Wierzejki, one of Poland’s largest meat manufacturers, recently enhanced its production capabilities by installing a new Ishida multihead weigher. This strategic investment has significantly increased the company’s throughput while packing its new dumpling range, leading to an impressive payback period of approximately 18 months.
The Ishida CCW-RVE-214W-1S-30-WP model has effectively replaced a labor-intensive, manual packing process. Previously, this operation required a team of six workers to pack the necessary 1.2 tonnes of dumplings per hour. Additionally, the manual weighing method often resulted in excessive product giveaway, with packs sometimes exceeding the target weight by as much as 25g. However, with the implementation of the new Ishida weigher, overall losses have been dramatically minimized, dropping from five percent to under two percent per pack.
Adam Zdanowski of Wierzejki emphasized the importance of precision in their operations, noting, “precision is everything” in the business and that it was the “driving force behind our investment in the Ishida solution.”
He further stated, “And, of course, the Ishida multihead brings important economic benefits through the weigher’s high accuracy and consistency as well as significant efficiency improvements and the elimination of human error.”
The CCW-RVE-214 is primarily weighing dumplings into 400g packs. Additionally, it has the versatility to accommodate a range of pack weights, including multiple weighments for larger foodservice packs using the “multi-dump” mode. This flexibility allows Wierzejki to swiftly respond to market demands and customer preferences.
The accuracy and consistency of pack weights achieved by the Ishida weigher enhance the consumer experience and elevate Wierzejki’s premium brand image.
The Ishida RVE model incorporates patented pulse width modulation (PWM) technology, which offers superior control of the product infeed at the weigher’s top and during the transfer to the hoppers. By automatically adjusting both the amplitude and duration of vibration, the vibratory feeders ensure a controlled and consistent product flow, thus maintaining speed and efficiency while significantly reducing overfill in the hoppers. Moreover, embossed surfaces facilitate smooth product movement throughout the weigher.
A specialized distribution system beneath the Ishida weigher allows for rapid and efficient transfer of dumplings to the thermoforming machine.
The Ishida multihead operates for 12 hours daily. Thanks to its intuitive touch screen interface, setup and changeovers are streamlined, requiring only one operator to oversee the line. Additionally, the modular design enables easy removal and replacement of contact parts for a thorough daily cleaning process.
This new installation marks the second Ishida multihead weigher at Wierzejki. Similar to the first, which has reliably functioned for over two years, this new model has also demonstrated exceptional reliability.
Adam Zdanowski explained, “Because we already knew of the weigher’s accuracy and reliability, Ishida was the obvious choice for this further investment. In addition, as this is a specialist application, Ishida’s experience with our type of products was also a key factor in the decision to invest in the new multihead weigher.”
The installation was executed by Ishida’s long-term local partner in Poland, Fenix Systems. They completed the setup in under two days and conducted a one-day workshop to familiarize the operators with the machine, along with providing ongoing remote technical support.
Mr. Zdanowski concluded, “Our new Ishida weigher has given us increased accuracy and efficiency, and no downtime, together with excellent service and support, all of which are delivering significant improvements to the bottom line. Today it is hard to imagine dumpling production without the Ishida multihead weigher.”
