Czech manufacturer Petr Hobža installs an Ishida potato crisp packing line at its factory in Strážnice.
The fully integrated line comprises a 16-head Ishida CCW-RS-216B multihead weigher, and two Astro bagmakers, TSC-RS seal testers and DACS-G checkweighers with Ishida Data Capture System (IDCS) data capture and production monitoring software.
The 16 head multihead weigher is operating in twin mode, with eight weigh and booster hoppers feeding each of the two Astro bagmakers.
Handling two bag sizes of 60 g and 175 g, the line can pack 180 and 110 packs per minute respectively with accuracy within 0.1 g of the target weight.
While ensuring effective quality control monitoring for the integrity of each sealed bag, the Ishida seal tester also provides valuable feedback for the overall production of the potato crisps.
A sudden difference in the amount of seal rejects may indicate that the tube size of the batch of potatoes has changed producing larger potato chips that can directly impact on the performance of a packaging system, and action can be taken immediately to adjust production accordingly.
This monitoring is further supported by the IDCS that records and analyses data from every pack that goes across each checkweigher to provide fully customizable real-time production information.
The line runs for 16 hours a day, five days a week, while the local support provided by Ishida is a further significant advantage.
“Having a single supplier for the entire line who can respond quickly means that in the event of a problem, the issue can be speedily sorted so that the line is up and running again,” says the snack foods director Petr Hobža.
“It also means that we do not have to keep lots of spare parts on site as these can be supplied only if they are needed.”
The Strážnice factory produces around 600 kg of crisps every hour, the equivalent of 10,000 60 g bags, in a variety of flavors including salt, garlic, bacon, and pepper and salt.
Changeovers between flavors requires a remote control unit on the weigher where all pre-set information is stored, while all parts of the weigher are easy to remove and replace for rapid cleaning.
Petr Hobža is also operating a second Ishida CCW-216/Astro combination system, which will also become fully integrated with the arrival of a further two seal testers and checkweighers later this year.
