MAP Leak Detection Case Study, UK

Wyke Farms - 'LeakMatic' leak detector system helps major UK cheese producer

Wyke Farms, located in the rolling Somerset countryside, is the UK's largest independent farmhouse dairy producer, famous for its hard cheeses, especially Cheddar. The company produces 1000 tonnes of cheese per week, both under its own brand and under supermarket own-brand labels.

Quality assurance is crucial
All the cheese that Wyke Farms produces is packed in 100 per cent carbon dioxide in a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) process to improve the shelf life of the product. Quality assurance is crucial to the firm’s reputation and for this reason leak detection in the packaged cheese forms a vital part of the quality control process.

Leaks typically arise from two main sources: particles of cheese can obstruct the crimping that creates the seal on the package, or else there might be a problem with the sealing system itself, such as a misalignment of components or inappropriate operating temperatures.

Ways for testing for leaks
Conventionally there have been two ways for testing for leaks. One is to take random samples of packages from the production line and subject them to a 'bell jar' test – submerging the package in water, reducing the pressure above the water and watching to see if any bubbles rise from a hole in the pack. However, this is labour-intensive, it is possible only to test a tiny fraction of the product and it is a destructive test. The second method involves keeping the packaged cheese in cold storage for three days to allow the cheese to absorb the carbon dioxide within the packet. The packaging film is sucked onto the surface of the cheese to create a snug fit. If a leak is present in a packet, it will not 'snug down'. This however requires a large amount of storage space and the inspection process is labour-intensive.
A short while ago the production management team at Wyke Farms identified leakage as a problem and set about researching a solution. They soon made contact with Tendring Pacific, the UK supplier of PBI-Dansensor's automated leak detector, LeakMatic.

"We asked to see an in-line version of the LeakMatic in operation," says Greg. "The company had recently sold a machine to a cheese maker in Ireland, so we arranged a site visit to look at their piece of kit. We spoke to the guys running it out there and the managers were absolutely convinced by it, and reckoned it had saved them a major contract. One of their customers was on the verge of walking away because of spoilage rates, but the LeakMatic solved their problems and they kept their customer."

Able to diagnose and solve problems
Wyke Farms commissioned their first LeakMatic machine earlier this year. "When we installed the machine it was a real eye-opener," Greg says. "It detected a lot of leakage, and initially the staff operating the machine assumed that the leak detector was faulty. But it soon became clear that we had problems upstream with the packaging process, which we were able to diagnose and solve."
The machine has allowed Greg and his staff to optimise the packaging process, resulting in far fewer leaking packs. "The LeakMatic has enabled us to both optimise the performance of the packaging machine as well as eliminate leaking packs from shipments to our customers" Greg says. "Leaking packs being produced by the packaging machine are now down to below 0.2 per cent of production and leak packs reaching our customers are now virtually zero. The key thing is to get the product right first time and this machine helps us achieve this". As a result a second and third LeakMatic have now been installed at Wyke Farms.

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