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!
Dry Processing

Dry Processing

Filling the need for baking mixes

By Debra Schug
Spee- Dee Packaging Machinery

Contract manufacturer PacMoore uses twin dry filling machines from Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery on one of its mix lines, filling about 90 pouches per minute. Source: PacMoore.

August 19, 2015

PacMoore, a food processor that specializes in mixes for home-baked goods, blends and packages the mixes into boxes for more than 40 customers nationwide at its Hammond, IN facility.

The line it uses to fill and package the mixes was installed in June 2012, with PacMoore filling its first pouches a month later. The process starts with the baking mix, which is first blended, then moved to a second-floor filling station.

Two large bags, each containing about 1,700 pounds of mix, hang over vibratory hoppers and steadily feed mix down a chute into awaiting Spee-Dee servo auger fillers. A combined 3,400 pounds of baking mix is emptied in about 30 minutes; to ensure the line stays in motion, four additional bags are always in position, ready to be hoisted up.

The two fillers purchased specifically for this line are designed to integrate with automatic equipment such as baggers, pouch machines, cartoners, conveyors and vertical form/fill/seal systems. They are engineered to fill various dry products, from free-flowing granular powder to non-flowing powder-like substances.

“We’re very pleased with the fillers, and that’s why we continue to buy Spee-Dee,” says Scott Reid, vice president of operations for PacMoore. “Our Spee-Dee fillers are a great solution for the majority of what we do. Once we get them set up, we really don’t have to touch them.”

During normal operation, the filling line produces approximately 90 11.4-ounce pouches a minute. Integrated with a form/fill/seal machine, the fillers seal and push the pouches onto an incline conveyor where they are weighed, pass through a metal detection system and are deposited onto a collection table. Pouches that fail either of the two checks get rejected out of the line.

Next, three employees put the pouches, along with packets of seasoning, onto a cleated conveyor for a 20-foot trip to the cartoner. The mix pouches and seasoning are placed inside the boxes, which then move through a second metal detector that is set up in reverse to detect each seasoning packet; if one is not present, the box is rejected. The last stop for the boxes is shipping, where two employees package 12 in a case to be palletized.

PacMoore runs the line 24 hours a day, six days a week. Seven to nine employees work on the baking line. Although it produces about 90 boxes a minute, the line could be sped up by being further automated—something the company is considering in the near future.

Currently, PacMoore operates a total of five Spee-Dee fillers at its Hammond facility. It has a second facility in Mooresville, IN.       

PacMoore has also taken advantage of the ability to test the mixes in real-life production runs in Spee-Dee’s testing lab located in Sturtevant, WI. “What’s important to us is being able to send product to Spee-Dee’s lab and getting the right tooling,” explains Dan Piller, head of engineering for Pac Moore. “I find value in getting that test back to show what our standard deviation is. We have to sell a job and negotiate with a customer on what the tolerances and weights are.”

Piller says sometimes customers want a tighter tolerance than what can be achieved, and in that scenario, it is PacMoore’s job to educate them. “Without the data, that’s hard to do,” he states. “But when you come back with the data and a graph, and you know what your standard deviation is, then you can talk.”

For more information: Timm Johnson, 262-321-6103, tjohnson@spee-dee.com, www.spee-dee.com.

KEYWORDS: baked good filling food and beverage manufacturing

Share This Story

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

Debra schug 200px

Debra Schug was Editor-in-Chief of Food Engineering. She began her media career over a decade ago writing and producing broadcast news for both television and radio at the local and national level. She spent many years as the managing editor for two trade magazines in the oil industry and the research editor for an annual petroleum report. She has a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University.

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
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

More Videos

Popular Stories

Conagra Logo

Conagra Brands to Sell Chef Boyardee Brand to Hometown Food Company

Salt

FDA to Amend Standards of Identity to Include Salt Substitutes

Vilter IHP in plant

Industrial Heat Pumps: Sustainable Energy Solutions for Now and the Future

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 5, 2025

Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 

June 5, 2025

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. 

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

  • Debra-Schug

    Food companies need to prepare for a changing world

    See More
  • steel frame

    Processors need a construction plan to stay in compliance with FSMA

    See More
  • Bosch's Ampack carousel filling machine

    Liquid filling machine trends: Today's equipment is more versatile

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • statical.jpg

    Statistical Process Control for the Food Industry: A Guide for Practitioners and Managers

  • The-Food-Business-Toolkit-Cover.jpg

    The Food Business Toolkit for Entrepreneurs (ebook)

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!