How Automation Helped a Sandwich Maker Overcome Labor Scarcity
The Sandwich King couldn’t find enough workers to handle its high-volume production line. A new depositor solved that problem while increasing output and reducing food waste too.
The Sandwich King switched to a Grote depositor like this one when the previous depositor from another supplier didn’t fit within the footprint of the company’s production line.
Grote Company
For more than 30 years, The Sandwich King has been supplying restaurant chains, tourist attractions, schools, colleges, catering companies, and retail outlets with pre-made sandwiches. Based in Leeds, The Sandwich King works with multiple sectors across the U.K., including education, healthcare, retail, leisure, and multiple food distribution partners.
The Sandwich King manufacturers pre-made sandwiches for restaurant chains, tourist attractions, schools, colleges, catering companies, and retail outlets throughout the U.K.The Sandwich King
Some of The Sandwich King’s sandwiches require ingredients such as egg salad to be scooped by workers on the production line. However, the company struggled to find enough manual labor to fulfill the production requirements for its high-volume operation.
The Sandwich King had tried automation in the form of a depositor—which automatically dispenses portions of sandwich filling directly on the bread during production—to help solve their workforce challenge while improving production speed and consistency. But, the depositing machine they brought in was too large for their production area.
Automated solution
The Sandwich King continued to seek a solution to help automate their scooping process, and reached out to Grote Company, which suggested its volumetric depositor designed specifically for the sandwich industry. The Grote depositor is calibrated to ensure accurate, consistent application of condiments and some wet salads onto sandwich products, resulting in more consistent output compared to manual scooping.
Grote Company sent a demonstration unit to the company, along with support from its application specialists, to set up an initial production trial. In addition to fitting within the parameters of the Sandwich King’s production footprint, the depositor features a sanitary design with tool-free disassembly, allowing for easy, quick and thorough washdown.
Labor savings
Once those at Sandwich King saw the demonstration unit in action at their facility, they purchased a depositor, which was delivered the next day, accompanied by installation support.After installing a new depositor, The Sandwich King was able to take up to two people off the manufacturing lines that previously applied condiments and wet salads to sandwiches.Grote Company
“We found the Grote model much more maneuverable and simpler to use than what we’d tried in the past,” says Jason Hirst, operations and production manager at The Sandwich King. “We were sold after about five minutes of running the machine during the trial.”
The Sandwich King has been able to significantly reduce the manual labor needed since purchasing the Grote depositor. With the depositor running about four hours per day and up to four days a week, the company has eliminated the need for one or two workers scooping on the line, depending on the product they’re assembling.
In addition, the increased accuracy of the machine allows the company to better control the weight and consistency of its sandwiches. This also results in less waste, and allows the company to more accurately plan the amount of product needed.
Future collaboration
Based on the success of this collaboration, The Sandwich King is considering additional Grote depositing equipment, as well as machinery to handle offline slicing, sandwich cutting, and collating/buttering for production.
“It was so easy and hassle-free to work with Grote Company throughout the process,” says Hirst. “We had excellent service and support over the phone whenever we had a question.”
Hiring remains a major challenge in packaging, with 78% struggling to fill unskilled roles and 84% lacking experienced workers. As automation grows, companies must rethink hiring and training. Download the full report for key insights.
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The Sandwich King manufacturers pre-made sandwiches for restaurant chains, tourist attractions, schools, colleges, catering companies, and retail outlets throughout the U.K.The Sandwich King
