Category: News
Production line efficiency in food factories depends not just on big machines like ovens and chillers, but on the often‑overlooked transfer equipment between them. Well‑designed conveyors and automation ensure smooth product flow, minimise waste, and adapt easily to future upgrades. This makes them crucial to long‑term performance and profitability.
How Evolving Production Lines Impact Efficiency
Production lines in food factories are constantly changing and evolving as technology and production requirements shift. Over time, this will reduce the efficiency of a line if the transfer equipment between major processing machines isn’t considered at each upgrade.
Why Product Movement Matters as Much as the Machines Themselves
While capital expenditure often focuses on the large pieces of equipment, how product moves between them can make or break the efficient flow of the line. It is via the transfer conveyors where products are collated, sorted and arranged, that the full capacity of your oven or freezer is achieved.
Product Arrangement: A Key Driver of Throughput
Along every production line, the product will need to be arranged differently to maximise equipment capacity and overall throughput. At the start of the line, products may travel in single file. From here, they may need to be collated into arrays of 16 or 20 to fully populate the width of a travelling oven. After the oven, this pattern may need to reduce to three or four across for the chiller, before returning to a single lane to feed wrapping and packing machines. Each of these transitions relies on reliable transfer automation.
The Hidden Risks at Transfer Points
Transfer points between pieces of machinery are also critical to the success of a line. Simply pushing two machines together can lead to product damage, sticking, tipping and misalignment. All of this reduces efficiency and profitability. Careful consideration of the product being carried will influence the type of transfer—whether that’s a simple inline handover, a 90‑degree transfer, or one using guides and pushers to help the product flow smoothly.
Adding an extra operative at a difficult transfer point may seem like a quick fix, but in today’s climate of rising labour costs and labour shortages, getting the transfer right with conveying and automation will pay for itself very quickly.
Why Systems Integrators Should Be Involved Early
Whenever you start to consider any upgrade to your line, it’s important to involve a systems integrator and automation specialist from an early stage. They will work with you and the suppliers of your major equipment to identify the most efficient way to achieve your desired outcome.
While your oven supplier will focus purely on the oven and the chiller provider on the chiller, a systems integrator looks at the bigger picture. They can develop a layout that pulls the separate pieces together into a seamless production line. They will design and build bespoke transfer conveyors and machines that move your product safely and efficiently from end to end with minimal operator intervention.
The Value of Long‑Term Partnerships
Building a long‑term relationship with your integrator can be key to maintaining line efficiency as future upgrades occur. Machine builders generally don’t like modifying other companies’ equipment, so maintaining a good relationship with your original provider pays dividends. They will be far more willing to modify and reconfigure their own machines in the future to meet your changing requirements.
Future‑Proofing Your Production Line
In today’s competitive manufacturing environment, every detail of your production line matters—and transfer equipment is no exception. By treating these systems as integral components rather than afterthoughts, manufacturers can unlock significant gains in efficiency, product quality and operational flexibility. Investing in tailored transfer solutions and strong partnerships with automation specialists not only optimises current performance but also future‑proofs your production for the challenges and innovations to come.