Baking & Snack - June 2023 - 90

FOODSERVICE PACKAGING
ers to protect against product compression, "
he added.
Mr. Taraborelli emphasized that a
turnkey packaging system allows bakers
to move employees into more fulfilling roles,
as opposed to the repetitive, mundane nature
of many packaging jobs.
Paxiom Automation offers automatic bulk bag
inserting, weigh filling and uncuffing systems that
eliminate many tedious, manual tasks.
" This system will accurately weigh and fill product
of JLS Automation. " They also can
make line efficiencies higher. They don't
take breaks, can often work faster than humans and
Bakers can bolster
production speed while
reducing changeover
times with automated
slicers and baggers.
AMF Bakery Systems
are highly repeatable and predictable. "
Through these investments, foodservice bakers can
bolster production by bulk packing products faster and
quickly moving from one product to the next, all while
eliminating much of the labor needed to do so.
Mr. Dalbec noted that AMF PackTech's Saber 75S
Bread Slicer and Mark 75S Bread Bagger, for example,
deliver shorter changeover times for bakers.
" The HMI user interfaces allow for recipe-driven
product changeovers so operators can quickly and accurately
switch from one product or configuration to the
next, " he said.
For bulk packaging needs, Mr. Dalbec added that
AMF's HS40 Bulk Packer provides high-speed packaging
with easy changeover for buns, rolls, English muffins
and more.
The labor savings extend to secondary packaging
roles including box and case packing, which robots perform
quickly and accurately.
Nicholas Taraborelli, vice president, Paxiom
Automation, noted that the company's vision-guided
delta robots can receive, pick and place pouches into
cases, allowing employees that would be doing this by
hand to move to other roles on the floor.
Mr. Souser added that some of JLS Automation's
high-speed delta robots are now available with a longer
reach as well, allowing them to place product into deeper
cases like foodservice bulk boxes.
Robotic advancements are also providing foodservice
producers the needed flexibility to easily package a variety
of products.
AMF Workhorse's ABL Basket and Case Loader, for
example, uses a four-axis robotic arm to pick and place
a range of products and load them into trays, baskets or
corrugated cases, said Wes Bryant, product group leader,
AMF Workhorse, an AMF Bakery Systems brand.
" The ABL ensures a tight package-to-container ratio
as well as the option for U-board insertion between lay90
Baking & Snack June 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
into cases as well as insert a poly liner, un-cuff after fill,
tape seal and robotically palletize, " he explained.
By reducing bakers' labor dependency, automation
additionally eliminates much of the human error that
sometimes crops up in the packaging department.
AUTOMATION CAN
SIMPLIFY FOODSERVICE
PACKAGING AT ALL
STAGES, FROM BAGGING
TO CASE PACKING TO
PALLETIZING.
" When bag-in-box bulk packaging is done manually,
you are often relying on the operators to stay focused on
keeping count of those products, " explained Josh Becker,
product manager, bakery/confection, Harpak-Ulma.
" Error could come into play and either too many or too
few products could be manually packed. Technologies
exist to check weigh cases after packing, but depending
on the piece weight of your products, you might not
catch a missing product or one too many. "
To avoid this, bakeries can implement automated
counting systems to ensure cases have the right number
of product, Mr. Becker said. Vision quality inspection
systems and laning systems also increase machine efficiency
and reduce waste.
Mr. Souser echoed this, pointing out that 3D vision
capabilities allow robots to pick items based on shape
instead of color or basic size, ensuring they're more accurately
picked and placed.
Another big benefit of automation is reducing the
risk of contamination, said John Williams, international
sales manager, CV-Tek, Middleby Packaging Solutions.
" Automation helps reduce labor but also reduces
multiple handlings [of product], " he said. " The less
people
that are putting their hands on the prod
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