3 Ways A Reliable Moisture Meter Will Ensure Consistent Product Quality

moisture meter quality control approved Henry Ford is quoted as saying, “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” Product development, quality assurance and quality control specialists are trained to identify faults, ensuring the product meets both internal and external standards. While a myriad of factors can affect product quality, you would be hard pressed to find one that has as large a role as moisture in creating many of these ‘faults.’ But what is the remedy? A moisture meter, the right moisture meter!

Let's explore how three areas in which inaccurate moisture can have a detrimental effect on your product, and how a moisture meter might just be the perfect solution.

1. Weight

Moisture content directly affects the weight of a substance, the greater the moisture, the greater the weight. When dealing in bulk, even minute changes in moisture can have a big impact on profits.

Many bulk transactions are based on weight, both in terms of coming to a fair price for the quantity of a product and in determining shipping costs. For example, if your manufacturing company is purchasing a shipment of rice, purchasing it as dry as possible will both increase the amount of rice your receive, per dollar, as well as decrease overall shipping costs. If you are a rice farmer, seeking to sell your harvest for the greatest profits, selling rice with a higher moisture level will net the greatest benefit.

Given these parameters, many manufacturing companies set a limit on the maximum moisture percentage allowed upon receipt of the raw goods. Shipping rice at the top of the range can amount to huge savings over several shipments. A moisture meter ensures both manufacturer and raw distributor a fair transaction.

2. Shelf Life

Allowing a food product to make it to the shelf with inaccurate moisture levels can be disastrous, leading to stale, spoiled or moldy food in the package. Any of these problems greatly reduce a product’s shelf life, and can even result in great quantities of goods being disposed of before purchase. Retailers, manufacturers or wholesalers then absorb this loss, which affects not only profits, but also a company’s reputation.

Given the sensitivity of food products to moisture, using a reliable moisture meter is an invaluable way to ensure the product is packaged and shipped at optimum moisture percentages. A high quality instrument is one of the best forms of insurance, helping companies to prevent products, and profits, from being tossed unnecessarily.

3. Product Alteration

While we’ve discussed how moisture can affect food, it often plays a part in how any substances combine and react in the; pharmaceutical, chemical, beauty products or paint and coatings, industries. For example, low moisture levels in paint will cause premature drying, while high levels can reduce adhesion, causing cracking. Additionally, inaccurate moisture levels during blending can affect how chemical reactions take place, altering a product’s performance, taste, look and feel.

So, regardless of whether you are looking to improve buying and shipping costs, your product’s shelf life or just consistency, using a reliable moisture meter at every stage of the manufacturing process is a surefire remedy to address any issues standing between you and your company’s product quality goals.

Download Kett's Comprehensive 25 page Guide on Finding An Accurate and Reliable Moisture Meter.