Modular plastic belts save bakery $50,000 per year.

Irvines, a division of Goodman Fielder New Zealand Limited, is well known for its high-quality pies, pizzas, and pastry products. Two years ago, the Irvines bakery in Auckland had problems with its spiral cooler metal conveyor belt, which led to a significant amount of waste.

“The old stainless steel spiral belt caused a buildup on the products, which we then couldn’t distribute,” says Engineering Manager Warren Frazer. “It contributed to a 5.5% waste average and cost us thousands of dollars annually in lost product.”

Today the plant has no problems with buildup, has zero belt-related waste, and has reduced belt maintenance after retrofitting its cooling spiral to Intralox modular plastic belts.

“We considered several modular plastic belt options and chose Intralox based on previous experience with its belts,” says Plant Manager Grant Inns. The plant had already successfully equipped its spiral infeed and exit conveyors with Intralox belting.

According to Frazer, the new belt decreased reject waste by 2.2%, saving the company over $50,000 per year. “We’ve had no more problems and no maintenance due to the condition of the belt. The metal belts were high-maintenance, but with the Intralox belt, repairs are a lot easier.” u

For more information: 1-888-680-2358, email:

customerservice.spiral@intralox.com, www.intralox.com/spiral.htm. Write in 413