The Qual-IS quality assurance solution from Sidel combines all quality control activities digitally, intelligently and in an integrated manner, both in the laboratory and during traceability or sampling. The aim is not only to monitor quality, but also to improve it.
Over 80 per cent of food companies define the financial risk of product recalls as high or even catastrophic, while 60 per cent have been affected by such a recall within the last five years. Quality control and food safety are top priorities for all food brands.
„Qual-IS is our latest digital solution - an intelligent, dynamic quality control system designed to ensure a high level of quality control at all times through advanced traceability and data analysis. Thanks to Qual-IS, our customers can guarantee the food safety and quality of their products, thus ensuring customer satisfaction and the reputation of their brands and boosting their business and its profitability.“
Enrico Savani, Product Manager for Sensitive Product Filling
Qual-IS is a digital solution that is installed on the production line and in the laboratory facilities and can be accessed on the move, at the desk or via the HMI. You comprises six main components, including sampling plan, laboratory management, traceability, risk analysis and critical control points (HACCP), calibration certificates and quality status.
An integrated process
The basis is traceability. Each bottle is assigned a unique code and printed with all the data associated with that bottle during its production process, including preform and closure, product formulation, production process parameters and even critical factors, events and error messages.
Sampling is also a critical part of the quality control system, and Qual-IS already includes Customised and prepared sampling models, based on a statistical approach and Sidel's extensive experience of over fifty years in the beverage industry. The data intelligence automatically adapts these sampling models based on the results of microbiological tests and is also able to adapt them to different production lines.
The solution includes quality control procedures for all components of sterile production systems, from stretch blow moulding of the preforms to laboratory management. Currently, the data collected during quality controls during production and in the laboratory is usually stored in different databases. Qual-IS now summarises these two data collection points.
Laboratory microbiologists can use the previously printed unique code to to all information on the respective bottles access. This results in the necessary quality controls. The information is displayed on a user-friendly dashboard. Reports can be customised and easily exported.
„For customers looking to enter the sterile packaging market, Qual-IS provides the necessary mechanisms to easily manage their project. And for customers who are already experienced sterile beverage producers, the solution provides a Standardised method for managing multiple production lines The system is ready to go, analysing the data from the various areas in real time and helping the customer to implement high quality control standards with great care,“ concludes Enrico.
Source: Sidel
