Aviko Germany has been operating at full capacity to satisfy the growing demand for frozen fries from retailers and the food service sector, following the successful implementation of Ishida’s multihead weighers to replace older weighing systems.
Located in Rain, Bavaria, Aviko Germany specializes in producing frozen potato products made from fresh potatoes. The facility processes approximately 40 tons of yellow tubers every hour, primarily transforming them into French fries, with the remaining volume directed toward wedges and fried potatoes. Such immense production capacities necessitate high-performance packaging systems.
The production facility utilizes eight Ishida multihead weighers, arranged in an impressive phalanx. These machines weigh the frozen potato products for packaging in bags ranging from 450g to 2.5kg. Consequently, the weigher and bagmaker systems operate at full capacity around the clock.
“To increase output, we began gradually replacing the existing multihead weighers with new machines in 2023,” says Stefan Leuker, head of maintenance. As of now, three aging weighers have already been upgraded to the high-performance CCW-RV series from Ishida, with additional orders anticipated.
The newly installed CCW-RV multihead weighers have substantially enhanced performance at Aviko. For instance, when filling 450g bags of French fries, the facility can achieve up to 70 packs per minute (ppm), an increase from the 50 ppm rate of the previous models. The frozen chips are fed from above onto the dispersion table of each 14-head weigher, subsequently being delivered by 14 vibratory feeders directly into the pool and weigh hoppers.
Moreover, five-stage digital filtering of the weighing signal reduces the settling time of the hoppers, allowing for optimal utilization of multiple hoppers during each weighing cycle. The advanced software identifies the three best combinations in each cycle, validates them, and selects the combination that most closely aligns with the target weight. This process improves weighing accuracy and consistency while maintaining high speeds. Notably, this rapid operation does not compromise accuracy: as Stefan Leuker notes, the overfill on a 2.5kg bag is just 5g, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of a single frozen chip.
The new Ishida multihead weighers are distinguished not only by their speed and precision but also by their robust design.
“Unlike our old weighers, vibrations from the production environment do impact weighing accuracy,” says Leuker. The CCW-RV series incorporates Ishida’s proprietary anti-floor-vibration (AFV) System, which mitigates external vibrations to ensure optimum weighing accuracy. Load cells positioned at each corner of the weigher’s main body detect external floor vibrations, and sophisticated software filters out their effects on weight calculations.
Additionally, Aviko enjoys the advantages of swift product changeovers, which occur several times each week using pre-set configurations. The automatic set-up function allows for convenient settings adjustments for new products. Even the bi-weekly wet cleaning process results in minimal downtime. All components, including the drive units, are rated IP69K, allowing for efficient cleaning with high-pressure and steam jet equipment. Ergonomically designed sloped surfaces facilitate liquid runoff and ensure quick drying.
The CCW-RV weighers also stand out for their remarkably low energy consumption. At full capacity, these machines utilize approximately 20 percent less power than conventional multihead weighers. Furthermore, cost-effective operating modes such as “Half Power” and “Eco Mode” can be selected, further lowering energy consumption by up to 50%.
Stefan Leuker states, “The machines are proving to be energy savers and that, of course, comes in handy during audits.”
“With our new Ishida multihead weighers, we can pack a significantly greater product volume and meet the increasing market demand. Overall, we are very satisfied with the machines,” concludes Stefan Leuker.
Aviko anticipates an amortization period of just two and a half years.