Business challenge
A Netherlands-based frozen food manufacturer needed a hygienic way to efficiently and accurately count its frozen meatballs in one and four-inch varieties, each with minor variances in per-item weight.
Despite having a custom-built counting solution from a local manufacturer – a single machine with two lanes – the company was running only 60-70 pieces per minute. While functional, the system was incapable of handling the capacity the company needed. Additionally, gaps in the machine made it nearly impossible to count the smallest one-inch meatball variety accurately, as they frequently became stuck.
Another challenge was cleaning – especially necessary with frozen meat where hygiene and preventing cross-contamination of different herbs and spices is crucial. The company’s older manual machine had numerous parts that required labor-intensive and time-consuming cleaning and tool-dependent changeovers, resulting in excessive downtime.
The frozen food manufacturer determined a more sophisticated counting solution was essential – one that could vastly increase its capacity and improve ease of cleaning, while minimizing downtime.
Provided solution
The frozen food manufacturer turned to Cremer for a state-of-the-art counting machine. Selected for the job was Cremer’s Washdown (WD) Series, a line of hygienic stainless steel counting machines designed for precise counting and dispensing of individual food products in a variety of applications where cleanliness is paramount such as poultry, meat, seafood, cheese, confectionary, and bread products.
Unlike most counting machines which are limited in tolerance to pressurized water, the WD Series are specifically constructed to thrive in the harsh working environments typically encountered where washdown/wipedown procedures are necessary.
A Cremer counting machine is recognized for its limited number of moving parts, low contact surface and tool-free changeover which makes cleaning and maintenance a breeze. The WD Series’ stainless-steel frame and contact parts are corrosion-resistant and designed for low-pressure hose wash and sanitizing chemicals. Additionally, the WD Series includes a separate parts trolley for convenient higher pressure sanitizing.
Moreover, all contact parts can be taken off and a duplicate set installed while the other is deep cleaned. This allows for strong flavorings in food varieties to remain entirely separate, segregation for vegan/non-vegan options, and allergy safety assurance.
System configuration
Important for the company’s desire to increase capacity, Cremer’s Washdown Series counter is equipped with 6 lanes (with the option of up to 12), handling between 500 to 1,000 products per minute, depending on product size. The WD Series are scalable for varying production levels and compatible with all industrial packaging machines, minimizing the amount of ancillary equipment investments companies need to make.
The counters have a compact footprint and FDA-compliant product parts for processing both food and non-food products. Other features of the Washdown series include a product detection unit with 100 percent accuracy, hinged side panels for optimal cleanability and vibratory plates for product transport and separation. A timing hopper for discharging product counts is also built in, along with a vibratory sieve with collector tray.
Results
The frozen food manufacturer achieved a significant capacity increase after implementing its Cremer counting machine. The customer is now producing products ten times faster than before, with much less overall product waste and overage. In fact, a new bagger was needed to keep up with the increase in production levels.
In addition, the customer’s washdown process has improved significantly with tool-free disassembly and quick changeovers ensuring a hygienic environment with less downtime than ever before.