FEBRUARY 18, 2009--Lacta, a division of Kraft Foods, is the number-one branded chocolate in Brazil. For more than 90 years, Lacta has been the category leader in tablets, pralines, and bite-sized products, with varieties that include BIS chocolate wafers, Sonho de Valsa pralines, and Lacta white chocolate.
BIS is a crunchy wafer cookie filled in alternating layers of wafer and milk chocolate, covered in milk chocolate. In 2006 Lacta proposed a waste reduction program to remove damaged wafers by inspecting them after baking and before the assembly process starts. The most common causes of rejection are wafer slabs with burned spots or streaks and wafer breakage or deformation.
By ensuring that the wafer--the primary ingredient in BIS--is in good condition before filling with chocolate and covering with additional wafer layers, Lacta would be able to reduce its overall waste costs. Lacta started a search for a system that could reduce losses and consequently increase production by accurately identifying damaged wafers.
By installing two cameras and one vision sensor per line, Lacta was able to inspect each wafer slab for holes in the wafer board, burned spots, or impurities, and check the chocolates for possible breaks in the center and bad formation. For more information, go to: http://www.omron247.com/doc/pdfcatal.nsf/1008B1D8865D5FAF862573C600057638/$FILE/KraftFoodsLacta Brazil Case History 072808rev.pdf
