Mettler Toledo is pleased to offer a solution for manufacturers doing statistical quality control in a wet environment. The IND469rem terminal and KA3s/KA6s scales work in conjunction with its FreeWeigh.Net Statistical Quality Control system to address the challenge of precision weighing in wet areas. Production areas are made ‘wet’ through the washing down of appliances and machines to maintain hygiene standards. Products most likely to be weighed in wet areas are meat, dairy, ready meals, salad packages and convenience foods.

Columbus, OH (EMWNews) August 6, 2008 — Mettler Toledo is pleased to offer a solution for manufacturers doing statistical quality control in a wet environment. The IND469rem terminal and KA3s/KA6s scales work in conjunction with its FreeWeigh.Net Statistical Quality Control system to address the challenge of precision weighing in wet areas. Production areas are made ‘wet’ through the washing down of appliances and machines to maintain hygiene standards. Products most likely to be weighed in wet areas are meat, dairy, ready meals, salad packages and convenience foods.

Increasingly, manufacturers are demanding networked quality control for their products and evaluation of filling quantities. Special measuring instruments are needed for quality control in environments with strict hygiene requirements. Mettler Toledo responded to this demand with PC-based FreeWeigh.Net Statistical Quality and Net Weight Control system, which enables central monitoring and evaluation of filling quantities.

The new IND469rem terminal and the KA3s/KA6s scales, connected to the FreeWeigh.Net quality control software, are designed to offer net weight control and quality assurance in wet areas. The terminals may be connected to the FreeWeigh.Net system via an Ethernet network interface or using wireless LAN technology.

The terminal and scales have stainless steel housings to ensure that the equipment is waterproof and dustproof–ideal for a wet environment. The terminal has an extremely fine stainless steel surface and can be cleaned with high pressure cleaning equipment. It complies with hygiene guidelines issued by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) and the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group). The scales can also be rinsed with cleaning products.

According to Mettler Toledo, some other scales have not been able to withstand the wet environment because they are not made from stainless steel or are not waterproof. They become damaged and inaccurate quickly and require replacement on a fairly regular basis. To avoid damage they are sometimes located away from the production line, so picking up errors and making adjustments becomes more difficult, said the firm. The accuracy of its scales allow for compliance with labeling regulations for finished packs and the FreeWeigh.Net system is designed to alert manufacturers if the package quantities are not within the required tolerance standards.

This also allows manufacturers to save substantially on unnecessary overfilling costs. Mettler Toledo explained that some manufacturers have a tendency to overfill to avoid the risk of under filling and the associated penalties involved. Saving one or two grams per product package adds up over time and can greatly accelerate the return on investment (ROI) depending upon material costs and selling price of the product. According to Mettler Toledo Market Manager Chip Ward, the FreeWeigh.Net system “can often pay for itself in less than a year from the date of implementation.”

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Mettler Toledo’s global presence guarantees quick response times and fast availability of spare parts. Our global service network provides competent support to you.

Mettler Toledo is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications. Mettler Toledo provides weighing solutions that help customers by automating processes, increasing yields, controlling product quality and complying with industry standards and regulations. Additional information about Mettler Toledo can be found on the website www.mt.com/us.