How burger manufacturer reduced downtime, costs

FRENCH manufacturer McKey manufactures millions of burgers every day for one restaurant chain alone. In a year, the company churns out about 42,000 tonnes.

In transforming its packing operations, McKey which is part of the Brazilian company Marfrig, installed multihead weighers from packaging and processing specialist Ishida.

The burgers, which come in about 20 different weight variants, predominantly 110g, are placed in pockets which are then inserted into cartons, usually of 13.5 kg. With the old weighing equipment installed in 1992, achieves within ± 5 burgers (~550g) of the target weight.

With the current Ishida CCW-RS multihead weighers – 14-head, waterproof models, each equipped with 5-litre hoppers, McKey now achieves an approximate deviation from target weight of just 1g in each carton.

The weighers also help to keep the burgers moving continuously through the process, preventing downtime in the packaging section.

Hygiene improved as well

Besides reliable efficiency, Ishida’s machines are easy to clean, having no room for bacteria to breed on the food contact surfaces and structural elements such as legs and struts. This has led to the company also being made responsible for the conveying and infeed equipment from the exit of the IQF tunnels to the multihead weighers. Ishida installed on the weigher platform a “wash wall” where contact parts can be cleaned and allowed to drain.

The Ishida weighers are a key component of five new packing lines, which also comprise bagmakers and casepackers, installed as part of a €25.5 million modernisation plan at McKey’s factory in Fleury-les-Aubrais in Northern France. The objectives were to reduce manufacturing costs and increase the value added per worker, while continuing to meet the high output demands of a world-leading brand. 

According to CEO Grégory Blin the company has had zero maintenance costs since the installation of the equipment.

Given the importance of uninterrupted supply to the restaurants, the modernization process was carefully planned to take place within a two-week window. The choice of Ishida weighers seems to have been fully justified.