A very sticky business
15 Jan 2000
Handling chocolate is a sticky business. Invariably it melts at room temperature, usually in your hands. At Thorntons' new facility in Derbyshire, it remains molten at 22oC and needs to be cooled to 10oC as the newly moulded chocolates travel 30m along the conveyor. Insufficient cooling results in malformed chocolates or a slower production line.
Four roof-mounted 30GX air-cooled Global Chillers from Carrier Air Conditioning, supply chilled water to circulating pipes, centralising previously remote facilities.
General cooling is also needed for the packaging building, so chocolates are placed without squashing and kept in perfect condition.
At Thorntons' Belper site in Derbyshire, Rutland Handling has designed and installed an automated toffee breaking and packaging line.
