Customised Shadow Boards: Making Sure Your Images are the Right Quality
How to select the right images for your customised shadow boards
One of the most exciting parts of a shadow board project is choosing the right images for the customisation of your boards.
If you have reached this stage and would like a few pointers on selecting the best options, the following Help Guide will help to keep things simple.
Although the process is incredibly straightforward, questions are always welcome! You can contact us on 01473 461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Or, click here to fill out our dedicated form.Â
What type of image file is best?
To ensure a high quality print, we recommend all logos are supplied in a vector format. Examples include: eps, svg or ai files. High resolution jpgs and pngs (300dpi) are also a popular choice.
If you are wondering how to find out what type of file you have, this information will usually appear in the suffix of the file name, for example NewFood.eps or Apple.svg.
Alternatively, ‘right click’ on the file itself, then click the ‘Properties’ option in the menu that appears.
If the image is going to be used for the background of your shadow board, it needs to be as high resolution as possible due to the large scale print.
Top tips for choosing the right images
1. The size of your image file is a good indication of whether it will be large enough for printing.
For example, if you have a file that is only 12KB, it will likely be too small for a quality reproduction in print. Whereas, if you have a 12MB file that you would like to use for the background of your shadow boards, this should work perfectly.
2. It’s always helpful if you can share the original image file rather than a copy that has been sourced from the web. Images that have been lifted from web pages are usually 72dpi, which is a low resolution that is not recommended for print. For shadow board printing, we require 150dpi, but 300dpi is preferred.
3. Explore our options for enhancing your shadow boards. If you would like to elevate the finished look of your shadow boards, please speak to us about the ways in which we can incorporate your company branding. If you are able to share any brand guidelines, that could be extremely helpful, especially when it comes to colour matching.
Guidance & support
Prior to printing your shadow boards, our
in-house Design Team will send you a screenshot of your artwork at 100% scale.
This will give you an opportunity to assess the final print quality for sign off.
If you are unhappy with the quality of the boards, there will still be time to supply us with a more suitable image file. Alternatively, for an additional cost, our Design Team can look into stock images.
That brings us to the end of our Help Guide to selecting the right images for your customised shadow boards. As promised, it was super simple, involving just a couple of quick checks.
If you have any questions about your image choices or the overall design of your boards, the Klipspringer Team is here to help. Contact us on 01473 461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Alternatively, you can share your details using the form below.Â
If you want to learn more about our ‘buy-it-now’ or customised shadow boards, the Klipspringer team would be happy to help. Share your details below and we’ll be in touch.
How to Conduct an Integrity Check of your Equipment and Instrumentation
A comprehensive guide to conducting an Integrity Check of the equipment and instrumentation at your food factory.
Regular Integrity Checks of your equipment and instrumentation will help your site to:
- Reduce the risk of foreign body or food safety incidents - protecting consumers
- Avoid costly product recalls - protecting customer relationships and brand reputation
- Avoid non-conformities and secure audit compliance
The following Help Guide will take you through the process of conducting an Integrity Check at your Food Production Site. You can also read the following articles on:
Why are Integrity Checks so important?
As mentioned above, Integrity Checks help to protect both your business and the wellbeing of your consumers. Say a brush has reached the end of its lifespan and is no longer fit for use, failing to identify this issue could result in bristle clumps entering into your product. You will then be met with consumer complaints and a potential product recall.
Or, imagine if your operatives are continuing to use a damaged probe thermometer. In addition to water ingress, this damage could also result in a bacteria harbourage point – compromising every product that comes into contact with the ‘unacceptable’ instrument.
Another important example is a glass electrode. Just think of the potential consequences of glass shards finding their way into your product.
Even the best equipment and instrumentation has a lifespan, which is why it’s important to manage these risks is through regular and thorough Integrity Checks.
How do you conduct an Integrity Check?
It is important to carry out an Integrity Check of your equipment before and after every use. This will reduce the risk of your product being exposed to damaged or broken utensils that have loose components or bacteria harbourage points that wouldn’t be present if everything was in tact. What’s more, if the damage is spotted after use, your team will have a better idea of which batch(es) have been compromised. Instead of holding back product unnecessarily or risking a recall, you will be able to conduct a targeted investigation of the products that have passed through a specific process or area since the last Integrity Check.
