Jeff DeVoy (1); (1) HEUFT USA, Inc., Downers Grove, IL, U.S.A.

Food Safety
Supplier Poster

This presentation will examine the typical glass quality issues that the brewing industry faces, and how to remove the defective bottles before they are filled and sent to market. There are numerous defects that have been identified by the glass industry as requiring detection and removal from the production stream. The glass manufacturing process may have inspection technology to remove these defects, but data from plants using inspection technology indicate that there are still many defects that end up at the brewery. Empty bottle inspection is more recently being used to perform the inspection of new glass in one-way markets such as the United States. As the quality of new glass varies, end users must use technology to ensure that the glass for their particular product is of the highest quality and defect free. The returnable bottling plant also inspects for defects in the bottle that are caused by normal wear in the bottle’s life cycle, such as thread damage or scuffing, and these are discussed as well. Empty bottle inspection (EBI) systems in the beer industry typically perform inspection of the finish, body/sidewall and base. Other inspections, as well as integrated bottle sorting, are normally standard for returnable glass breweries. EBI technology relies on vision technology, with detection of contrast differences being the key indicator. This is a reliable means of detecting most defects such as chips, stones, blisters, cracks, bird swings, etc. The brewer must be able to write a specification for detection of quality issues, and this discussion will assist you in how to do that. Some defects (such as unfilled shoulder) can be easily detected, but are difficult to write a detection specification for. These will be identified, and a reasonable approach will be discussed.

Jeff has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton. He worked in the food and beverage industries for over 30 years in plant and corporate engineering positions before moving into a technical sales role at Heuft USA. Jeff has been with Heuft for over 10 years. He has worked in most of the maintenance and engineering roles typical of a food and beverage company. His experiences include companies such as Seagram’s Distillers, Frito-Lay, Del Monte, Nabisco and McCain Foods. Jeff has an extensive background in plant process controls and packaging operations. Since joining Heuft, Jeff has worked with many of large and small brewers to develop a strategy for cost-effective inspection implementation. His background in capital project management has helped him guide companies to work within budget constraints to offer the best value in inspection choices.