Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Precision filling, as requested

December 3, 2004
Growing demand for individual portions posed a specialized filling challenge to a Michigan copacker.

Meat toppings are precisely portioned into cups of pasta with two Multi-Fill units at Request Foods. Vacuum gently pulls product into the fillers’ volumetric pockets. Source: Request Foods.
The challenge in processing value-added foods is ensuring the value the processor receives exceeds the value he invested. At Request Foods, that meant automating some very precise filling operations.

Founded in 1989, Request is a spinoff from Bil-Mar Foods, a western Michigan maker of ready-to-eat meats and frozen poultry products.



Today, Request copacks $140 million worth of frozen meals for major retailers and food manufacturers in its Holland, MI, facility. The 400-employee company has built four additions in the last 14 years, pushing total square footage to 360,000.

To deliver finished goods with taste appeal, Request prepares meal components separately and flash freezes them after assembly to ensure fresh taste. To deliver items with eye appeal, workers often fill bowls and other containers by hand, a costly and labor-intensive process, particularly with individual meal portions.

Request has six kitchens and six lines, producing such items as rice and pasta cups, lasagna casseroles and institutional meals and club packs. Individual servings are the fastest growing segment of the frozen-meal market, and portions measured in ounces meant escalating costs for Request. When a large order for a 12-oz. pasta dish was received two years ago, management saw an opportunity to automate. "Line automation included a flighted conveyor, denester and other equipment, including a filler," recalls Ray Huizenga, manager of plant operations. Higher fill speeds and greater accuracy were desirable benefits, but gentle handling also was critical. That consideration swayed the selection of a multi-purpose MPFSH-075 filler from Multi-Fill Inc.

A screw conveyor or pump would damage the short-cut pastas and other delicate ingredients filled at the plant, Huizenga points out. The Multi-Fill equipment relies on vacuum to pull ingredients into a volumetric pocket prior to dispensing. Vacuum also helps evacuate air and some moisture, increasing the density of the portion. Density correlates with fill accuracy, points out Merle DeWitt, director of operations. The fillers usually come within 1.5 percent of the targeted fill weight, he says, "while a person filling by hand might be within 4 or 5 percent."

Multi-Fill's Bill Allred says the MPFSH-075 volumetric filling system at Request is a standard machine for difficult-to-fill products. The translucent in-feed tube has an electronic level control, and the electronic eye that detects the target container precisely synchronizes with the dispensing unit. A number of optional components can be integrated, such as a needle assembly for ravioli and other filled pastas.

A second MPFSH-075 joined the first filler after six months, each with a fill rate of up to 75 containers per minute. Combined output is comparable to three workers. Multi-Fill engineers modified the in-feed belts' programming to reduce manual input, though an operator still is needed to service them. Consequently, the net manpower savings is two operators.

"We could easily put these fillers on three different lines," says Huizenga. "The units are cantilevered, which makes moving them around the plant simple."

Flexibility is a must in food manufacture, more so for copackers such as Request. As the company continues to adapt to growing demand and shifting market trends, investments like the MPFSH-075 fillers figure to be valuable assets for years to come.

For more information:

Bill Allred, Multi-Fill Inc.,
801-280-1570,
sales@multi-fill.com

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

Food Plant Openings and Expansions June 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions June 2025

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Shalima Sreenath

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Celebrating Women in Engineering: Samara Heaggans

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

More Videos

Popular Stories

Cargill Cocoa Plant

Cargill Invests in its Cocoa Supply Chain

Campbell’s Utah plant

Going for Gold(fish): Inside The Campbell’s Company’s $160M Cracker Plant Expansion

Chicken Alfredo Listeria Products

Listeria Outbreak Connected with Pre-Made Chicken Alfredo Meals Results in 3 Deaths

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

July 10, 2025

Smarter Innovation With AI: How the F&B Industry Can Stay Agile

Join our webinar to explore how practical AI solutions are helping leading brands reduce compliance risks, streamline reformulation and accelerate time-to-market.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • Manufacturing

    Input requested for advanced manufacturing strategic plan

    See More
  • News_RW_Body

    Adjustment to renewable fuel standard requirements for ethanol requested

    See More
  • GEMCO

    Precision blending of nutraceuticals

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 3rd ed.jpg

    Food Process Engineering and Technology, 3E

See More Products
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!