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Hygienic Design and VR Training
Thomas Czioska, Head of Sales & Marketing, and Christoph Recher, Sales Manager, of LoeschPack discuss hygienic design and training. Czioska says chocolate bar lines are typically wiped down, but allergen cleaning is driving the move toward wash-down equipment. Recher says product-touching parts are always stainless steel, and LoeschPack offers classroom, virtual and VR training on a digital twin, with a management center tracking course results.
Key takeaways
- Thomas Czioska says a typical chocolate bar line is wiped down today, but allergen cleaning is making wash-down equipment more and more important.
- Christoph Recher says LoeschPack always uses stainless steel for product-touching components, and for wash-down solutions everything has to be stainless steel.
- LoeschPack offers classroom, virtual and VR training, including guided changeovers on a digital twin, with a management center showing who passed which course.
Common questions
- Do chocolate packaging lines need wash-down design?
- According to Thomas Czioska of LoeschPack, a typical chocolate bar line is currently wiped down. However, cleaning, especially allergen cleaning, is getting more and more important, and he sees the market moving toward wash-down equipment so the whole line can be washed down. LoeschPack works out the cleaning approach with each customer.
- What materials are used in hygienic packaging machine design?
- Christoph Recher of LoeschPack says they always use stainless steel for product-touching components. Elsewhere on the machine they may use aluminum or other kinds of steel, but when it comes to wash-down solutions, everything has to be made from stainless steel.
- How does VR training work for packaging machine operators?
- Christoph Recher of LoeschPack explains that trainees wear a VR headset and see a digital twin of the machine in front of them, touching parts with a tool in hand to build deeper knowledge, for example for guided changeovers. A management center lets foremen see who took which course and whether they passed, since courses end with questions; asked whether that makes it certified training, Recher answered, "Absolutely."
Transcript
Tom Rougeux, President, Piepenbrock Packaging
All right, and let's talk about wash down or hygienic design in a machine. Can you tell us about the ability to design a machine to be cleaned?
Thomas Czioska, Head of Sales & Marketing, LoeschPack
A typical chocolate bar at the moment is normally wiped down. So you only wipe it down. It's also explained, or we can explain or teach the people how to make the cleaning.
But what I see is that this cleaning issue is getting more and more important. Especially about allergen cleaning stuff. And therefore I think it's going in the direction that it's coming up more and more with this wash down equipment.
So that you really can wash down the whole line to be sure.
Tom Rougeux
Tell me about the experience that LoeschPack brings to the customer, when helping them decide what's necessary in terms of keeping the machine clean.
Thomas Czioska
It's based on our experience we have in the market. Of course it depends on the product itself, that we can figure out with the customer together, which kind of cleaning he wants to have on the line.
What is necessary from his point of view. And then we can design the machine in the way that it works.
Tom Rougeux
Is stainless steel always used in your machines, or is there other materials?
Christoph Recher, Sales Manager, LoeschPack
No, we always use stainless steel for product touching components. Besides from that, we would use aluminum or other kinds of steel. Of course, when it comes to wash down solutions, everything has to be made from stainless steel.
Tom Rougeux
How much training should an OEM supplier like LoeschPack provide to the customer once they get a new piece of equipment?
Christoph Recher
Usually we offer a package for training to get the operators and on-site personnel up to speed to operate our machines. Besides from that, we also now offer VR training, like for guided changeovers, or standard classroom training. Or even virtual training, to have the possibility to teach people how to operate our machines.
Without being on the actual machine, that you have to take them out of production, for example.
Tom Rougeux
Can you talk to us a little bit about how LoeschPack provides virtual training?
Christoph Recher
We typically provide VR training via a VR headset, so that the person sees our digital twin of the machine right in front of him. And he can touch everything with a tool in his hand, so he can get a feeling and a deeper knowledge of the machine.
Tom Rougeux
And when they do this, they get some sort of confirmation that they've done it right, or error code if they've done it wrong?
Christoph Recher
Yep, that's also something we provide, a management center where all the foremen can see which person took which course, and if it has been passed or not, because there will also be questions in the end.
Tom Rougeux
So certified training?
Christoph Recher
Absolutely.
