hand injuries

5 Easy Ways to Prevent Hand Injuries

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Hand injuries are the most common employee injury in the work place.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 358,890 cases of non-fatal injuries to the upper extremities were reported in 2015. Of those injuries, 143,900 involved the hands.

The US Department of Labor confirmed this claim, finding that of all injures reported, injuries to fingers and hands accounted for more than 23%, making them the highest in preventable injuries and in terms of lost work days, they ranked second only to back and neck injuries.

This is especially true in food processing facilities, where it’s not uncommon for employees to work with sharp knives, heavy carts, extremely hot or cold racks, and equipment that can easily crush, maim, or amputate hands.

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prevent e coli in ground beef

The Best Way to Help Prevent E. Coli

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Escherichia coli (also known as E. coli) is the bitter enemy of ground beef and fresh produce processors — and finding ways to prevent E. coli contamination is important.

You only have to look at the recent news to see how damaging E. coli contamination can be to the reputation (and bottom line!) of a company.

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coves smokehouse air flow

4 Essential Benefits Coves have on the Smokehouse Air Flow

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The air flow, or more specifically the breakpoint, is the most important feature in any smokehouse or dehydrator.

This one feature alone is what cooks product in the oven — and is ultimately responsible for product yields, consistency, and color, as well as cook time.

If you want to improve product yields, consistency, or color, it all starts with being able to improve and control the breakpoint. The more control you have to set the location and duration of the breakpoint in any one specific spot in the oven, the greater your yields and consistency. The opposite is also true: the inability to control the location and duration of the breakpoint in an oven will always result in less than optimal yields and consistency.

It seems to reason then that the design of the oven cabinet should help strengthen and improve the breakpoint.

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Should Pet Food Processors Invest in a Meat Shredder?

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Shredded meat is making its way into the pet food world.

Dog and cat owners increasingly want to see recognizable meat and vegetable pieces in their pet’s food as part of a larger trend towards more natural, less processed pet food.

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manufacturing day resources

3 Fascinating Manufacturing Day Resources You Have to See

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Friday is the national Manufacturing Day — a day set to address common misconceptions about manufacturing impacts by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is, and what it isn’t.

Created by Founding Partner Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International in 2012, MFG DAY is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.

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illinois country living article

Fusion Tech Featured in Illinois Country Living Magazine

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Fusion Tech Integrated, a custom design and fabrication shop located in Roseville, Illinois, was featured in the September 2018 issue of McDonough Power Cooperative’s Illinois Country Living magazine.

The article focused on Fusion Tech’s story — how we started with three employees in a two car garage and grew to become an international provider of custom designed food processing equipment. As Kelly Hamm, Energy Services Manager at McDonough Power Cooperative, said, “Fusion Tech has such a neat story and we thought it would be interesting to share it.”

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door seal

What is the Best Style of Door Seal for a Smokehouse?

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The door seal is a vitally important part of any industrial smokehouse, dehydrator, or steam oven.

This one component is responsible for keeping the oven doors sealed tightly in the frame, preventing heat and steam from escaping the cabinet, and in some oven designs, keeps the doors closed.

Imagine the cost you would pay if the oven didn’t have a door seal: utility expenses would spike with the loss of heat from the oven, employees would be burned just being near the oven, and product wouldn’t cook consistently, resulting in product rejections.

The door seal is that important, but not all styles of door seals are created equal.

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spray nozzle

What is the Best Spray Nozzle for Cleaning a Smokehouse?

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Choosing a spray nozzle for the clean-in-place (CIP) system in a smokehouse or dehydrator doesn’t seem all that important, especially when compared to choosing a heating source, damper control system, or the main fan.

While the spray nozzle maybe just a small component part, it plays a big role in effectively cleaning an oven — and reducing the risk of product contamination that can occur in an oven that is not properly cleaned.

The right spray nozzle will give you maximum coverage to clean the inside of the oven. The wrong spray nozzle, however, will give you the illusion of being clean, while leaving a good portion of the oven untouched by cleaning solution — a huge no-no in the world of food processing.

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thermometer calibration log

What Data Do You Need to Record in a Thermometer Calibration Log?

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Good record keeping is an essential part of any smokehouse or dehydrator thermometer calibration.

The ability to review temperature differences, comments from previous calibrations, who performed the calibration, and if the thermometer needs to be replaced is essential to any HACCP program — and will save you the headache of trying to track down the data later.

If you’re cooking product in a smokehouse, dehydrator, or steam cabinet, getting your team in the habit of calibrating thermometers on a regular basis and recording the results is a must!

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chain driven dampers

3 Reasons to Avoid Chain Driven Dampers in a Smokehouse

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Chain driven dampers were the industry standard for decades when it came to “controlling” the breakpoint in an industrial smokehouse or dehydrator.

If you have an older oven, or one manufactured in Europe, chances are the dampers are driven and kept at a 90 degree angle from each other using chains and sprockets.

While this design was revolutionary in the industry when it was first introduced, new technology and updated designs have made chain driven dampers a thing of the past — and a very ineffective way of controlling the breakpoint in an oven.

In order to understand why chain driven dampers should be avoided in a smokehouse or dehydrator, it’s beneficial to know what the breakpoint is and how it’s controlled.

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