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Anritsu Infivis History
Social changes surrounding the food industry in Japan

Social changes surrounding the food industry in Japan

Our Role in the Age of Mass Production of FoodAuto checkers leading the way in weight grading

Responding to a need for total inspection

As Japan experienced a high degree of economic growth from the late 1950s, the food market underwent dramatic changes. Supermarket chains opened around the 1960s and consumers could now buy packaged food products. Food production processes became automated to enable mass production, and there was a call for total inspection equipment that could weigh products properly and efficiently to ensure that each pack contained the same amount.

(Census of Commerce: Statistical Tables of Self-service Stores, Ministry of International Trade and Industry)

Our first auto checker

The division that would later become Anritsu Infivis developed the first automatic checkweigher (auto checker) in 1964 and launched it in 1965. Made with our electronic micrometer, the device enabled extremely precise measurement, with top-class performance by global standards. Manufacturers who were late in entering this market did not try to distinguish themselves on performance, opting instead to supply equipment at as low a price as possible. Our auto checker, meanwhile, provided the original and high-level solutions that Anritsu is renowned for.

Modularization for compatibility with a wide range of production sites

8 Series K518A

Mass production of food requires a diverse variety of production lines such as canning lines, pickling lines and sweet production lines. Our second range of auto checkers, the 8 Series, was developed in 1978 to meet this wide range of needs. The concept behind this series was modularization. Modules of the auto checker, such as scales and conveyors, could be mixed and matched to suit the size of the product being made, the line speed and the precision that was required, enabling manufacturers to optimize their weight grading processes. The 8 Series’ ability to provide fast solutions to a wide range of needs made it a hit. It was also a long seller, with over 20,000 of these devices sold by 1996. In 1978, the 8 Series was released in Europe to high acclaim, helping to grow Anritsu’s global business.

Market-leading new trends

In order to create mix-and-matchable modules to meet a wide range of demands, we demands to communicate closely with customers to find out what their needs were. The precursor to Anritsu Infivis built a strong base of partnerships through this work, which it made use of in its development of more advanced auto checkers.
The 8 Series was followed by the Hi Checker Series which managed production through fast and accurate detection and statistical methods, the dustproof and waterproof IP Series, the easy-to-install FC series and the SV Series, a long-selling product that netted over ten years of sales due to its ability to sort at twice the previous speed (310 items per minute). These were followed by the SSV Series, a more advanced version of the SV Series with greater operability and production performance.
Anritsu Infivis and its precursor have invented new trends and created new markets in each new age, selling a total of over 60,000 auto checkers to date. It has made food and pharmaceutical production processes more efficient and enabled proper quality control worldwide, providing consumers with a safe and reliable food and pharmaceutical supply.