When conducting an Integrity Check, your team will need to be on the look out for:
- Broken or loose parts
- Broken or loose bristles
- Missing parts or pieces
- Cracks and cavities
- Dents and damage
They will also need to ascertain how well the equipment has been cleaned, as it should be free from any build-up of residue.
Ideally, each Integrity Check will be recorded, especially if you are responding to a previous non-conformity or a customer complaint.
Your team will only be able to do this if they understand the difference between equipment that is in an ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ condition. You can achieve this goal through the ongoing training of your operatives and the introduction of visual management tools. It should also be site policy to photograph any ‘unacceptable’ equipment before it is disposed of. These photos will prove invaluable when it comes to spreading awareness across your team.
If an Integrity Check highlights ‘unacceptable’ or defective equipment, the item will need to be removed from use immediately. A step-by-step guide for this process should be covered in your site’s policies and procedures.
Integrity Checks: Expert Advice
“If you believe your product has been compromised by a foreign body that has potentially broken into smaller parts, one option is to weigh an intact version of the suspected foreign body.
For example, if your site uses ‘O-Rings’ and you are faced with an incident where parts have ended up in your product, the first step could be to weigh an intact ‘O-Ring’.
Then, if you weigh any broken pieces found inside the compromised batch, you will know to keep going until the two weights correspond. Depending on the circumstances and risk level, this could potentially save your site from a costly product recall.”
– Former Head of Technical for a leading Food Manufacturing Site
Auditing and Integrity Checks
As mentioned above, it is advised to document your Integrity Checks wherever possible. At the very least, you should be documenting the training you have given on conducting Integrity Checks. You should also document spot checks of equipment, along with any Visual Inspections carried out by supervisors, internal auditors, or your site’s HACCP team.
Documentation is so important because it helps to prove you are doing your due-diligence when it comes to preventing foreign body or food safety incidents.
If your auditor notices a piece of equipment that is unfit for use, one of the first things they will ask for is evidence of a safe and effective approach to equipment management. If you are unable to provide the proof they need, a non-conformity could be raised against your site.
If your site is audited against BRCGS, you will then have 28 days to resolve this issue – carrying out a root cause analysis, re-establishing and potentially modifying your current process, and compiling evidence that the same problem won’t happen again.
Evidence of your Integrity Checks will also help you to resolve customer complaints.
Additional Points to Consider
1. Cleaning Instruction Cards
Alongside Integrity Checks of your equipment and instrumentation, you will also need to evaluate your site’s Cleaning Instruction Cards (CICs), so you can assess the suitability of the equipment you are using for each application.
Otherwise, it is possible that even if your operatives are using ‘acceptable’ equipment in perfect condition, a foreign body or food safety incident could occur.
For example, the bristles of a brush could catch on a sharp internal piece of machinery or a floor squeegee could be worn down by an extremely rough surface.
As you work through this process, think about the likelihood and risk level of each potential incident, then make sure your team is using the best equipment for the job and the relevant preventative measures are in place.
2. Digital Quality Management
If you are concerned about employee engagement surrounding Integrity Checks, especially when it comes to consistently checking equipment before and after each use, you may want to consider the benefits of a Digital Quality Management System.
The right system will simplify and speed-up the process of recording Integrity Checks. Instead of relying on paper checklists, your team can simply tick a digital check box and the information will be automatically recorded on your site’s dedicated platform.
This information will be essential if your factory is faced with a customer complaint or an auditing question related to equipment management. You can also take preventative action if you notice certain operatives or teams aren’t being consistent with their checks.
What’s more, if an incident occurs or an ‘unacceptable’ piece of equipment is identified by a Visual Inspection or spot check, you will have a list of the operatives that judged the utensil to be ‘acceptable’ and will know which team members need to be re-trained.
That concludes our Help Guide to conducting an Integrity Check at your Food Production Site. Even the best equipment won’t last forever, so it’s important that you and your team know the warning signs to look out for, along with the potential consequences of ignoring damage and degradation.
For additional support, contact our team of advisors on 01473 461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Alternatively, you can share your details using the contact form below.Â
To learn more about Integrity Checks and equipment management, share your details below and one of our friendly team members will be in touch.
