"Potatoes in a net, not washed, weighing 2,5 kg" - such a request from retail chains to Russian manufacturers of "borscht set" products in the current season sounds more and more often, and this is not surprising: such a package is an optimal supply of product for a small family, to carry convenient, inexpensive.
But for agricultural producers, the implementation of such a request - especially when it comes to the constant supply of large quantities of goods - is fraught with many difficulties. Small packaging requires the participation of more personnel, but farms often lack workers (and not only during the period of closed borders), and they are expensive. In addition, manual operations are time-consuming, and retailers insist on strict adherence to deadlines.
A reasonable way out for large agricultural producers in this situation is full automation of the packaging process. An interesting project recently implemented by Agrotrade in one of the famous potato farms in Central Russia can serve as an illustration of this idea.
The customer was an enterprise that grows table potatoes on an area of more than 1500 hectares. The client called the main tasks of the project to establish an uninterrupted process of packaging goods (weight 2,5 kg) and to reduce the time required to ship products from the warehouse.
The proposed solution: the launch of an automated line that allows to distribute potatoes at high speed into small packages (2,5 kg each), then combine them into large ones (25 kg each) and stack them on pallets, facilitating logistics.
What kind of equipment supports the tasks?
Note that before the introduction of the new packaging complex, the customer already had an operating automated line for sorting and packing potatoes.
The designers adapted to the existing equipment and created a continuation of the line, supplementing it with the missing elements: a dispenser, three packaging machines (two for filling products into 2,5 kg packages, and one for collecting small packages into large ones), a conveyor system and an automatic palletizer.
The key element of the line was dosing machine Upmatic 2013 HD (Upmann, Germany). This is a relatively new model on the market with excellent performance characteristics.
Essentially, the Upmatic 2013 HD is a fully automatic computer scale with 13 weighing containers. The vibrating feed chute of the machine is angled so that the product can be quickly transported to the weighing containers. To ensure high accuracy and speed, each of the thirteen weighing containers is equipped with its own load cell. As soon as the load cell of the containers senses that the correct partial weight has been reached, the corresponding vibratory feeder is disengaged with the throttle valve. The computer takes over immediately and quickly adds up the partial quantities required for a given target weight.
Another important component of the complex is packing machine 1352 UP (Upmann, Germany). The machine collects the packages from the netting / packing machines, counts and distributes them across the width of the loading conveyor, then loads the batch into the net bag. Can be used to pack a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
The closing element of the line is palletizer SYMACH Mach 5.1.
This model works with a speed of up to 22 packs of 25 kg. per minute, forming a pallet up to 2,65 m high. The machine is equipped with a pallet wrapping mechanism.
The pallet, which is stacked automatically, can be transported over long distances while maintaining its shape. There are no problems with loading / unloading, the possibility of damage to the cargo is practically excluded.
In addition, the line is capable of wrapping potatoes in a 25 kg sack and also sending these nets to the palletizer, bypassing the third packaging machine 1352 UP.
What did the agricultural producer get with the launch of this line?
Serious increase in productivity: The Upmatic 2013HD dosing machine is capable of producing up to 60 packages of 2,5 kg per minute or 3600 packages (9000 kg) per hour. The line produces more than 86 thousand packages per day of non-stop operation (processes over 215 tons of potatoes).
Reducing labor costs for workers: only two employees are involved on the line: an operator who controls the operation of the equipment, and a loader driver who loads the finished pallets into the truck. Previously, at least two workers were engaged in manual repackaging / collection of small packages into a large one near the packing machine (and in the updated line there are two such machines), and two loaders loaded the bags onto pallets.
Almost complete elimination of the influence of the human factor: the machines provide high weighing accuracy and excellent stacking quality.
At the same time, the agricultural producer is fully protected from changing interests of retailers: at any time, the line can be quickly reconfigured to pack products in a standard mesh bag (weighing 25 kg) In this mode, the equipment operates with an impressive capacity of up to 18 packs of 25 kg per minute or 1080 packs = 27000 kg / h In this case, a dispenser from one of the paired packaging machines is activated and 1352 UP is temporarily removed from the complex. No specialist assistance is required in the reconfiguration.
The automated line was launched in January 2021, the farm successfully fulfills its obligations to supply potatoes in 2,5 kg packaging to the stores of the local retail chain.
Mikhail Afarinov, Head of Packaging Equipment, Agrotrade LLC
тел.: +7 (910) 899-62-93