Food Processing Company

A food processing company needed an automated conveyor line in a new facility to process thousands of pounds of chocolate with variations in product. Premier Automation designed, built, tested in-house, and installed the new line to double the customer's production speed.

The Problem

A food processing company needed an automated conveyor line in their new 50,000 ft. facility to produce over 279,000 lbs. ofFood Processing Company chocolate every two weeks. This company also required temperature readouts for various equipment throughout the new factory to maintain high standards for their product.

The Solution

Premier Automation automated the customer’s new conveyor line with PLCs, HMIs, and drives, while also providing temperature readouts on kitchen equipment and bulk storage tanks.

The custom HMI allows the food processing company to easily customize temperature and speed settings so that the same equipment can be used for different products. Premier Automation had the capacity to set up, wire, and run the conveyor line for in-house testing, reducing the startup time and giving this customer the opportunity to offer feedback for unique specifications.

The Results

The food processing company was able to get up and running in a new facility without complication, allowing their growing $25 million dollar business to catch up with demand. With the automated controls on the conveyor line, the company switched from eight workers packing product by hand to half the workers and twice the speed. The company plans to partner with Premier Automation on new conveyor lines in the future as their business continues to grow.

Pain Points

  • Needed an entire automated conveyor line designed from scratch and within budget
  • Required fast startup with the chance to make alterations before installation

Technology used

  • Siemens PLCs
  • Siemens S120 drives
  • Turning heads on bar turners
  • Siemens 1PH7 AC motors

Services provided

  • PLCs, drives, turning heads, and AC motor installation and start-up
  • Comprehensive testing to ensure smooth and rapid start-up, including test-driving the entire line in-house at Premier Automation’s shop

Challenges

  • Customer relied on Premier Automation’s expansive testing capability and engineering expertise to design and test-run the new conveyor line.

Results

  • The customer was able to upgrade from eight workers packing product by hand to automated packaging at twice the speed
  • The food processing company also gained the ability to closely monitor temperature readouts for various equipment