Drives & Controls March 2023

32 n FOOD AND BEVERAGE March 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Grant helps low- protein food-maker to boost business F irstplay Dietary Foods, located in Stockport, makes a range of low- protein products for people with metabolic conditions such as Phenylketonuria (PKU) which leave them unable to eat protein without risking brain damage. PKU is an inherited metabolic disorder that a causes an amino acid called phenylalanine to build up in the body and affects roughly 1 in 10,000 people in the UK. With more countries performing newborn screening that can reveal the condition, there is a growing international demand from patients and dieticians for food products suitable for PKU patients. Responding to this, Firstplay has invested £120,000 in new digital machinery, increasing its blending capacity, while automating a previously manual weighing and packing process. The business has been supported by a grant fromMade Smarter’s NorthWest adoption programme – a government-funded, industry- led initiative that helps SME manufacturers to invest in new technologies and digital skills. As a result of the upgrades, Firstplay has increased its production capacity ten-fold, reduced human error and waste, and expects to raise its turnover by 30%. In addition, two of its operators have changed to activities such as sales and complex packing tasks. Firstplay was established in 1993 by Steve and Linda Fletcher to help people living with PKU. Since then, the business has grown steadily, expanding its range of products to include dried pasta, breads, baking mixes, snacks, flavoured pasta sachets and soups. The company's products are sold around the world and it had ambitions to target emerging markets such as China, the Middle East and America. But before it could do so, it needed to address its manufacturing productivity and efficiency challenges. A key bottleneck in its production process was the manual weighing and packing of some products which was limited to handling around 600 packets per day, and was prone to errors and wastage. With the help of the Made Smarter grant, Firstplay invested in a powder-packaging machine, which includes an automated multi- head weigher and powder filler. This works by loading products through a hopper, digitally weighing and correcting the amount, and then dispensing and sealing the product into a bag, before delivering it for boxing. This new equipment also introduced a live data feed, giving managers a real-time overview of variables such as the running speed of the equipment, total giveaway, and average weights over the course of a shift. The outcome has been transformative, increasing the number of sachets the company can produce from 600 to 6,000 per day. Digital control means that packets are filled more consistently, improving quality and reducing waste, both in time and in packaging materials. Firstplay has drawn up a roadmap to digital transformation and is exploring a series of projects including data and systems integration technologies that will link its new machinery with a barcode-scanning system for stock control. It is also adopting business and production software that will provide better data analytics to improve production efficiency further. “Our growth has been organic with only occasional investment to update our production processes,”says managing director, Tom Fletcher.“Our partnership with Made Smarter changes that. We have a long-term strategy and a digital roadmap to follow to achieve those goals. My only wish is that we had done it sooner. “By replacing a manual low-skilled task with automation,”he adds,“we are able to do much more with the resources we have, as well as upskilling our existing staff, which to a small business is extremely valuable.” n A specialist food manufacturer based in Stockport has boosted its productivity and profits by investing in automation technology, with the help of a Made Smarter grant. It has raised its production capacity ten-fold, cut human error and waste, and expects to lift its turnover by 30%. Firstplay’s managing director, Tom Fletcher, with a packaging machine that has helped the company to boost its productivity and cut waste