Way to convey M&S pie packaging

When Tamar Foods bakery - part of the Samworth Brothers group - won a contract to produce a range of Marks & Spencer (M&S) savoury pies it invested in a new conveyor system to handle M&S’s green totes

Steve Towsey, Tamar's project engineer, says: “We wanted it to have an accumulation capability. The old system didn’t have this and with our very high throughput rates it caused endless problems. An issue anywhere on the system meant we had to stop the entire line, which led to product piling up and high levels of inefficiency.”

The solution was based on Axiom’s poly-v belt driven roller conveyors and belt conveyors using an aluminium-profiled side frame. The accumulation system featured zero line pressure control to avoid product damage.

The system has been designed to ‘sleep’ when no products are on the conveyors. This means savings from low-maintenance, downtime and less energy use.

“The workforce love it because it is much quieter than the old system and much easier to operate. The firm loves it because it is totally reliable; it gives us energy savings in excess of £14,000 a year and the accumulation feature means hold-ups anywhere along the line do not result in the whole line shutting down, so it's a more productive system,” says Towsey.

Contact: Axiom