Automatic pizza production requires a high level of throughput to sustain demand. If you aren’t using the right type of food manufacturing equipment, achieving it will be next to impossible.
Even if you have invested in the right food manufacturing equipment in the past, it may be time to upgrade. This may be necessary if you have noticed issues with your high-speed pizza equipment, reduced efficiency, or changes to your throughput needs.
Knowing when to upgrade is especially important for frozen pizza manufacturers, as they rely on a range of equipment at each step of the production process. Keep reading to find out when to upgrade for higher throughput and how multi-lane applicators can help you achieve it.
Throughput for Automatic Pizza Production: What it is & Why it Matters
Throughput is a common term used to describe the amount of products going through a system, or in other words, a production line. It defines your pizza production line’s product output abilities within a specific timeframe. An example of this is having a consistent output of 30 frozen pizzas per minute.
Throughput is incredibly important for automatic pizza production as it directly correlates to efficiency and scalability. Frozen pizza manufacturers must maintain a high level of production to stand out from the competition and drive growth.
You also need to remember that your output needs will change throughout the year. This is completely normal as demand fluctuates due to a variety of factors that may or may not be within your control.
How Multi-Lane Sauce Applicators Improve Frozen Pizza Throughput
If you want to increase the volume of frozen pizzas you produce, one of the first places to look is your sauce applicators. Oftentimes, using multi-lane configurations is the best solution for improving scalability as well as meeting fluctuating demand.
Here are some ways multi-lane configurations can help increase volume, accuracy, and efficiency.
Pizza Sauce Accuracy
A very common issue with high-speed pizza equipment centers on accuracy and placement. If your food manufacturing equipment isn’t dispensing sauce accurately, it can result in ingredient waste, reduced efficiency, and unexpected downtime.
Automated multi-lane applicators allow you to have greater control over sauce application at high speeds. These machines can accurately dispense the right amount of sauce on each pizza as it passes through. They also have parameters in place to ensure proper alignment of the pizza sauce.
Automatic Dispensing
There really isn’t any comparison between automatic food manufacturing equipment and manual labor. If you want to increase your output without sacrificing the quality of your products, automation is absolutely essential.
Automatic dispensing allows you to speed up production, enabling you to create 120 pizzas or more per minute. It also removes the risk of human error, which inevitably leads to some level of product irregularity.
Pizza Sauce Versatility
When you invest in multi-lane pizza sauce applicators, you can use a variety of pizza sauces. Multi-lane features allow you to generate more pizzas per minute or create different types of pizzas at the same time.
If you choose to invest in the multi-lane applicators we offer at Quantum Technical Services, you also have the benefit of multiple lane configurations to fit your production needs.
Choosing the Right Types of Multi-Lane Applicators
If you’re ready to increase your throughput and boost overall efficiency, you need to choose the right equipment. Any type of manufacturing equipment can be a significant financial investment, which is why you need to know what to look for.
Here are some questions to ask yourself before choosing a multi-lane applicator for your pizza production line:
- Does it have sauce-free border capabilities?
- Are multi-lane configurations available?
- How many lanes can it provide?
- How many pizzas can it produce per minute?
- Does the applicator use continuous motion conveyors?
Here are the multi-lane pizza sauce applicators we offer at Quantum Technical Services that can help increase production volume.
QTIA Series
At Quantum Technical Services, we offer the QTIA series conveyor target sauce applicator that uses multiple lanes for increased throughput. It features a wide variety of multi-lane configurations, with a capability of running two, three, four, or more lanes at a time.
The QTIA series uses an indexing conveyor to precisely position pizzas under the applicating head so that the sauce is automatically dispensed onto the crusts. It can produce up to 100 pizzas per minute and dispenses barbecue sauce, cheese sauce, pizza sauce, or ranch dressing.
C120 Series
Another applicator option we offer at Quantum Technical Services is our C120 series conveyorized sauce system. It’s designed for high-speed production and features a variety of multi-lane and depositor configurations to fit different production needs.
The C120 series helps to maintain a sauce-free border and uses continuous motion conveyors and servo motor drive technology for precise sauce placement. It produces up to 120 pizzas per minute per lane and comes with touchscreen controls for ease of use.
When to Upgrade Your Food Manufacturing Equipment For Improved Throughput
No matter the quality of the equipment you invest in, upgrades are inevitable. Over time, equipment will sustain general wear and tear or may become outdated when compared to more modern innovations.
To know when to upgrade to maintain or increase your production speed and volume, here are the signs to look for:
- Malfunctions: As equipment gets older and sustains wear and tear, it will start to malfunction. This could take the form of quality issues that lead to ingredient waste or other errors that slow down production.
- Downtime: A clear sign that it is time to upgrade your equipment is when your current production line starts experiencing frequent downtime. Not all downtime is bad, as you may plan for some if you need to make repairs or adjustments. However, unexpected downtime usually occurs when equipment breaks down, malfunctions during production, or creates safety issues.
- Repairs: All equipment requires a certain level of maintenance, but it may start to become significant as the equipment gets older. It may become more costly to maintain equipment in the long run than it is to simply invest in newer and better equipment.
- Bottlenecks: Depending on the type of food manufacturing equipment you invested in, it may have some bottlenecks that limit your production abilities. For instance, you may have bought your equipment when you only needed to produce 50 pizzas per minute, but you now want to increase that to 100 per minute.
Speed Up Your Pizza Production Line With Quantum Technical Services
The goal for most food manufacturers is to scale production as demand increases. To do this, you will likely need to upgrade your frozen food manufacturing equipment with options like automated multi-lane applicators. Knowing when to upgrade for higher throughput can help you avoid common efficiency issues and downtime.
At Quantum Technical Services, we offer several multi-lane applicator models, including our QTIA and C120 series. These sauce applicators can help you improve your throughput, boosting efficiency and speeding up your automatic pizza production line.
Contact our team today to learn more about our sauce applicators and how you can customize them to fit your production needs.