Monthly Archives: November 2012

Easy Way To Stop Complaints About Scale Indication, Short Weight, etc…

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Every now and then we read about a few concerns in the industry regarding things like short weights, customers not being able to see scale indication, customer not being allowed to leave their vehicle to see the scale indicator or companies not allowing customers in the back room or warehouse to witness the weighing or measuring operation.These are important concerns when it comes to selling or buying items by the pound. Fortunately, there is a pretty easy solution for these issues and it is called a remote display. The remote display which is sometimes called a scoreboard too, is really just a big display that you mount in clear view so everyone can see it. The display basically shows whatever weight the digital weighing indicator is showing.

The XR Series remote displays from Avery Weigh-Tronix offer a choice of four numeric displays with 2 inch, 4.5 inch or 6.5 inch digits and two alphanumeric displays with 3.5 inch or 4 inch digits. The high intensity (Precision Optical Performance) red LED lamps create a display that is clearly visible in all indoor or outdoor light conditions including direct sunlight. The advanced Auto-Learn technology allows simple plug-and-play operation with virtually any indicator or PC. A durable, weather-tight enclosure protects the XR Series in harsh environments. Standard features include six digits, four annunciators for GR (gross), NT (net), lb, kg and decimal points indication. All models are ready for the easy to-install RF option for wireless communication.

Super Bright LED Display
High quality display is clearly visible in any lighting condition. Ambient light sensor automatically adjusts display brightness for night and day. Highly efficient LEDs virtually never need replacement and lower energy costs.

Auto-Learn Technology
Connect the remote to virtually any instrument and it will automatically learn the data string and communicate, reducing set-up time.

Integrated Traffic Light
Built-in red/green traffic light on XR 4500TL (only). No need to install a separate traffic light.

Easy Servicability
The electronics carriage is easy to remove and service outside of the enclosure without demounting.

Mirrored Display Mode
For units that will be viewed in rear-view or side-view mirrors.

Time and Date Display
Standard feature on all units except XR 2000. Time and date will display during periods of scale inactivity.

External Keypad
Easy to change settings or adjust time and date without opening the unit. No internal dip switches or jumper wires to mess with.

The options available for this series of displays is listed below.

Wireless RF Option
As simple as plugging a module into the controller board inside the display and adding a base unit to the indicator.

Visor Option
Visor provides additional level of protection against the elements.

Pole Mount Kit Option
Convenient bracket system that can be attached to various pole sizes and shapes.

Temperature Option
Easy to add probe at bottom of unit for temperature sensing, which can be displayed during periods of scale inactivity.

Bakery Reduces Ingredient Waste and Bad Batch Costs by Over $39,000

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A large national baking company realized that improving the performance of their minor ingredient scaling could lead to a significant impact on their profitability. Additionally they were averaging one bad batch a week due to errors in the minor ingredient hand adds. They looked to Doran Scales to provide the solution to reduce costs from wasted ingredients and bad batches.

THE SOLUTION was a Doran FC6200 Formula Control Scale. A Doran FC6200 is installed at the ingredient scaling station. Ingredient batching is automated, stepping the user through the formula and ensuring the correct ingredients are accurately scaled every time. Formula Loader software is installed on a PC. This recipe software is used to create and maintain minor ingredient batches. Recipes, formulas and production schedules are then uploaded to the FC6200 through USB flash drive or through an Ethernet connection. Increase accuracy is achieved through user programmable ingredient target weights and tolerances giving management effective control of the batching operation. Multi-tasking Operators who are distracted by other production responsibilities can now return to the partially scaled formula assured that the scale will pick up right where they left off, prompting them through the remainder of the formula without error. Ingredient Lot Numbers are automatically recorded for traceability during formula scaling while ensuring each ingredient meets the desired weight tolerance.

Happy Thanksgiving

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We hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the time with your family and friends and think about all the wonderful things we all have to be thankful for.  We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you.

