'Never Obsolete' guarantee seals metal detector deal

Reliability, sensitivity and ease-of-use were all key factors in the purchase, according to facilities manager Tim Edwards. However, it was Fortress's "Never Obsolete' guarantee, a focal point at PPMA 2015, that really clinched the deal. This means that Fortress will continue to support the detectors throughout their lifetime, ensuring that spares and upgrades continue to be available to maintain compliance with the latest standards.

Tim says: "The problem with a lot of equipment is that it can quickly become outdated, but Fortress says that it will guarantee to support its metal detectors, even if I call them up needing a part in 10 years' time. That's a big commitment."

Fortress also provided an on-site demonstration and left a Stealth unit on site for 6 weeks so that Nutrition Group could be confident it met the company's needs. Tim says: "Everybody loved it. We were all impressed with the build quality, ease-of-use and general robustness. It was a clear winner."

Blackpool-based Nutrition Group is a UK contract manufacturer and packer in the sports nutrition and health supplements market, producing in excess of 3 billion tablets and 500 million capsules a year. Clients include major high street retailers, blue chip pharmaceutical organisations and international brands, as well as SMEs. The rapidly growing company has recently invested 2 million in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.

While most of products made by the company are classed as supplements, Nutrition Group also produces two MHRA-licensed products. Metal detection plays an important role in maintaining product quality and safety, paramount in this market.

Checking the loose tablets for metals as they emerge and free-fall through the detector apertures is one of the Critical Control Points identified by a HACCP analysis of the Nutrition Group production process. Rejects are diverted into lockable bins that can be removed for secure disposal. Each unit can handle up to 30,000 tablets per minute and uses digital signal processing to detect particles down to 0.15mm for ferrous and non-ferrous metals and 0.3mm for stainless steel.

As a contract manufacturer and packer, Nutrition Group PLC produces a wide and constantly evolving range of products that demand adaptable equipment to enable rapid changeovers and easy cleaning between production runs. Tim says: "We have relatively short production runs that can be anywhere between 100,000 tablets up to 8 or 12 million. Some are on and off in just half a day, so we need flexibility."

Several features make the Stealth Pharmaceutical metal detectors well suited for this fast-paced environment. First, the detectors include a library of product characteristics, so they can swap between different products in seconds. They are also constructed from 316 Stainless Steel and offer Nema4X/IP65K protection against dust and liquids, so they can withstand the factory's rigorous cleaning regime between production runs. In addition, they are mounted on locking casters and offer powered height adjustment, which is claimed to be unique in the market. This enables Nutrition Group to move them between tablet lines and adjust them easily and safely to suit different presses.

To learn more about Stealth Pharmaceutical metal detectors from Fortress Technology please visit the website at www.fortresstechnology.co.uk.