The Way You Calibrate May Be Losing You Money
How do you determine the amount of money your company pays for each raw milk purchase or the value of the end product? Simply put, the fat and protein content are measured with an Infra-Red (IR) instrument to grade the milk. This then determines its price per pound and payment to your farmers accordingly as well as accuracy in the results of your end products.
In order to get accurate readings, your IR instrument has to be calibrated against standards with known percentages of fat and protein. The frequency of calibration directly determines how accurate your IR readings remain. As the length of time increases between calibrations, the more likely your IR readings will be off, this is known as drift.
Instrument drift may show readings that are lower than actual, which means you end up shorting your farmers. But what if your IR instrument shows artificially higher protein or fat values? You will end up over paying for your raw milk, directly cutting into your profit margins on the finished goods you produce.
This case study makes the financial case for why your company should calibrate its IR instrument more frequently.
