whisks finished cartons from packaging through an X-ray
device and on to an automated sorter prior to palletizing
and shipping.
Under the new process, machines do most of the heavy
lifting, freeing workers for lighter duties and problem-solv-ing tasks. After the cartons are packed in production, workers manually apply bar-code labels to each carton with the
appropriate product and expiration code information. The
cartons are placed onto one of eight Hytrol E24 conveyor
lines, where they accumulate prior to being loaded onto one
of eight vertical lifts. The vertical lifts (supplied by United
Sortation Solutions) elevate the cartons so they can be
merged onto a main conveyor line, which in turn carries
them around a 90-degree curve onto a mezzanine and on to
the X-ray detector.
While the cartons are moving through the system, information on their contents is being fed to the X-ray device.
“Prior to passing through the X-ray detector, the bar code
of each carton is scanned and the product SKU information
is sent to the X-ray system,” Fuhrman explains. “What we’re
looking for are foreign objects, missing product, seasoning
conglomerates, and incorrect weights.”
If any of those conditions are detected, the system rejects
the case into a contaminated lane, an over/underweight lane,
or a failed bar-code read lane. “The system captures an image
of each carton, making it easy for employees to identify
which package in the carton has a problem,” Fuhrman adds.
When the X-ray system rejects a carton, it sends an alert
to the DC managers. Employees then address any cartons
that were rejected, removing the problem package or investigating the cause of a failed bar-code read. The corrected
cartons are then reintroduced into the system at a point
prior to the X-ray detector.
Cartons that pass through the X-ray system without
issues descend on a spiral conveyor past a bar-code reader
and onto a Hytrol two-sided narrow belt sorter. The sorter
diverts cartons to one of 14 gravity sort lanes as determined
by the bar code. At the end of these gravity lanes, workers
palletize the cartons by hand. Cartons the scanner failed to
read are diverted to a designated gravity sort lane. When a
lane is full, cartons recirculate through the sorter until they
can be accommodated.
Big plans for the future
As for how it’s all working out to date, Fuhrman has high
praise for the new system. In addition to achieving the primary goal of food safety, he says, it has yielded a number of
other benefits.
For one thing, it has streamlined operations, providing
Utz with a significant boost in productivity. For another, it
has enabled the company to make more productive use of
space in the DC. On top of that, it has improved product
quality, Fuhrman adds. The X-ray helps detect what he calls
“conglomerates,” such as seasonings or products that have
clumped together.
When asked what’s next, Fuhrman says the company will
add automated case packing and palletizing equipment to
the system in the near future. In addition, he says, there are
plans to install six additional vertical lifts. “We’ve set up the
infrastructure for a totally automated system,” he says.
But perhaps the best measure of the system’s success is
the company’s decision to expand it beyond the Kindig
Lane facility. Fuhrman reports that Utz will soon install
similar systems at its other manufacturing plants to ensure
that no foreign objects of any kind find their way into its
products. “Our food safety goal is to X-ray every product,”
he says. “This has been a huge help.” ;
