Automation shines at Heinz

摘要

Cartoning, laser coding of cartons, carton verification, and case-code verification are among the highlights of a high-speed filling line for Smart Ones frozen meals made by Heinz Frozen Foods in its Pocatello, ID, plant. What drove the installation of the new line? "We had a volume increase requirement we had to meet," says Heinz project engineering manager John Beal rather matter-of-factly.rnThe new line, which goes a long way toward helping Heinz meet its volume requirements, went into operation in November 2006. A spiral freezer divides it neatly into two halves. On both halves, operator involvement is minimized, even though as many as fivernitems have to be deposited into the CPET trays that are filled on the line. It's not that operators aren't involved, but in most cases what they do-loading a rice/veggie mixture into a bucket elevator system that feeds a depositor, for example, or loading trays, cartons, and cases into automated machinery-is not so much packaging as it is helping machines package automatically and at impressive speeds.