France's leading food industry event, the CFIA (Carrefour des fournisseurs de l'industrie agroalimentaire) opens its doors in Rennes on June 9, 10 and 11, 2021.
After the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the health context, the CFIA in Rennes was held from June 9 to 11. The crossroads show for suppliers to the food industry, eagerly awaited by manufacturers deprived of trade shows during 2020 and most of 2021 due to the pandemic, was the first trade show to restart in Europe.
"Holding Europe's first trade show since the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, bringing together 1,600 exhibitors, and finally making it possible for professionals to meet again - that's what we achieved! We would have liked to have had more visitors, more meetings, but getting back to normal takes time. We're determined to continue promoting the vitality of our economy and our regions. This edition confirms that physical, human encounters remain a priority for our country's economic development and growth", declared Sébastien Gillet, Managing Director of GL events Exhibitions Industrie and CFIA Show Director.
Innovative solutions
On the equipment and process side, many companies were present, including solution providers from the world of measurement and control. For example, HTDS presented its latest developments in automatic inspection and in-line quality control. In particular, the company showcased its new RX Dymond DSV scanner, a stand-alone in-line inspection solution for controlling food products offranting very high accuracy and contaminant detection speed.
In the measurement sector, Endress+Hauser had a stand to match its ambitions, with numerous products on display. Nominated in 2020 in the process category, its Promass Q flowmeter, extremely accurate in terms of density, offers the possibility of measuring the overrun of food products, in real time, directly on production lines. Thanks to its patented system of oscillating Coriolis flowmeter tubes ("Multi Frequency Technology" or MFT), it can reliably measure the flow of aerated fluids. All emulsified products can be processed. "This is a great innovation. Incorrect measurements can be penalizing. The Promass Q makes it possible to take on-line measurements for optimized quality and productivity, without any loss of material", says Endress+Hauser. In the field of physico-chemical analysis, Endress+Hauser also exhibited its CPS77D glass-free pH electrode, which has the advantage of being able to be installed on the production line without the need to remove it during CIP cycles. For in-line cleaning, the company also presented the Liquitrend QMW43, a flush-mounted sensor that can directly measure the thickness of fouling on the walls of tanks or pipes.
At the show, Precia Molen presented its weighing solutions specifically for the food industry. Solutions that are connected. Qubes, the data digitization solution for operational process control developed by Creative IT, a Precia Molen group company, was presented. Material reception, ingredient weighing, automatic data acquisition and collection, real-time monitoring, traceability, overdose control, quality control, etc.: Qubes boasts a comprehensive range of functions. Qubes offers extensive functional coverage. "Creative IT, which was recently acquired by Precia Molen, will become the group's 4.0 center of gravity, integrating and managing traceability around weight measurement", emphasizes Precia Molen.
ASC Instruments, which manufactures leak-testing instruments for all types of packaging, presented its ASC 7400F range for rigid packaging, and ASC 7400S for flexible packaging of all sizes. "Our equipment eliminates the need for destructive leak testing, reducing waste while improving quality and margins. With the possibility, too, of carrying out systematic tests on production," emphasizes ASC Instruments.
The latest addition to the S range - which enables inspection of both extremely leak-tight and less leak-tight packages. The 7400S.2 has been ergonomically optimized. The equipment features a drawer and an adjustable display for enhanced user comfort.
Vega Technique showcased its new products for level detection, analog level measurement and pressure measurement, with sensors adapted to the needs of the food industry: "In the Vegapoint family, we have, for example, a capacitive sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a product in a tank, for overfill protection or to prevent a product from running dry", says the company, which offers a range of products including electrical connections in n12 format, IO-Link and Bluetooth communication protocols, and devices for visualizing switching status and learning more about level status.
TH Industrie, a distributor of measuring equipment, was also present with instruments selected for the show, such as transmitters and flowmeters. Speed, flow, temperature, shock, vibration, light, etc., TH Industrie distributes many brands in France, including Grant, Höntzsch, Comet, Novis, Schildknecht, Driesen-Kern, SenseAir, CS-Instruments, Thermigraphics, Accubar, MSR, TandD, Keytag, Axetris, Farsens, Kanomax.
The food industry 2.0
At the show, the Usine Agro du Futur platform, a 25-meter-long facility designed by 22 industrial partners, also showcased innovative control solutions. On display on the production line: an assortment of optical measurements proposed by Photon Lines (colorimetry, hyperspectral analysis, image processing with artificial intelligence, broad spectrum analyzer), vision solutions dedicated to controlling the distribution of ingredients on trays and the quality control of lids designed by Bizerba Luceo, and an ultra-fast bacteria detection system for early identification of contamination on production lines developed by Direct Analysis, a CEA start-up.
Digital solutions were also present on the demonstrator. For example, the CEA drew on the expertise of the CEA-List to create, in collaboration with Siemens and equipment manufacturer Guelt, a digital twin fully integrated into the production line. The challenges of this type of device include remote predictive maintenance and anticipating process drifts.
Clauger was awarded a CFIA 2021 trophy in the equipment & processes category for its Water Weight product, a tool for measuring product weight losses or equipment yields.
See you March 8-10, 2022 for the next edition of the CFIA, which will mark the show's 25th anniversary!
Clauger wins the CFIA Innovation Award 2021 in the equipment & processes category for its Water Weight solution
Water Weight is an intuitive, plug & play tool for measuring product weight loss or equipment performance (e.g. monitoring water loss in fruit during the preservation phase, tracking cheese maturation, monitoring AHU performance). It combines a tank for continuous measurement of water loss (linked to the performance of cold batteries), a connected PLC for recording, visualizing, alerting and correcting if necessary, and performance indicators in the form of a dashboard.