New Zealand’s food industry adheres to rigorous quality and safety standards recognised globally. Concurrently, the nation demonstrates leadership in sustainability, as manufacturers continually strive to balance operational efficiency with environmental stewardship. Advanced inspection systems play an integral role in supporting these objectives.
Fortress Technology understands this dual challenge. Too often, large-scale machinery is excluded from the circular economy, with outdated equipment ending up in landfill. Meanwhile, evolving food safety standards and competitive pressures demand new equipment functionalities to improve productivity. The company’s unique ‘Never obsolete’ philosophy responds directly to this need.
By designing metal detection systems that are modular, upgradable and built to last, the company offers a sustainable investment model that supports innovation without compromising performance. Having a dedicated manufacturing, service, and support team in New Zealand allows general manager Tim Whyte and his team to provide long-lasting, adaptable solutions.
Whyte says: “The cycle of parts breaking down, being thrown away and then having to be replaced is not just wasteful, it’s also unsustainable long term. In many instances, the machinery on a line represents millions in capital expenditure and has potentially decades of useful life in it.”
The longevity of an inspection system is heavily influenced by build quality. Some of the earliest analogue Fortress metal detectors installed nearly 30 years ago continue to operate today, but with efficient digital features. At the time of commissioning, these features were yet to be invented.
Several New Zealand customers have benefited from these updates. For example,
one of New Zealand largest manufactures recently upgraded more than 45 of their original Fortress metal detectors to Stealth technology. This update introduced new data logging features and advanced software algorithms that improved detection sensitivity of stainless-steel contaminants down to just 2mm.
Following a similar principle, another New Zealand food processor was able to introduce a digital feature to record every signal generated by each product bag passing through the aperture of their metal detectors. Fortress supplied modular communication adapters, enabling automatic data extraction to a central database. In addition to delivering the requested functionality, this upgrade strengthened reporting capabilities and overall quality assurance.
Scalability and simplicity are at the forefront of Fortress inspection system designs. Each machine allows upgrades with minimal disruption, downtime and investment.
“Rolling out upgrades requires far less time, capital and business interruption compared to commissioning an entirely new build and installation,” says Whyte.
Fortress Technology search heads, electronic boards and other parts can be replaced with the latest revisions, while software can be upgraded to the newest iteration. This modular design model means that components can be added or reconfigured to deliver customised inspection systems. For example, one of the largest rice producers in North America repurposed 10 Fortress metal detectors used for nearly a decade, installing them on a new incline conveyor configuration. Adaptations of this scale are only feasible if the metal detector has a stable hardware platform, says Whyte.
Interchangeable components simplify maintenance, allowing site engineers to quickly troubleshoot, replace parts and restore functionality with minimal downtime. Optional expandable I/O hardware further increases connectivity, such as adding extra communication between upstream and downstream systems or enhancing integration with PLCs, reject devices and monitoring equipment.
Sustainability in food production does not always mean radical reinvention, explains Whyte. “In the case of inspection equipment, it means designing machines to be simple, upgradeable and built to last.”