Ishida equips confectionery company with weighing and inspection technology

22 Jul 2024 --- Ishida is supplying Polish confectionery company Dobosz with packaging equipment to increase packing speeds, reduce giveaway and implement improved detection capabilities.

The Ishida equipment includes a multihead weigher, checkweigher and X-ray inspection. Dobosz has maximized output and efficiency while achieving higher levels of brand protection. 

Dobosz offers various luxury sweets, energy and fruit bars, which are sold in Poland and exported globally. Due to growth in demand, the company sought to automate its packing processes further. 

“As a start-up business, in the early days, we carried out many weighing and inspection operations manually, but this was not sustainable as the business started to grow,” explains Sebastian Wawrzycki, general manager for Food Production Plant at Dobosz. 

“We, therefore, needed high-performance and reliable equipment and chose Ishida because of the company’s experience, technical support and reputation in the market.”

Detection reliability 
The Ishida machines weigh and inspect various sweets in several pack formats, including cartons and pillow packs, in weights from 200 g to 4 kg. Dobosz integrated the equipment with the existing packing machine, enabling the line to handle more products and deliver higher output.

The Ishida IX-EN-2493-S X-ray inspection system is ensuring product quality, says the company. The X-ray system enables Dobosz to detect even the smallest contaminants, using Ishida’s unique self-learning Genetic Algorithm (GA) technology to offer maximum detection sensitivity and reliability. 

“Although the likelihood of our products becoming contaminated is very low, there may be rare occasions where a small piece of metal or plastic from one of the machines gets into the pack,” says Wawrzycki. 

“With the Ishida X-ray system, we have the certainty that should such an incident occur, it will be quickly identified, and the pack rejected, thus maintaining our rigorous quality standards.”

Product control and feeding efficiency
Furthermore, Ishida IX-EN can check for other quality issues. Specifically for Dobosz, if the cutting machine on the bars line fails to operate and two bars remain joined together, this will be picked up and rejected by the X-ray system.

Wawrzycki cites the IX-EN’s fast-learning GA technology and quick and efficient reject systems as two of its major benefits. For the multihead weigher he points to its gentle operation — particularly beneficial for the more brittle sweet varieties — high product control and feeding efficiency, and its excellent weighing accuracy, all of which help to maximize throughput. 

The Ishida machines are easy to set up and operate. Changeovers can be carried out at the touch of a button while cleaning and maintenance take approximately 10 to 15 minutes after each production shift. Ishida also provided training on the machines as part of the sales and installation process.

The Ishida equipment was supplied and installed by Ishida’s Polish agent Fenix Systems. Wawrzycki says all the machines have been “extremely” reliable, with full technical support provided by Ishida and Fenix.

“Ishida offers very good equipment that is reliable and has the best performance on the market,” he says. “They are recommended not only by our suppliers but also by other companies who use these types of machines. Their reliability and these recommendations were major factors in our decision to purchase.”

“For us, the main benefits have been improved product quality and customer confidence and by reducing complaints and ensuring trouble-free production, our investment has paid for itself quickly. And of course, the machines’ reliable and trouble-free operation also translates into valuable savings in the long run.”