Conveyor belt improves yields, eases sanitation for Barber Foods

"I got better pick up because it allows batter to flow through," Hebert says. "There's not as much build up on the belt, and it's much easier to clean." – Jayson Hebert, Manufacturing Engineer, Barber Foods.

The Compact Grid has 70 percent open surface area, and is .20 inches thick, which helps circulate air and enhance drainage.

Portland, Maine-based Barber Foods has long had a strong foothold in the retail market for portion-controlled chicken products. In fact, it was the first company to offer stuffed chicken entrées — most notably its Chicken Cordon Bleu and Chicken Kiev products.

Ensuring uniformity in those products is a top priority, and losing breading on a conveyor belt means lost dollars and extra time spent on the third shift.

A breaking belt

Barber Foods had been using a balanced weave belt on its batter applicator, where the product was secured between two belts and moved through the batter mixture, but the belt kept breaking. "I was changing wires on a daily basis," says Jayson Hebert, manufacturing engineer at Barber Foods. And in addition to the annoyance of such continual maintenance, Hebert says the downtime was costing the company up to $2,000 to $3,000 per minute.

The original belt's thickness and belt mass also limited batter mixture flow through, creating excess batter carryout and coagulation of the crumb mixture in and around the belt. That coagulation often led to belt failure.

Hebert knew it was time for a change. Enter Wire Belt's Compact Grid.

 

A new solution

Flow through immediately improved. "I got better pick up because it allows batter to flow through," Hebert says. "There's not as much build up on the belt, and it's much easier to clean."

In fact, Hebert says the stainless steel Compact Grid is very easy to sanitize because the belt has 70 percent open surface area, and is .20 inches thick, which helps circulate air and enhance drainage.

The previous belt's breakages were costing the company an extraordinary amount of money, so Hebert saw almost immediate payback on his investment. What's more, in contrast to the previous belt, Hebert says that the new belt is very reliable, adding that it was in use for a "month and a half before there was a single break."

 

Universal appeal

Hebert now has the Compact Grid on two lines and three different pieces of equipment — two batter machines and a transfer conveyor, which improves yield. Previously, Hebert was losing pieces of product because of the belt's spacing. The Compact Grid has an openness of 10 mm x 10 mm (3/8 inch x 3/8 inch). Now chicken fingers and entrée products move smoothly and easily with little interruption and Herbert can run strip meat on the conveyor without worrying that the product will fall through.

Everyone in the plant seems to be satisfied with the Compact Grid's performance. "It's really easy to clean, so sanitation likes it. Production likes it because there are fewer product defects, and maintenance likes it because of its reliability," Hebert says. "I plan to use this [belt again] in the future."