Case Study: Automated Floor-Level Package Conveying in the Food Industry

Optimizing Material Handling Flows with an Automated Conveying Solution

In the food processing industry, optimizing logistics flows is a key factor in improving productivity, reducing the physical strain of workstations, and ensuring the safety of material handling operations. We recently partnered with a poultry producer to fully automate its floor-level parcel conveying and storage systems.

Strenuous Manual Handling

Avant l’installation de notre solution de convoyage, les opérateurs réalisaient l’ensemble des manipulations nécessaires à la production de viande manuellement.
Après les opérations de pesée et d’étiquetage, chaque colis était soulevé puis déposé sur une palette. Une fois celle-ci remplie, elle était déplacée vers une zone de stockage située dans une pièce voisine.
Cette organisation présentait plusieurs limites :

une forte sollicitation physique des opérateurs ;
un risque élevé d’apparition de troubles musculo-squelettiques (TMS) ;
une cadence de production limitée par la perte de temps liée à la manutention manuelle des colis de viande.

A floor conveyor solution tailored to the demands of the food processing industry

To address these challenges, OCA designed and installed fully automated floor conveyors to streamline the transport of packages throughout the production process.
Two modular mesh conveyors were installed along the workstations to serve all operators.
With this configuration, packages of various sizes (cartons and bins) are simply placed on the conveyors, virtually eliminating all manual operations. Operators need only push the packages onto the conveyor, with no manual handling required.
Up to 100 packages per hour are then automatically transported to a gravity storage area via a roller conveyor.

Modular mesh floor conveyor near workstations

Automated and Intelligent Storage

The system includes a swivel conveyor that automatically feeds three levels of gravity storage.
Overflow detection sensors control the distribution of packages across the different levels to ensure:
– a continuous feed to the storage system,
– even distribution of packages,
– uninterrupted operation, even during production peaks.
This automation guarantees optimized production flow and storage capacity.

OCA Floor Conveyor Detection Sensors

Swivel conveyor serving the three storage levels

The Benefits of This Industrial Conveyor System

Implementing this solution delivers immediate benefits for our client in terms of workforce, organization, and economics.

> Improved Workstation Ergonomics

Eliminating lifting operations significantly reduces the physical strain on operators and helps prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

> Increased productivity

Automating material flows speeds up package processing, eliminates unnecessary handling time, and increases production rates.

> Optimized Storage

Automated management of different storage levels improves the availability of storage areas while ensuring a continuous supply to the production lines.

> Process Reliability

Thanks to automated conveyors, motorized transfers, and detection sensors, the system operates autonomously with a high degree of consistency.

Are you looking to automate your material handling processes?

As a specialist in industrial conveying solutions, OCA designs and builds custom systems to help food and beverage companies automate their production lines, optimize logistics flows, and improve workplace ergonomics.
Each project is tailored to your production constraints, production rates, product characteristics, and performance goals to provide a reliable, scalable conveying solution that integrates seamlessly into your industrial environment.

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