Product category:
Weighing and counting equipment
News Release from: Marco | Subject: Trac-It MES factory floor efficiency system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 22 December 2006
Soft Fruit Weighing System Returns
Investment
A return on investment is one of the benefits being enjoyed by soft fruit grower the Hall Hunter Partnership (HHP) following the installation of a Marco Trac-It MES factory floor efficiency system.
A return on investment is one of the benefits being enjoyed by soft fruit grower the Hall Hunter Partnership (HHP) following the installation of a Marco Trac-It MES factory floor efficiency system specifically designed for packing soft fruit Eight of Marco's bespoke Prorange Linemaster portion control workstations are at the heart of the complete weighing and material handling system installed at HHP's packhouse at Heathlands Farm near Wokingham, Berkshire (UK)
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Dec 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Factory floor efficiency system for rapid benefits
A rapid return on investment is just one of the benefits being enjoyed by Hall Hunter Partnership (HHP) following the installation of a Marco Trac-it MES factory floor efficiency system.
Manufacturing execution system for Unilever
Marco has been awarded a contract to supply Unilever UK Ice Cream with its all-encompassing TRAC-IT MES manufacturing execution system.
Twin-tier powered stainless steel conveyors, a triple head label applicator and an end-of-line soft touch accumulation packing conveyor complete the scope of supply at the plant.
Despite advances in process and packaging automation technology, soft fruit packing still relies heavily on the dexterity of the manual packers.
As Richard Woodcock of HHP, explained: "By their nature berries vary in size, shape and, of course, weight, so rapid yet careful handling is essential.
Further reading
Soft fruit weighing and handling
Marco has been endorsed by the success of its packing and handling solution for leading soft fruit experts Winterwood Farms.
Weighing portion control system
A second six station LineMaster portion control system supplied by Marco Weighing Systems is bringing cost savings and improved productivity to leading prepared vegetable supplier Exotic Farm Produce.
Portion control scale passes 1000 units
Production of Marco's innovative LineMaster portion control scale has passed the 1000 mark- testimony indeed to this remarkable product introduced only three years ago.
To maintain competitiveness, speed is of the essence but we have to comply with The Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations for 'e' weighing, whilst ensuring the highest quality and minimising give-away.
Even a few grams give-away in each pack amounts to significant losses when multiplied by the millions of packs we produce each year." The Marco Linemaster workstations are designed for fast efficient packing, whilst providing the packers with an ergonomically comfortable working environment, said Marco Weighing.
Although based around standard modules, the workstations are individually designed for each application to address each client's exact requirements, added the company.
The packing stations have adjustable bench heights and the scales are flush with the packing table work surfaces.
Flexibility and mobility for the equipment is also vital, allowing customers to meet changing production needs.
The Linemaster operators take individual pre-packed punnets from the trays placed at the side of the stations and place them one at a time on the integral scales.
The Linemaster's 16-segment coloured bar graph gives a clear indication of whether the pack is over, under or within weight tolerance.
The operators add or remove fruits to achieve the correct target weight and to facilitate operation, the packing stations are equipped with two separate bar graphs, one at eye level on the Linemaster control terminal, the other working in parallel but built in to the work surface adjacent to the weighing platform.
That way operators can focus on the quality of fruit, whilst achieving an accurate punnet weight, added Marco.
According to Marco, the operators soon 'tune in' to such visual systems and simply pack to the 'green light' without having to think about the actual weights.
The system is said to be 'language transparent' making it suitable for multi-national operators.
When within weight tolerance, the punnets are placed on the conveyor at weigh-station level and transported down to the high speed labeller and on to the packing area.
The lower conveyor of the twin deck system has a variable speed of up to 28 metres per minute and is fitted with a food grade hygienic belt.
Hinged alignment gates along the conveyor are said to ensure the correct orientation and alignment of the punnets prior to labelling.
The top-driven roller conveyor is used for transporting the empty fruit trays back towards the end of the line.
The underside of the top conveyor is covered with stainless steel cleanable panels to prevent any debris falling through on to the lower belt.
Each individual punnet weight is instantaneously captured by the Traco-It Linemaster system, together with a record of the packer responsible.
The Linemaster features Marco's Automatic Optimisation (AO) software as part of the Traco-It MES operating suite and has been developed to maximise the use of real time data capture in high speed manual packing and portion control applications, said the company.
The Linemaster stations communicate with the central PC via a secure RF wireless interface, thereby removing problems associated with external cabling and expediting line changes if required.
Pack weight trends are continually monitored by the AO system and tolerance settings at individual workstations are automatically adjusted on a continuing basis.
Those continual subtle changes, which are transparent to the operators, maintain minimal give-away, whilst ensuring packs continue to comply with average weight legislation, added Marco.
The triple head labeller uses servo-driven label drives that are synchronised with the pack and conveyor speed.
That is claimed to ensure accurate label positioning on the packs within + or - 0.2mm.
The labeller system has touch screen controls for configuration and the controls are also used to operate the individual stepper motors, which move the label heads up and down to accommodate changes in pack size.
Heads one and two are contact heads, whilst the third is non-contact with air blow applicator.
That also has a 360 degree rotation on the foot for applying 'flash' labels.
After labelling the packs arrive at the end of line Soft Touch Conveyor (STC) which is part of the packing station, incorporating built-in stainless steel tables for the operators.
Marco said its system has brought important fiscal and operational benefits to the HHP operation.
Richard Woodcock commented: "We are very pleased with the overall results and the complete system works in harmony, even at our busiest times.
The Marco engineers supervised the complete installation and commissioning and their attention to detail has been impeccable.
Not only has our throughput gone up and our give-away gone down but we now have full traceability and can measure the effectiveness of individual operators, allowing us to optimise our levels of training." The Hall Hunter Partnership is a long established family business which grows and packs a delicious array of soft fruits including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
The partnership farms over 800 prime acres in the south east of England and is proud to supply leading UK supermarkets.
• Marco: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
