The Challenge
A well-known hamburger chain struggled with the stacking of frozen patties. The patties traveled in a three-by-five matrix, but because of their hardness, they were easily knocked out of line, creating uneven or unstable stacks. The company often relied on manual stacking, but with 30,000 repetitive motions per line, healthcare costs related to repetitive motion injuries were a factor.
The Solution
After exploring stacking options and equipment for more than 20 years, the company finally found Pacproinc®; we proposed a platform stacker based on the PPI-200 design. It was not only completely customized to handle the company’s unique patty grouping, but also more durable and reliable.
“Pacproinc® customized a machine to fit our needs,” said the company’s divisions manager, baking and meat processing. “They were very helpful.”
The Benefit
Pacpcoinc®’s customized stacker maintained the same throughput as the manual stacking, but the benefits didn’t end there.
“We were able to cut our labor costs by 25% and eliminate the ergonomics problems and workers comp claims,” the divisions manager said.
The company now uses nine of the customized stackers in its three packing plants in the Midwest.
watch the Group Interleave and Layer Stack Hamburger Patties Video that showcases an out-stacking solution