Determining the bag currently loaded at the flow wrapper and comparing it to the product selected is relatively straight forward, a number of systems are availible which do just that.

The main issue here is that these systems have no way of ensuring that correct product has gone into the right bag. This problem has been exacerbated by having both non-english speaking operators and many bags looking similar.

To compare the bag (at the flow wrapper / bagger) to the product currently running can be is usually achieved by tracking the Mixer or Product code from upstream equipment, Process Control or ERP / SAP, but to ensure the correct product is going into the right bag will require either:

1. Operator to manually verify product running via Touch Screen HMI.

2. Install a vision imaging system which visually recognise the product running and compare it to the bag at the wrapper (via barcode reader).

Another issue which we have come across, particularly in the meat and bakery industry, is Date legibility and checking that the printed SBD / UBD is correct.