batley, Yorkshire, thanks to the installation of an automated packaging system.

The introduction of new products at Premier Foods' Bury St Edmunds plant, which manufactures a range of table and cooking sauces and pickles, has made it essential that water activity be measured as part of the batch approval process in order to maintain product safety and to avoid downtime.

A new conveyor belt aimed at the food industry has been launched by Habasit Rossi, which is already bringing cost savings to one undisclosed bakery.