Customer Case Study
Just the Cheese
Known for producing luxury cheeses, Anthony Rowcliffe and Sons Ltd. turns to Loma Systems’ award-winning IQ3 metal
detection technology to support Artisan cheeses for retail giant, Marks and Spencer
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
One of the most established cheese and specialty
chilled food suppliers in the UK, Anthony Rowcliffe
and Son Ltd., has selected Loma Systems to install
their new, award-winning IQ3 metal detection
technology.
The IQ3 technology will support their new range of
11 Artisan cheeses for retail giant, Marks and
Spencer.
Anthony Rowcliffe and Son Ltd. operates out of two
BRC accredited facilities and is renowned for
producing luxury products. Because brand
reputation is key to their business, they chose to
install a Loma Systems metal detection system that
is just as high quality as their own standards.
Anthony Rowcliffe and Son Ltd., one of the most established cheese and speciality chilled food suppliers
in the UK have selected Loma Systems, world leaders in metal detection, checkweighing and x-ray
inspection systems, to install a state-of-the art IQ3 metal detector system for their new range of 11
Artisan cheeses for retail giant, Marks and Spencer.
The company was started 42 years ago in Peckham, London and have now successfully grown, operating
out of two purpose-built BRC accredited sites at Paddock Wood in Kent, supplying over 1,000 different
lines, including its own branded Clemency Hall product. The two sites operate five days per week with a
same day delivery policy to a variety of major supermarkets. A combination of their product integrity and
dedicated, skilled staff has enabled them to achieve an annual turnover of £40 million, selling to diverse
markets including delis, farmshops, butchers and the premium multiples.
Anthony Rowcliffe and Son Ltd. prides itself on not only being able to provide quality cheeses, but also
having a depth of knowledge and experience within the field. This allows them to consistently source new
products and bring them to market both technically and logistically on time.
Anthony Rowcliffe is renowned for their luxury products, so maintaining their excellent reputation is key
to their brand. The company is constantly striving to ensure the highest quality standards and as part of
this drive they inspect every product meticulously prior to despatch, so the next generation IQ3 metal
detector from Loma Systems was an obvious solution for the company.
© 2013 Loma Systems and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Do not copy or reproduce.
Page 1 of 3
Customer Case Study
Just the Cheese
“We chose Loma Systems due to the
whole package they offered, including
their knowledge, testing processes,
quality products and pricing. We have a
great relationship with Loma and it has
been a pleasure to work with a company
who is as quality driven as ourselves. The
technology is excellent and the true
variable frequency IQ3 metal detector is
invaluable to our operations.”
Jason Fisher
Head of Operations
Anthony Rowcliffe and Sons Ltd.
All of Anthony Rowcliffe cheeses are individually hand-cut with wire, so it was vital that Loma could
provide a metal detector system that was sensitive enough to identify the smallest metal contaminants.
As the company despatches and inspects products in trays, Loma specified a carriage track reject
conveyor, designed to push reject trays down a separate conveyor system to ensure trays with
contaminated product are kept separate from trays that have been inspected and found to be safe.
Anthony Rowcliffe complies with the industry standard RFID tracking system to ensure their products
are tracked throughout the delivery process to guarantee they arrive at specific locations through their
identifiable metal tags. These metal RFID tags can cause significant problems when going through other
brands of metal detectors. The RFID tags give off a signal which could be mis-interpreted that the
products have metal contaminants and could ultimately cause a false reject.
Loma’s innovative true variable frequency IQ3 metal detector system provided Anthony Rowcliffe with
the ideal solution. Loma’s true variable frequency means the system can learn the signal given off
by the metal tags and then eliminate that signal to only find contaminants that are actually in the products.
The machine is able to automatically calibrate to the variety of cheeses on six cutting lines. Every cheese
emits a different product reading, varying in moisture levels, salt content as well as density and size.
Therefore, frequency levels also vary enormously. With its class-leading product memory offering space
for 200 different products and frequency levels of between 31 and 882 kHz, the versatility of the IQ3
technology provided a reliable solution for Anthony Rowcliffe.
The system’s automatic product learn function ensures maximum sensitivity and accuracy without
constant operator adjustment, resulting in one machine handling all six lines as opposed to buying
multiple machines to cope with various differing products. This saved Anthony Rowcliffe a
significant amount of money compared to purchasing several lesser quality metal detectors.
Jason Fisher, Head of Operations for Anthony Rowcliffe comments, “We chose Loma Systems due to the
whole package they offered, including their knowledge, testing processes, quality product and pricing.
We have a great relationship with Loma and it has been a pleasure to work with a company who is as
quality driven as ourselves. The technology is excellent and the true variable frequency IQ3 metal
detector is invaluable to our operations.”
>> Anthony Rowcliffe utilizes the Loma Systems IQ3 metal detector to
move chunks of their packaged luxury cheese for retail giant, Marks &
Spencer.
The IQ3 metal detector system complies with Loma’s outstanding ‘designed to survive’ ethos; it comes
standard with the tough IP69K search head environmental protection and is highly reliable. The machine
is extremely easy to use, making it more simple for operators to achieve maximum functionality.
© 2013 Loma Systems and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Do not copy or reproduce.
Page 2 of 3
Customer Case Study
Just the Cheese
For More Information
To learn more about the IQ3 technology featured in this
case study, please visit:
www.loma.com/lo_metal_detection.shtml
@Loma Systems
www.youtube.com/user/lomasystems
www.facebook.com/ITWLomasystems
www.linkedin.com/company/loma-systems
Contact Us
Loma Systems has regional sales managers and affiliates
worldwide. Addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers
are listed on the Loma Systems website at:
www.loma.com/lo_contact.shtml
United Kingdom
Southwood, Farnborough
Hampshire, GU14 ONY
Kathy Pattenden, Cutting Room Supervisor comments, “Operating the IQ3 metal detector on a daily basis
has proved effortless. Having met our standards and adhered to our customers’ strict codes of practice, the
IQ3 metal detector has recognisably increased production efficiency.”
Anthony Rowcliffe also took advantage of Loma’s Platinum Service Contract to ensure sustained
production levels and for peace of mind that should a problem occur they can receive expert support
quickly and efficiently. Jason continues, “We have not used this service so far as we have had no
problems, but it is good to have this safety net should any problems ever occur.”
About Loma Systems
Loma Systems is the world’s leading engineering and manufacturing company specializing in metal
detection, checkweighing and x-ray inspection systems. Our products are uniquely engineered for
consistent quality with a low cost of ownership. We have successfully partnered with the world’s largest
food and packaging companies, located in over 100 countries, to comply with product safety standards
and retailer codes of conduct.
Loma has over 120,000 metal detection systems installed worldwide and the IQ3 technology is the
premier inspection system on the market today.
sales@loma.co.uk
+44 1252 893300
www.loma.com
© 2013 Loma Systems and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Do not copy or reproduce.
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