This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Edition
    • Archives
  • Exclusives
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
    • Web Exclusives
  • Topics
    • Latest Headlines
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Case Studies/Field Reports
    • Columns
    • Dry Processing
    • Food Safety
    • Innovation
    • Packaging
    • Processing
    • Sustainability
    • Tech Update
  • News
    • Manufacturing News
    • New Products
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
  • Food Master
  • Resources
    • Classified Ads
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • White Papers
    • Tech Flash E-newsletter
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference & Expo
  • Multimedia
    • Interactive Spotlights
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • eBooks
    • Food Plant of the Future
    • Webinars
    • Food Engineering's Youtube
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Home » Field Report
Got milk? Palletizing system
has it and moves it--fast
Columns

Field Report
Got milk? Palletizing system
has it and moves it--fast

March 4, 2004
Reprints
No Comments
Fluid milk plant improves efficiency on its processing and packaging lines.

The Currie LSP-7 includes a heavy-duty rack and pinion-operated stripper plate that moves throughout the cycle without flexing, which allows the unit to run Turner’s corrugated or plastic cases with equal efficiency and minimal changeover time. Source: Currie Machinery.
The mission? To transform the former Gold Star Dairy plant into a state-of-the-art facility that would not only produce 190,000 gallons of milk each day but also be versatile enough to do so in long and short runs and in corrugated or plastic crates as needed. Sound tough? It did to Mike Flagg, operations manager for the Little Rock, AR plant owned by Turner Holdings. "We needed a machine that would interchangeably palletize corrugated cases and plastic crates on our four filling lines and that would readily integrate with the other new equipment, like rotary stretch-wrappers, that we were installing as part of the remodel," says Flagg.

Built in 1981, the plant was completely stripped and rebuilt without shutting down during the 18-month long project. Turner Holdings' goal was to create its largest, most technologically advanced processing facility out of the Gold Star Dairy plant. The renovation needed to expand capacity for existing products, reduce maintenance costs, replace older machinery to increase efficiency and production, and improve ergonomics and worker safety. "We were looking to make our processing and packaging lines more cost efficient and do long runs for our own brands and our larger customers and shorter runs for our smaller customers," says Flagg.

To help solve the company's palletizing issues, Flagg consulted a manufacturing rep firm that recommended Currie Machinery. Impressed by the Currie LSP-7 palletizer's ability to handle changeovers, Flagg selected the equipment as part of the plant's renovation.

The plant installed four filling lines with an accumulation and conveying system that feeds into three Currie LSP-7 palletizers with layer squaring or "squeezer" units. The squeezer holds a layer of plastic crates in position after it is formed until it is dropped into position and nested on the previous layer in the stacking process. The palletizers run 30 to 60 cases per minute and their multiple product memories were programmed by the dairy's production foreman to run the various crate and carton patterns required for both Coleman products and customers' private label products. The plant typically runs a 3x3 or split seven case pattern at a mean case rate of 25-30 cases per minute. Currently, the largest cases running are 12x18 corrugated palletized on 40x48 pallets. The smallest are 12x12 plastic crates holding four gallons of milk that are palletized on 40x40 pallets.

If necessary, the LSP-7 units can be upgraded to process 30-50 cases per minute, reaching quantities upwards of 60 cases per minute. "The palletizers can be programmed to run various crates and cartons in a variety of patterns and they required no modifications other than the addition of the squeezer unit," says Flagg. "We expanded our palletizing operations from one to three without requiring any additional employees, and we met our goal of improving worker safety and reducing the potential for work-related claims."

For more information:
Currie Machinery
408-727-0422
www.currie.net

subscribe to Food Engineering

Related Articles

Field Reports: Marzetti ‘steam-lines’ its hot water needs

Field Reports: Room to grow,<br> How sweet it is

Field Reports: Juice maker squeezes more out of its inventory

Field Report: Fast fill

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

Prestage Farms pork processing facility

How Prestage Foods of Iowa built a state-of-the-art pork processing plant

BKON's RAIN technology

RAIN uses vacuum cycles for extraction to occur at the deepest layers of coffee

water sustainability

Reduce, reuse, recycle can help processors meet water usage goals

date labels

Much food waste comes from misinterpretation on product date labels

Wonderful Pistachios' new automated production facility

Wonderful Pistachios meets global demand with new automated production facility

Food Master 2020

Events

April 26, 2020

Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo

FA&M logoFood Engineering's Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo (FA&M) is a 2 ½ day event that brings food and beverage processors and suppliers together to gain valuable information on the latest trends and technologies in manufacturing, automation, sustainability and food safety.

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Severe Weather and the Supply Chain

How will this year’s severe spring weather affect your supply chain?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Packaging Research in Food Product Design and Development

Packaging Research in Food Product Design and Development

Packaging Research in Food Product Design and Development is the first book to comprehensively address the issues of graphics design and visual concepts, from a systematic, scientific viewpoint, yet with business applications in mind.

See More Products

2019 Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies

Food Engineering

FE December 2019 cover

2019 December

In the December 2019 issue of Food Engineering, we take a behind-the-scenes look at Prestage Farms' new pork processing plant in northwest Iowa.
View More Create Account
  • Resources
    • Food & Beverage Brands
    • List Rental
    • Survey And Sample
  • Want More
    • Connect
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing