Miller Magazine Issue: 115 July 2019

28 NEWS MILLER / JULY 2019 Improving illumination in sorter cuts waste and raises quality An Austrian manufacturer of bakery products is one of the first European companies to increase productivity and reduce waste by switching to LED lighting in their Bühler SORTEX optical sorter. The decision by the food producer Arnreiter Mühle to re- place the more traditional fluorescent lights used in sorters, is set to become an industry trend as compa- nies look to benefit from the lower running costs and the consistent illumination provided by LED lighting. During the sorting of raw materials such as soya, wheat, malt, spelt, rye, barley and oats, the Bühler SORTEX optical sorter is looking for the subtlest dif- ference in color to ensure it only rejects unwanted materials. Key to this process is the level of illumina- tion of the raw material during the sorting process, to enable Bühler’s high-resolution optic sensors to operate at optimum efficiency. While a relatively simple upgrade, the result of switching to LED three months ago is already pay- ing dividends for the company. “Since using the LED lights we have found that once the calibration is properly set, we don’t waste so much of the raw materials thanks to less of the good material being rejected,” said CEO Walter Arnreiter. “We could see the quality of the end product had improved with the upgrade. For us, it means less waste, higher profitability and greater product security.” The industry shift to LED lighting is part of a wid- er move away from halogen and fluorescent bulbs, both in the manufacturing and domestic markets. LED is not only longer lasting, it is cheaper to run, saving you up to 60 percent in energy costs. Addi- tionally it performs consistently and offers a more directional light than fluorescent bulbs, making it An Austrian food processor has improved profits, driven up product qual- ity and cut waste by simply upgrading the lights in its Bühler SORTEX optical sorter from fluorescent to LED.