For manufacturers of small-to-mid sized packaged food products—from 500g frozen meal trays and 1kg multi-pack snack bags to 2kg ready-meal boxes—standard X-ray systems waste valuable floor space, while miniaturized units lack the sensitivity to detect contaminants through dense packaging. This is why Scandinavian Snack Co., a leading Nordic producer of portion-controlled frozen meals and snack packs, partnered with Shanghai Fanchi-tech Machinery Co., Ltd. to deploy our FA-XIS Ultra-Compact X-ray Inspection Systems—engineered to deliver uncompromising contaminant detection for small-to-mid sized packages, while fitting into the tightest production layouts.
The Challenge: Small Packages & Tight Floor Plans
Scandinavian Snack Co. produces 60,000+ small-to-mid sized packaged food items weekly, including 500g frozen pasta trays, 1kg multi-pack crisp bags, and 2kg ready-meal boxes, sold across Norway, Sweden, and Finland. In early 2025, a 1.2mm glass fragment in a 500g lasagna tray triggered a recall, costing the company €38,000 in direct expenses and eroding trust with its retail partners.
Their existing inspection system failed to address critical pain points:
- Too Large for Tight Layouts: Standard X-ray systems required 40% more floor space than available, forcing manual inspection of 22% of batches and slowing production by 19%.
- Low Sensitivity for Small Packages: The density of 1kg crisp bags and frozen pasta trays blinded their old compact detectors, missing 30% of test contaminants in internal audits.
- Inefficient Compliance Tracking: Manual record-keeping for small batches made it impossible to trace contamination incidents, leading to 36% longer audit times and non-conformities in BRC audits.
“Our small-to-mid sized portion packs are our fastest-growing line, but our inspection setup was a bottleneck,” says Ingrid Nilsen, Scandinavian Snack Co.’s Quality Director. “We needed a system that could fit our 500g–2kg packages, detect tiny contaminants through dense packaging, and fit into our 2m-wide production lines—without slowing our throughput.”
The Solution: FA-XIS Ultra-Compact X-ray Inspection Systems
After evaluating 5 competitors, Scandinavian Snack Co. selected Fanchi-tech’s FA-XIS Ultra-Compact systems for its optimized tunnel size, high sensitivity, and space-saving design. Here’s how it solved their critical challenges:
1. Precision Tunnel Size & High Sensitivity
The FA-XIS features a 350mm × 250mm inspection tunnel—engineered to accommodate 500g–2kg small-to-mid sized packages—paired with high-resolution X-ray imaging (0.1mm pixel resolution) and adaptive signal processing:
- Metallic Contaminants: Detects ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless-steel fragments as small as 0.3mm through frozen packaging and multi-layer snack bags.
- Non-Metallic Contaminants: Identifies glass (0.5mm), hard plastic (0.7mm), and rubber (0.8mm) fragments in pasta trays and ready-meal boxes.
- Product Integrity Checks: Verifies correct portioning, seal integrity, and missing components in small packages, reducing rework by 21%.
During on-site validation, the FA-XIS detected 100% of test contaminants in 500g lasagna trays and 1kg crisp bags—eliminating the need for manual inspection entirely.
2. Space-Saving Integration & Minimal Downtime
The FA-XIS’s 304 stainless-steel, IP65-rated design integrates seamlessly with Scandinavian Snack Co.’s 110-packs-per-minute lines, while its ultra-compact footprint (1.5m × 1.0m) saves 35% of floor space compared to standard compact systems. Key efficiency features:
- Fast SKU Switching: Pre-programmed settings for 18 small-to-mid sized SKUs let operators switch between pasta trays, crisp bags, and ready-meal boxes in 18 seconds (down from 10 minutes with manual inspection).
- Automatic Rejection: Pneumatic reject arms remove contaminated or defective packages in real time, with no line stoppage.
- Hygienic Design: Crevice-free construction withstands daily high-pressure washdowns, passing Scandinavian Snack Co.’s BRC Grade A audits with zero non-conformities.
3. Compliance-Ready Traceability
The FA-XIS is built to meet global food safety standards:
- Certifications: CE, FCC, BRC Grade A, and EU 178/2002 compliant, with full traceability for small-batch production.
- Batch Data Logging: Stores 120,000+ inspection records (contaminant type, package weight, time, and SKU) for audit-ready reporting, cutting audit preparation time by 40%.
- Remote Monitoring: Cloud-based data access allows the quality team to review inspection data in real time, enabling proactive contamination risk management.
The Outcome: Zero Recalls & 19% Faster Production
In the 8 months since installing 4 FA-XIS Ultra-Compact units:
- 21 Critical Contaminant Catches: Detected 0.3–0.8mm metal/non-metal fragments (11 metal, 6 glass, 4 plastic) in small-to-mid sized packages, preventing 4 potential recalls and an estimated €52,000 in costs.
- 19% Faster Production: Eliminating manual inspection increased line efficiency by 19%, adding 8 hours of weekly production capacity and reducing labor costs by €2,500 monthly.
- 96% Reduction in Manual Work: The FA-XIS automated 96% of inspection tasks, freeing up 4 quality technicians to focus on proactive safety improvements.
- 100% Compliance Achievement: Passed all BRC and EU audits with zero non-conformities, securing a 2-year contract extension with its largest retail partner, IKEA Food.
“The FA-XIS Ultra-Compact system didn’t just solve our inspection problem—it transformed our production efficiency,” says Nilsen. “We now have complete confidence that every small-to-mid sized package leaving our facility is safe, compliant, and defect-free.”
Why Fanchi-tech’s FA-XIS Leads in Small-Pack Food Inspection
For brands like Scandinavian Snack Co., the FA-XIS Ultra-Compact system delivers:
- Optimized Capacity: 350mm × 250mm tunnel fits 500g–2kg small-to-mid sized packaged food products.
- Unmatched Sensitivity: Detects tiny metal and non-metal contaminants through thick, dense packaging.
- Space-Saving Design: Ultra-compact 1.5m × 1.0m footprint fits into tight production layouts, saving 35% floor space.
- Efficiency & Compliance: Fast SKU switching, automatic rejection, and batch data logging streamline operations and audit readiness.
- Global Support: 24/7 technical assistance, 2-year warranty, and local service teams in Europe and Asia.
Secure Your Small-to-Mid Sized Pack Food Lines Today
If you’re a food manufacturer producing small-to-mid sized packaged products and facing contamination risks, floor space constraints, or inspection bottlenecks, contact Kerry Wang to arrange a free virtual demo or on-site trial of the FA-XIS Ultra-Compact X-ray Inspection System. We’ll test the unit with your specific packages to validate performance for your line speed and SKU mix.
Shanghai Fanchi-tech Machinery Co., Ltd.
- Email: fanchitech@outlook.com
- Website: www.fanchitechnology.com
Post time: Feb-02-2026