Test piece rationalisation

The move is designed to ensure high performance operation of the company’s advanced metal detection and X-ray inspection equipment, whilst adhering to increasingly stringent quality protocols, including ISO 9000, HACCP and retailers’ Codes of Practice.

The company has standardised on test pieces produced from 316 grade annealed stainless steel as specified by major retailers’ Codes of Practice, and resulting in the eventual discontinuation of grade 304 stainless steel pieces.

In a bid to help food plants keep better track of their test pieces, Loma is also set to replace ferrous, non-ferrous (brass) and stainless steel test wands with a new puck design.

 In addition, the company has colour coded and improved the quality and finish of its vertical fall drop balls, pharmaceutical tablets and flex wands to meet Codes of Practice requirements for full traceability and certification.
 
Simon Spencer, Managing Director at Loma Systems comments: “Performance testing of metal detectors and X-ray inspection systems is an essential part of quality management. In fact, food industry regulations stipulate systems are installed at critical control points and routinely QA tested with documented results. 
 
He continues: We are aware that many food manufacturers, processors and packers have written their test procedures based on the use of grade 304 stainless steel and changing to 316 test pucks might cause extra work. However, we made these changes to ensure compliance with major retailers’ Codes of Practice which specify grade 316 as the best material for test pieces.
 
“In making the switch to grade 316, we conducted several like for like comparison tests against grade 304,” Simon adds. “The results demonstrated that the new format is generally more difficult to identify which offers greater reliability for the detection of grade 304 stainless steel.
 
“We are confident that using these new test pieces will help food companies further demonstrate their commitment to due diligence and food safety,” he concludes.
Test pieces that are currently in stock will continue to be sold until levels are depleted and will then be replaced with new product and part numbers.