Our client is a household name in New Zealand producing trusted brands of pet food.

They approached us to scope a factory upgrade, specifically to increase the speed and capacity of the packaging line. The existing control system was aging. It contained a number of inefficient manual processes and was not meeting targets. The production line itself required product to be moved from multiple 3.5 tonne bulk storage bins through to weighing, bagging, packaging, boxing, and palletising zones ready for delivery. The nature of the product added further complexity. Dog biscuits are irregular shapes, come in different sizes and weights, and don’t flow well.

We streamlined the production line, simplifying control of where the product had to be moved from each station to the next. We also designed an automated batch weighing and filling station, including integration of packaging and robotic palletising of cartons. We upgraded the control system to allow one line or two to operate depending on demand and 24/7 if required. The factory now has achieved significant increase in output.