Sponsored: Intralox speeds packing, cuts costs

With inflation spiraling out of control, labor costs on the rise and an adequate supply of workers increasingly difficult to come by, produce grower-shippers are looking to cut costs and improve efficiencies any way they can.

            Frank Solitario, layout development manager -- Packer to Palletizer -- for Harahan, La.-based Intralox, said the packinghouse might be a good place to start.

By introducing the right conveyor solutions, a produce supplier might save money, improve production, and reduce labor costs, he said.

Intralox creates packinghouse conveyance solutions that utilize their  modular plastic conveyor belts and Activated Roller Belt equipment -- including sorters, switches and merges -- that not only cut costs and reduce staffing requirements but can increase the number of boxes packed each day,  and provide an improved overall packout, Solitario said.

The Intralox Packer to Palletizer platform features touchless ARB equipment that diverts and merges cases of fruits and vegetables of all shapes and sizes and reduces damaged product while operating in a smaller footprint and requiring less maintenance than most packing line systems, he said.

“When coupled with the Intralox DARB sorters, the system can give a packer unparalleled packout,” he said.

Solitario advises any company considering a new or upgraded packing line to consult with experts at Intralox during the initial planning stages.  Intralox can assit with layout development and provide simulation services to show  how they might automate  the back end of their plants, in regards to case handling.

            Punchbowl Kiwifruit Services in New Zealand installed an Intralox system and experienced a 66% increase in box throughput with no damaged fruit, said Simon Craig, general manager.

            Yakima-based Washington Fruit & Produce Co. installed an Intralox DARB system that enables the company to process an average of 4.5 million apples per day at rates up to 50 cartons per minute. The company says the DARB solution has allowed the facility to increase its overall throughput and handle additional business.

Intralox is a global supplier with teams of account managers ready to work with produce packers throughout the U.S., Solitario said. Information about how the company might enhance your packing operation is available at Intralox.com.