PIAB Vacuum Conveyors Helps YoFarm Add the Crunch
23 April 2007 16:24
Based in Naugatuck, Conneticut, YoFarm, the maker of the unique yogurt and crunchy treats combo snacks, YoCrunch, has been producing smooth, healthy treats for decades. In 2002, YoFarm decided that its packaging process needed to be upgraded, both to keep up with growing production demands and to improve efficiency at the plant. YoFarm decided that it needed to automate the transfer of the crunchy ingredients in its YoCrunch snack with a new vacuum conveyor system from PIAB, a global leader in industrial vacuum technology.
Founded in 1984, YoFarm has always been an innovator in the food industry, both in terms of its product and its product processing and packaging. To improve operations and productivity, the company decided it wanted to specifically automate the process of transferring the dry ingredients of its YoCrunch product from 2,000lb totes into the 'doams' (the plastic containers that sit atop the yogurt cup).
For years, this had been a manual operation that was both time consuming and labour intensive. Operators would literally scoop the granola or cookies or whatever the dry ingredient would be out of the enormous tote using a stainless steel bucket and carry the food over to a filler machine. The operator would be responsible for monitoring the right quantities using the cup as a guide.
PIAB C-33 VACUUM CONVEYERS
In its quest to find a less laborious, safer and more efficient transfer system, YoFarm turned to PIAB, a global leader in industrial vacuum technology, to purchase a state-of-the-art, USDA and FDA-approved vacuum conveyor system.
According to YoFarm plant engineer, Peter Riebe: "Our production capacity has increased by more than 40% over the last few years. We needed a transfer system that could keep up with increased productivity and make us more competitive and profitable, while reducing the physical strain on our employees. PIAB's C-33 conveyors had everything we were looking for in terms of functionality, hygienic safety, and quality."
PIAB's C-series of conveyors are designed to safely and quietly transport up to 15t/hr of powders, granules and food in virtually any manufacturing environment. Made of stainless-steel, these conveyors meet all the standards for hygienic safety and are corrosion-resistant and easy to clean.
Riebe comments: "Another benefit we received by choosing to work with PIAB was the ability to test the flow of the products under real conditions at PIAB's testing lab."
PIAB offers the use of its test facility in Hingham, Massachusetts, to all of its potential customers, running a variety of materials to determine their conveying characteristics as well as identifying any possible issues. Riebe noted: "Testing PIAB's product was instrumental to us because we knew that the vacuum conveyor would work with our products before actually purchasing the system."
ACCURATE AND HYGIENIC TRANSFER OF INGREDIENTS
With two PIAB C-33 vacuum conveyors in place, the YoCrunch dry ingredients are now transferred in a safer, completely automated system. The packaging process is now entirely hands-free, as measured amounts of dry food are pneumatically transferred to the filler machine, dropped in the doams, thermally sealed and then mated with a container of yogurt. The machines run 24/7, with no risk of human error and quantities that are always exactly correct.
"The PIAB conveyors have taken the manual labour out of the process," Riebe said. "There is now no risk of employee back strain, as the operators just have to run the machines and monitor the process. They are much happier in their work."
Modular in design, the C-33 vacuum conveyor facilitates fast installation and requires one simple connection to compressed air. It has minimal components, small dimensions and is lightweight.
Riebe concluded: "The C-33 is a very reliable, well-designed and extremely clean system. Our employees appreciate the fact that it is simple to operate and requires almost no maintenance, and our inspectors like the fact that it eliminates almost all risk of contamination. Removing the potential for injury from the packaging process makes for a very stress-free, happy and productive work environment."
One could say that PIAB's vacuum conveyors are now an essential, smooth-running ingredient in YoFarm's delivery of smooth 'n crunchy treats.
For more information on this company:
PIAB - Vacuum Conveyors
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