How to use the New Klipspringer Proofing Portal
How to use the Klipspringer Proofing Portal
We are excited to announce the launch of the Klipspringer Proofing Portal, an online system that allows you to review and approve visual proofs.
Designed to give our customers more options, greater control, and enhanced capabilities, this online portal is extremely user-friendly.
Even so, we have put together a quick tutorial to take you through the process of using the platform. The Klipspringer Team is also on hand to answer any questions you may have.
You can contact us directly on 01473461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Alternatively, you can
click here to fill out a contact form and one of our friendly team members will be in touch.
Using the Klipspringer Proofing Portal – Video Guide
The following video demonstrates the best approach to using the Klipspringer Proofing Portal and explains the most important functions:
Using the Klipspringer Proofing Portal – Written Instructions
Alternatively, if you and your team would prefer to follow written instructions. You will find a step-by-step guide below:
1. Click on the link that was sent to you via email. This will take you through to the main portal page where you will find all your visual proofs. Click on the blue ‘Sign in’ button at the top of the page, enter your email, and press ‘Continue’. Sharing these details will afford you better control over who amends or approves the proofs.
1. To view a visual proof in full size, simply click on the design. This will take you through to a page where you will see the individual proof.
2. To leave a comment, click on the ‘Comment’ button at the top of the page, type in your feedback, and click ‘Post’.
3. To add a comment to a specific section of the design, click the ‘Commenting mode’ button at the top of the screen. Draw a box over the section you have in mind, add your comment, then click ‘Post’. To remove a comment, click on it, then click the bin icon in the corner to delete.
4. If you are happy with the design and don’t have any comments to add, click on the blue ‘Make decision’ button at the top of the screen. In the drop-down menu, click the ‘Approved’ button. Please make sure this step is completed for each of the designs.
If you would like further guidance on using the portal, share your details below.
How to assemble your Shadow Board Frame
How to assemble your Shadow Board Frame
Here at Klipspringer, our range of shadow boards are available with five different mounting methods. Two of the most popular options are:
Freestanding Mobile Frames (with wheels)
Freestanding Static Frames (without wheels)
If you decide to move forward with either one of these mounting methods, you should find the installation process incredibly easy.
However, on the off chance that you would appreciate some guidance, we have put together a simple set of instructions for you to follow.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. For the safe and effective assembly of your shadow board frame, you will need:
- One shadow board and frame
- Two people
- Two base sections
- Four bolts and washers
2. Lean the main frame against a wall.
3. Make sure the tube section is facing inwards.
4. Place the main frame into the base section, one side at a time.
5. Screw bolts into the holes. WARNING: Do no over-tighten the bolts, the rivnuts will break.
If you would like to learn more about shadow boards or any of the other mounting options available, simply follow the link below.
Alternatively, if your project involves five or more boards and you are looking to outsource the installation process, use the link below to discover our new Shadow Board Installation Service.
Safely storing your thermometers and technical equipmentÂ
Safely storing your thermometers and technical equipmentÂ
Instrument damage can easily be avoided by safe and secure storage. In most cases, this means providing dedicated homes for your thermometers and technical equipment, so that they are out of harm’s way when not in use.
Many food and beverage factories throughout the UK and Ireland have implemented instrument stations to reduce damage and maintain equipment accuracy.  What’s more, they ensure that handheld items are always where they need to be when you need them – reducing downtime and helping embed lean ways of working.
Watch the video below for further tips on safe equipment storage.
How to Use Your Klipspringer Tool Grid
How to Use Your Klipspringer Tool Grid
Ensuring your shadow boards correctly match your tools is an important part of the shadow board process. With a Klipspringer tool grid, you can map out your tools on site without the need to send them away – saving you time, shipping costs and downtime.
Watch the video below to find out how use your Klipspringer Tool Grid.
Shadow Boards & Equipment Storage
Visual Management
Hygiene & Production Equipment
Food Handling & Storage Containers
Instrumentation and Monitoring
Calibration & Service
Segregation & Washdown Covers
Detectable Equipment
Specialist PPE
Stainless Steel Equipment
Hygiene Squeegees
Vacuum Cleaners
Food Manufacturing
Food Storage, Distribution & Retail
Auditors & Food Safety Inspectors
Food Service & Hospitality