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Product giveaway reduced from 6% to 0.4%

By going from a manual to an automated method of putting crispy potato slices into trays, this leading UK potato processor has greatly reduced the amount of product given away.

Since the 14-head combination scale was installed, Branston’s crispy slices can now be packed at a rate of 77 PET rays/min.
Since the 14-head combination scale was installed, Branston’s crispy slices can now be packed at a rate of 77 PET rays/min.

Fresh potatoes, seed potatoes, processed potatoes, ready-prepared potato products—you name it and Branston Ltd., one of the largest potato companies in the U.K., likely produces it at one of its three plants. The firm was founded in 1968 and now handles some 350,000 tons of potatoes annually.

To keep up with demand, the firm recently acquired a new packaging line for the packaging of crispy slices—i.e., fried potato slices, which are very popular in the UK. The core of the line is a 14-head multihead weigher from Multipond.

The packages being filled are thermoformed of recycled PET and each pack holds 350 g of crispy slices. In the future, more products will also be packed on this line, such as rosemary potatoes or various other sweet potato products, which are currently still packed by hand. In total, 300,000 packs per week are packed in the plant, 76,000 of these being packed on the new line.

The crispy slices used to be packed by hand at a speed of 12 packages/min. The system now continuously provides 77 trays/min. This means that the line now works six times faster than before with less manual input. Use of the Multipond multihead weigher, at the core of the line, has also reduced the giveaway from the previous 6% to 0.4%. Richard Heppleston, General Manager, appears to be extremely satisfied with the results: “Due to the reduction of giveaway and personnel cost on the line, the investment is improving on its payback target. It runs seven days a week on one shift. We are now packing 30% additional volume in less than half the time previously achieved. The numbers speak for themselves.” A second line with a multihead weigher from Multipond is already being planned in order to further optimize the packing process.

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