Automated Food Processing Solutions

JBT: Helping Food Processors Feed the World Safely, Efficiently and Profitably

Success stories of labor-efficiency innovation done right – with yield top-of-mind

For many decades JBT has worked hand-in-hand with food processors around the world to solve their most challenging problems, improve labor efficiencies, and help them feed the world efficiently, safely, cost-effectively, and profitably.

That’s even more important as we face the challenges of the COVID crisis, when even a single positive virus hit can shut down a plant for multiple days or even weeks and cost a food producer millions of dollars. More than ever, improving labor efficiencies through automation is an existential necessity for food producers.

JBT focuses on innovating alongside and ahead of our customers to bring them the solutions they want today – and the innovations they will need tomorrow. We help make it easier for producers by offering experienced project management from start to finish. Contact us today to get started. Click on the titles below to read some of our success stories:

TRAY SEALING

The key to better efficiency while making beautiful, case-ready products for the consumer market is simple: Sealing more trays per minute more dynamically, while reducing changeover time between products. JBT’s innovative Proseal line allows a single operator to up to triple the output for faster work or reduced overall labor. A focus on easy and fast change-over between products allows that same operator to do in 5 or 10 minutes what used to take a skilled maintenance person up to 30 minutes or more.

PACKING

The labor-savings potential in the packout area can be huge, and impressive returns can be had with Index weigh-baggers from C.A.T. and a full line of solutions for sausage-based products from Tipper Tie, including sealers, clippers, netters – and even product loading. As one customer said “We used to need eight people to load looped sausages onto sticks. Now we need only one with the SwiStick.”

ROBOTIC HARVESTING

Standing beside a fast-moving conveyor trying to pick out non-conforming product is difficult work that often produces inaccurate results. JBT’s Robotic Harvesting solutions see and measure everything on the belt, pick out only the target pieces, and never get tired or look away from the job, allowing scarce labor to be re-deployed elsewhere in the plant.

ROBOTIC DECORING

Manually slicing cores out of iceberg lettuce and cabbage heads is labor intensive, slow and presents unnecessary risks to workers. JBT’s family of robotic FTNON CoreTakr^® products can remove up to 4 or 5 people per line to create a safe, more productive environment while providing precise decoring to increase fresh-cut salad yields.

POULTRY PROCESSING

Here’s the problem: Manual cut-up and debone gives the best yields, but most automated solutions available today sacrifice that yield. Prime Equipment Group systems for chicken and turkey enable significant reductions in labor while matching or exceeding hand yields.

And inside the poultry plant, you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Improve process efficiency the right way with counting, weighing, measuring and reporting systems from JBT’s MARS Food Processing Solutions. Our real-time data directs real-world solutions based on hard numbers for measurable results to increase output and streamline labor.

ADVANCED PORTIONING

Trimming and portioning beef, pork, poultry, and seafood has historically been very labor-intensive. JBT customers can re-deploy those workers elsewhere in the plant with our DSI robotic, hands-free, vision-based high-volume portioning systems to produce filets, nuggets, and intelligently trimmed pieces. The labor reductions can be stunning and provide strong ROI.

FOREIGN MATERIAL DETECTION

Why use banks of workers looking for foreign material in processed food headed to the packing area? JBT customers can increase food safety with Xvision’s hands-free, deep detection of foreign materials in meat or beverage products, including inside packaged foods. We help customers achieve higher levels of detection while reducing labor requirements.

FRYING, COOKING & FREEZING

Re-deploying line labor is only one of the ways to streamline labor efficiencies. Another is reducing the reliance on skilled maintenance and repair staff. That’s why JBT’s industry-leading coating equipment, ovens, fryers, and freezers are constantly upgraded with innovations like Clean-In-Place (CIP) Systems, self-regulation technology, and on-machine training options that speed up cleaning, require fewer technicians and allow maintenance and repair hours to be devoted elsewhere.

ASEPTIC FILLING

Don’t let filling become your process bottleneck. JBT options for flexible, rigid and semi-rigid containers take labor out of the equation by providing continuous, high speed solutions to your filling needs. Our AsepTec^® Linear Filler from SF&DS is a prime example of how rapid changeover times, extended run times, and equipment reliability mean your technicians can spend less time in the filling area.

IN-CONTAINER PROCESS CONTROL

Sterilizing canned goods is a critical process that requires constant oversight to maintain safe and delicious foods, and  JBT’s LOG-TEC^® process control system automates that oversight while streamlining the technical labor required. The system is a USDA and FDA-validated control step that guarantees canned foods are commercially sterile and safe for public consumption.

DATA MANAGEMENT

Once labor is optimized within a line or process, the next step is to maximize the efficiency of the line, and that’s where JBT’s iOPS technology comes in, collecting data on throughput, energy usage, labor utilization and more. iOPS analyzes the data to allow measurable increases in output and efficiency with minimal labor and generates predictive maintenance schedules based on actual machine usage – streamlining maintenance labor.

Do you have questions about our automated food processing solutions?