Case Study: Stream Foods
The project team at Ishida Europe has devised what is claimed to be Europe’s fastest multihead weighing and packing line with a turnkey installation. This includes a 28 head model from the company’s latest generation RV-Series, currently achieving 400 packs a minute at leading fruit snacks manufacturer Stream Foods.
“We discussed our requirements with a number of multihead weigher manufacturers and our initial specification was for 200 packs per minute, but Ishida was quickly able to demonstrate that it could offer double this speed with high levels of accuracy,” explains engineering manager Peter Green.
The newly installed 28-head CCW-RV is achieving a speed of 400 packs per minute.
A 16-head is counting these into groups of multipacks. Stream Foods is now able to produce 80 multipacks per minute.
Product giveaway could be reduced to a minimum of the target weight.
The huge success of Stream Foods’ Fruit Bowl ranges meant that its existing weighers were struggling to keep up with demand, so the company was seeking a solution that would deliver both the speed and accuracy it required as well as a rapid return on investment.
As well as quadrupling the speed of the packing operation, accuracy levels have also been greatly improved. “Product giveaway is a cardinal sin and this is something we particularly wanted to address with this new installation,” explains Stream Foods’ factory manager Andy Spall. “Just half a gram overweight in a 20g pack quickly amounts to a huge amount of free product over a single production run. With the Ishida solution, we are now constantly to within a tiny fraction of the target weight.”
As well as the two multihead weighers, the Ishida solution included a supply of conveyors and a flighted elevator, and incorporated Stream Foods’ existing Ishida DACS-G checkweighers along with the two bagmakers specified by the company. In addition, Ishida has supplied its pioneering IDCS II – Integrated Data Capture System – for the checkweighers, enabling Stream Foods to closely monitor its production and packing operations in order to immediately detect any problems that could affect the overall speed and efficiency of the line.
*Please note the above video is used for demonstration purposes and not the actual product within this case study.
From the early stages, Ishida and Stream Foods worked very closely in the development of the project. Initial product tests in Japan were followed by a complete PDI and testing of the line prior to its installation at Stream Foods’ factory in Wisbech, meaning that the process ran extremely smoothly, with all deadlines met and the line achieving high speeds from the outset.
“Ultimately this line has made us far more efficient and for that reason we anticipate a fast payback on the investment,” concludes Andy. “Furthermore, as well as the speed and accuracy we needed, the line also gives us the flexibility to respond quickly to customer requirements, for example a special promotion, and also to be innovative in our product development. Indeed, new pack formats are already in the pipeline.”
