If your food manufacturing company is experiencing product loss, you may need to invest in automated conveyor systems. Automated technology is becoming invaluable across manufacturing industries, with one of its benefits being waste reduction.
In this article, we discuss why you should invest in automated conveyor systems and how stop-and-start conveyor automation helps reduce food waste. We will also dive into how Quantum can help you achieve this by upgrading your production line with the latest technology.
The Importance of Reducing Waste in Food Manufacturing
Product waste reduction is a critical concern that extends beyond immediate company impact. While businesses bear the brunt of product loss, its long-term effects are far-reaching and significant. Understanding these broader implications is essential before exploring the advantages of automated conveyor systems.
- Environmental Impact: Any type of waste will have an environmental impact, as resources are incredibly valuable. Producing food requires much effort and environmental resources, so when food is wasted during production, the environmental cost is much greater.
- Costly Production: The most obvious reason why you should try to avoid food waste is that you are throwing away money. Whether you are experiencing ingredient waste or product waste, this will eventually result in a negative financial impact on your company.
- Wasted Company Resources: If there is an error in production that results in product loss, this will result in reduced efficiency. Manufacturing time will have been wasted, and this can even result in increased downtimes as products have to be remade or conveyors cleaned.
Material Handling Conveyors: How Conveyor Automation Reduces Ingredient Loss
If you are consistently having issues with product loss during manufacturing, you may need to look into automated conveyor systems. Stop-and-start conveyor automation is a great way of reducing ingredient loss as well as creating a more efficient production line.
Here is a breakdown of the main ways these conveyors can help you reduce manufacturing waste.
Automation
Automated conveyor systems have many benefits, especially when it comes to high-speed production. They help to ensure product standards are met by consistently producing the same quality, even as you speed up production. Automation can also help reduce human error, which can contribute to product loss.
Ingredient Precision
When you invest in automated warehouse conveyor systems, you also get the benefit of smart sensors. These smart stop-and-start sensors are essential for reducing product loss through ingredient precision.
Smart sensors help with topping different food products, ensuring the same amount of ingredients are used, they are aligned correctly, and there is no cross-contamination. These are all things that significantly help reduce food waste while creating the highest quality product.
Reclaim Abilities
At Quantum, we also provide reclaim conveyors that can reclaim ingredients on the conveyor belt so that they do not go to waste. This is an invaluable feature since there is always a risk of some ingredients falling onto the conveyor belt, even if you are using a stop-and-start system. Reclaim abilities ensure these ingredients do not go to waste and can be reused for other food products.
Best Warehouse Conveyor Systems
If you have decided to invest in material handling conveyors, there are many options available for food manufacturing companies. The technology has never been so advanced, allowing you to easily make the switch from manual labor to automation.
At Quantum, we provide a variety of top-of-the-line conveyors with various features depending on your food production needs. While all of our conveyors are designed for high-speed production, they are still suitable for small, midsize, and large manufacturing companies. Unlike less up-to-date conveyors, our systems are customizable, allowing you to adjust production depending on fluctuations in demand.
Here are some examples of the types of conveyors we provide at Quantum:
- Water spray conveyor
- Bulk feed conveying system
- Infeed orientation system
- Wire belt conveyor with product reclaim
- Reclaim conveyors
When to Upgrade Your Automated Conveyor System
If you are still on the fence about whether or not you should invest in stop-and-start automated conveying systems, you need to determine your manufacturing needs. Even if your equipment is still fully functional, it may be worth taking the step to automate your production system.
You have to remember that manufacturing equipment is built to last, remaining fully operational for an average of 15 to 20 years. Because of this, new equipment is a good investment that can pay for itself in the long run.
Also, at Quantum, our conveying systems are highly customizable, allowing them to grow with your company so that you don’t have to invest in new equipment as your demand increases.
Here are some signs that it is time for you to upgrade to an automated stop-and-start food production line:
- Reduced Efficiency: Reduced efficiency can be the result of product waste, or it can create product waste. Any type of efficiency issues can result in downtime and breakdowns, which can also result in products having to be thrown out.
- Quality Issues: When your food production line is having consistent quality problems, you may need to upgrade to automation. This could be the result of human error, defective parts, or your production line may simply be out of date.
- Increased Expenses: If food production is costing more than it should, this may be linked back to product loss. Even though ingredient waste may not seem expensive at first, it can quickly add up.
- Greater Demand: As your food production company grows, your demand is most likely to increase. If you haven’t already invested in up-to-date equipment, this can result in increased waste and an inability to keep up with demand.
Invest in Advanced Conveyor Systems With Quantum
At Quantum, we provide top-of-the-line equipment for food manufacturing companies specifically designed for high-speed production. With our equipment, you can reduce food waste with automated material handling conveyors without negatively impacting efficiency or quality. Contact our team today to learn more about our warehouse conveyor systems and how they can be customized to meet your needs.