New weighing line for British potato processor

Caythorpe Farmers UK is bagging around 300.000 bags of potatoes of various weights for the wholesale and export market each year. They were using traditional electronic weighers where 1 large bucket is us used to make a weight. These weighers are as accurate as the last product(s) put in the bucket. At Caythorpe Farmers, the over-weight was 0,5-1kg per bag. Depending on product prices, Caythorpe was losing roughly £45,000 each year on bag over-weights.

Caythorpe was using an electronic single catch weigh belt weigher (with top up belt) for filling crates and another electronic weigher for filling bags.

Steve Dowse of Caythorpe Farmers had the following wishes: saving on bag over-weight, replacing both current electronic weighers for 1 faster combination computer weigher and being able to bag unwashed and large potatoes. Steve has ambitious plans for the future. Caythorpe Farmers therefore did not want to invest in additional belts which would become obsolete in a few years’ time.

Where other machine suppliers were unable to provide solutions because of the limited space available, PIM-Machinery and Pacepacker took on the challenge to design a lay-out solution. After having presented several possible lay-outs and processing ideas, together with Steve Dowse we found an ideal intermediate solution. The new 2x6 Scale Opposing Small Footprint PIM-Machinery Combination Weigher, with state of the art newly designed controls, replaced 2 electronic weighers without having to change the current lay-out. In fact, the lay-out was simplified and turned out to be a lot more operator friendly as they could remove some existing belting.

Steve said, “The investment also saves the growers money who come to Caythorpe Farmers to bag their potatoes. An added bonus.”

Steve is very satisfied with the PIM-Machinery Combination Weigher. “At one stage we were harvesting really large, wet and muddy potatoes,” Steve said. “We had concerns that these potatoes would cause difficulties for the PIM combination weigher. We were surprised to see that the potatoes were processed without any problems - and the average overweight stayed within 5 grams.”

“As the machine is working with self-learning dosing belts, which supply product to the weighing scales, we do not have to climb the machine every half an hour to clean vibration lanes. It is amazing,” Steve continues, “this machine just keeps going without having to clean it!”

“A 10 scale machine would have done the job as well,” Steve says, “however, the small foot print of the 2x6 Scale Opposing PIM-Machinery Combination Weigher fitted better in our lay-out and in our future plans. We are very pleased with this solution. The whole process from inquiry to installation was handled extremely professionally and smoothly. We will definitely consider using Pacepacker Services and PIM-Machinery in the future.”

Please click on the following video link to see the PIM-Machinery 2x6 scale opposing combination weigher in operation.

For more information:
Jouke van der Meer
PIM-Machinery
Tel: +31 6 832 18 595
Email: J.VAN.DER.MEER@PIM-MACHINERY.COM
www.pim-machinery.com