Ways To Avoid Airline Baggage Fees

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These days everyone is looking to cut costs and find ways to raise additional revenue. One way the airlines can do this is by charging customers an additional fee if their bags weigh more than a certain weight. Unfortunately, many passengers have no real accurate way to measure the weight of their bag until they get to the airport. However, a standard bathroom scale can usually give you a pretty good idea if your bag is going to be close to the maximum weight. The link provides additional information on this story.

During the last inspection in March, Butler’s team check almost 100 scales. Thirteen failed inspection – one was 2 whole pounds off. The previous year, Butler said, ten scales had problems.

With overweight baggage fees topping out around $200, a scale’s accuracy could mean the difference between a hassle-free flight and a costly mess-up.

Butler said Burke has the right idea by weighing her luggage at home. He said anyone who believes their bag is underweight should ask to use a second scale if the bag comes up over.

“Just ask them. There are two scales side by side. If you’re over 50 pounds on that scale, ask them, ‘Do you mind checking on another scale?'” he said. “It’s your right to know because it’s big money. It’s big money.”

A couple of points that were made in this video are worth repeating. As a passenger, make sure when you place your luggage onto the weighing platform that the scale display shows 0.00 and if you are facing an overweight charge be sure to ask if you can place your bag on a different scale. Typically the baggage scales that are placed at airports are very accurate and reliable scales that are designed to meet certain standards, like NTEP approval. However, they can get out of calibration sometimes for various reasons and that is why it is a good idea for airlines to check the scales on a regular basis and have companies like ours calibrate the scales with certified test weights.

Scale Repair & Calibration

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For over 3 decades, Central Carolina Scale has provided our clients with outstanding scale repair services and calibration. Over the years we have worked hard to become one of the most dependable sources of scale repair and scale calibration in the state of North Carolina. Our customer’s depend on our accurate testing and knowledgeable service department.

Our areas of expertise include Heavy Capacity Rice Lake Truck Scales, Hopper Scales, Intercomp Crane Scales, and Cardinal Axle Scales. We also have extensive experience working on Detecto Medical Scales, Pennsylvania Floor Scales and Avery Weigh-Tronix Forklift Scales. We also regularly work on Doran Wash Down Check Weighers, A&D Laboratory Balances, Digi Bench Scales, and Ohaus Analytical Balances. The majority of our scale repair and service is provided on the customers job site. Our team of factory trained scale technicians has the experience and the knowledge to fix the problem right the first time.

If you are looking to have your weighing equipment checked on a regular basis, you’ve come to the right place. Our scale service agreements reduce the overall cost of scale checks and calibration. In the long run, this saves you both time and money. In addition, these service agreements include regularly scheduled scale calibration, preventative maintenance, and NIST traceable certificates of calibration.

If you are one of our valued customers, thank you, we sincerely appreciate your business. If you aren’t currently one of our customers, we ask you to give us a chance by calling us at (919) 776-7737 or send us an email.

Mushroom Grower Increases Production Output By 5000 lbs a Day

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A large Mushroom grower needed a way to ensure that the tills of mushrooms were being filled to the proper weight and a means to verify the productivity of each employee. Since whole mushrooms vary in weight and size, the tills of mushrooms were filled by hand. They knew the weight of the bulk mushrooms and the total weight of all the mushrooms packaged that day and they realized that almost 4% of product was lost or unaccounted for during the packaging process. This needed to be improved to keep a healthy profit margin for this company.

THE SOLUTION involved the Doran 2200CW Checkweigh Scale with Ethernet and Excelerator Data Collection.

10 Doran 2200CW Checkweigh scales with wired Ethernet were installed in each production line (Seven total lines). They were connected to a PC with Dorans CW Setup program which contained a library of all products with over and under tolerances. The scales require the operator to log in with an employee ID; this allows all of their packaging for the shift to be recorded. The line leader enters the product to be run in the CW Setup program which then uploads this information and over under tolerances to the 2200CW scales on that line. After the 2200CW scales are setup with the product information and tolerances the Doran Excelerator program starts to collect the data on each weighment from each scale and each packer.