Solving a Sticky Problem leads to a Twelve-fold Increase in Production

08/05/2013

Solving a Sticky Problem leads to a Twelve-fold Increase in Production

Ishida technology and expertise has enabled a South African producer of high quality raisins to grow its business by 130% per annum over the past two years.

Fruits du Sud is part of the Afrifresh Group, one of South Africa's leading integrated agricultural businesses, with large citrus and grape production and activities that span farming, packaging, technical assurance, quality control, marketing, exporting and logistics. Situated on the fertile banks of the Orange River, which flows through the desert region of the Northern Cape, Fruits du Sud is dedicated to the production of the highest quality raisins.

Raisins are a notoriously difficult product to pack quickly and accurately. Their sticky and wet characteristics and propensity to clump together provide a major challenge for any type of automated system. For several years, therefore, Fruits du Sud packed the product manually but this was both time-consuming and not cost-effective – and certainly not able to reach the quantities required for a fast-expanding business.

The Ishida solution – a CCW-SE-214-H-CTS multihead weigher – is from the company's economy range but still features a user-friendly colour touch screen for easy operation and a 6 litre capacity stepper motor timing hopper capable of handling pack weights well above the required 1kg at speeds up to 70 packs per minute. The model at Fruits du Sud features special hex embossed contact parts which are anti-stick and enable the raisins to progress freely and quickly through the weigher.

In terms of the production increases that the weigher has been able to deliver, the numbers speak for themselves. Throughput for a 1kg carton packed in boxes of 12 has risen from 50 to 600 boxes per day. Over an eight hour shift, the output of product packed has increased by an incredible 1200%. And these figures are all the more remarkable since the weigher is not running at its maximum speed owing to a limit on how quickly the raisins can be delivered and tipped onto the top of the weigher.

As well as the huge increases in speed and throughput, product giveaway has been greatly reduced and, as a result, the weight consistency for each pack has also improved.
The Ishida is packing the raisins in a variety of pack sizes including 50g, 100g, 250g, 500g and 1kg. Altering these target weights takes just seconds using the presets programmed into the weigher. Equally important, with the weigher requiring a clean two times a day during changeovers and a deep clean every week, the hygienic design, with its rounded construction, is simple to hose down and offers no ‘traps' for spores or other contaminants to linger in, while all contact parts, including feeder troughs and hoppers, can be lifted off the machine and replaced without the need for any tools.

Fruits du Sud reports that the weigher has continued to perform reliably since its installation and that operators find it easy and comfortable to use. The company anticipates that it will have paid for itself within six months.

“We have an excellent product and we needed the means to be able to maximise our production,” explains Johannes van Niekerk, CEO of Fruits du Sud. “The Ishida weigher has made a fantastic and immediate contribution to the continuing success of our business. Equally important, the service we have received from Ishida has been excellent.”