Distec’s Industrial Touchscreen PCs get Seal of Approval in Food Production.
Success Story – The background
The client is an international food and drink group specialising in the manufacturing, importing and distribution of processed and canned food including tinned fish, fruit, vegetables and juices. With offices in Liverpool, Rotterdam and Poland, the company operates across Europe from fourteen production sites.
Food production facilities must adhere to a strict a code of practice and uphold industry regulations relating to the handling and packaging of products for human consumption. Part of this process is to ensure all hardware is fit for purpose and built to withstand harsh elements such as high vibrations, extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, dust or water ingress.
While commercial touchscreen PCs have smaller upfront costs, they require regular maintenance and are susceptible to damage from corrosive substances, which may lead to frequent downtime and poor business continuity. For this reason, industrial touchscreen PCs are often the better choice for inhospitable environments.
The solution
In 2016/17, the client decided to review its manufacturing execution system (MES) as part of a whole-business systems upgrade; this included purchasing industrial touchscreen PCs to be used in every part of the food production process, from batching and labelling to palletising.
With a solid reputation supplying industrial hardware to food production facilities, Distec was awarded the contract to deliver hundreds of compact, fully cased IP68/IP69K multi-touch PCs across all sites. The stainless-steel industrial touchscreen PCs, which are designed to meet the strict health and safety requirements of food environments, have been installed in a series of harsh surroundings, including wet and damp environments and exposure to direct sunlight.
The compact industrial touchscreen PCs, which are fully resistant to corrosive materials, have been custom designed to include all of the client’s buyer options as standard, ensuring a seamless installation on the production line.
The benefits
As a result of introducing Distec’s industrial touchscreen PCs, the client has been able to standardise its processes across all food production sites.
Representative from the client said: “We had very specific requirements for our technology partner, given the variety of food production that occurs across all of our sites. We needed a resilient yet flexible hardware solution that could be seamlessly added into our facilities and standardise processes, and Distec really ticked all the boxes in terms of supporting our different businesses and not limiting its applications.
“The I5 processors were far superior to competitors, and the fact that the hardware was both universal and fully customisable meant we could pick a hardware/software configuration to match our needs.”
Noel Sheppard, Director at Distec added: “We recognise that every client has a specific challenge to address, and as a result we deliver bespoke solutions that are both scalable and resilient. Our hardware is built to withstand exposure to extreme environments and we’re proud to be working with such a prestigious company as they continue to deliver excellence.”
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