They rely on four metal detection systems, three X-ray inspection rigs and five checkweighers, all from Mettler-Toledo, to help ensure final product quality and safety. “I’ve been working in the industry for 20 years; Mettler-Toledo is truly the gold standard,” said Kirk Neal, President of Phoenix.
“That said, we did our due diligence when designing our facility back in 2017. We looked at multiple suppliers for inspection equipment and considered detection sensitivity as well as price and service. Mettler-Toledo gave us all that and more. Their systems are consistent and reliable.”
“Our customers also recognise the Mettler-Toledo name and associate it with superior technology. As a manufacturer of private label nutraceuticals, that connection is very valuable,” noted Neal.
“As many brand owners use several contract manufacturers, it’s crucial that we have an exceptional track record. Our world-class equipment helps to establish and maintain our status as a trusted supplier.”
Phoenix launched in 2015, bringing together an accomplished team with close to 200 years of combined manufacturing experience in the nutraceutical industry.
With a wide variety of products that includes energy drink mixes and meal replacements, Phoenix fills powders, capsules and tablets into jars, gusseted bags, composite cans, single serve pouches, stickpacks and bulk containers on eight packaging lines.
On the lines that fill packages containing foil, where a metal detector would be ineffective, Phoenix relies on X33 X-ray inspection systems to detect dense foreign material including all types of metal.
The X33 is Mettler-Toledo’s next generation X-ray solution, featuring the same levels of detection sensitivity as the SmartCheck and AdvanCheck models but with reduced power consumption. Utilising a 20 watt X-ray generator instead of the 100 watt version used on earlier systems, the X33 consumes five times less power to minimise operating costs.
“The main purpose of our X-ray systems is to eliminate potential metal contamination from reaching consumers. The equipment reliably identifies the small pieces of metal that we’re looking for. We confirm consistent sensitivity by running test strips through several times a day,” said Chad Hill, Maintenance Director.
“Overall, these are great looking machines that make a strong impression when customers walk through our plant. The reduced energy use is a nice bonus.”
On lines that fill packages with no foil, Phoenix installed Profile metal detection systems (known as PowerPhasePRO in the US).
Featuring high-performance triple frequency operation and an advanced “product clustering” capability, Profile metal detection systems maintain the highest sensitivity while accommodating a wide variety of products with no operator intervention during changeovers.
A Faraday Screen, located between the detector coil system and the product being inspected, filters out interfering signals to reduce false rejects.
“Our Mettler-Toledo Safeline metal detection systems protect our product quality. They are easy to use and give us the production flexibility that we need,” explained Hill. “These systems help to maintain our high productivity and performance standards.”
Phoenix uses XE3 checkweighers that automatically detect and reject under- and overweight packages to monitor fill levels on their gusseted bag line and verify the correct count of multipacks on four other lines.
With an accuracy of ±200 mg, these premium checkweighers use electromagnetic force restoration (EMFR) weigh cells instead of more common strain gauge load cells. EMFR technology ensures sustained accuracy for long periods of time and minimises weighing errors caused by changes in temperature and humidity.
“Our checkweighers are really accurate and simple to operate. The user interface on the XE3 has a large colour touchscreen and a dashboard layout that reduces training requirements and helps to improve line performance,” said Hill. “We started with one and were so happy with it that we bought four more.”
“Overall, we’ve had a great experience with Mettler-Toledo. Their technicians are helpful and customer service has been very attentive,” said Hill. “Our sales rep, Michael Vaughn at Southwest Equipment Group, has been here for us at every step.”
“We measure the success of our inspection equipment based on consistent detection sensitivity, uptime and ease of use. The most important thing is the response we get from customers about our products,” concluded Neal. “These systems support our commitment to producing the highest quality nutraceuticals.”