An industrial food production process often consists of several stages. Smoking, heat treatment, cooling and transportation between different parts of the production line need to work together as part of the overall production flow.
When planning new processing equipment, it is therefore important to consider more than an individual machine. How the product enters the equipment, what happens during processing and how it moves to the next production stage are all important parts of the overall system.
Here are five factors to consider when integrating multiple processing stages.
1. Start with the product and its process requirements
The first step is to define the processes the product needs to undergo.
Depending on the product, a production process may include drying, smoking, heat treatment and subsequent cooling.
Different products and production requirements may involve different processing stages. Equipment therefore needs to be selected and configured according to the specific process rather than the other way around.
2. Consider the complete production flow
A machine rarely operates as an isolated part of industrial food production. The product arrives from an earlier stage and needs to continue to the next.
When planning equipment, it is therefore important to consider how products enter the process, how they are transported between different processing stages and what happens after treatment.
Looking at the complete production line makes it easier to determine how the different parts of the process need to work together.
3. Plan transportation between processing stages
Transportation between different parts of the process is an important part of the production flow.
In batch systems, products can for example be placed on trolleys that are moved between different processing stages. In other types of systems, parts of this transportation can be automated.
Protech’s semi-continuous smoking and cooling system is an example of this approach. The system consists of connected smoking and cooling sections, with trolleys transported automatically between the sections.
This makes transportation an integrated part of the processing system.
4. Consider cooling during production planning
When products need to be cooled after smoking and cooking, cooling should be considered as part of the overall production flow.
Protech’s intensive cooling system is designed to cool products after these processing stages before they are transported onwards to packaging or refrigeration.
Considering both heat treatment and subsequent cooling when planning the production line makes it possible to evaluate how the equipment should be positioned and how products need to move between the different processes.
5. Choose the appropriate production principle
Batch, semi-continuous and continuous production represent different ways of handling products through a process.
In batch production, products are treated in separate production cycles. In a semi-continuous system, parts of the transportation between different processing stages can be automated while products may continue to be handled on trolleys.
In continuous systems, products are instead transported through the process in a continuous flow.
The appropriate principle depends on the product, process requirements, required capacity and the design of the rest of the production line.
Consider the complete process when planning equipment
Integrating multiple processing stages involves more than selecting individual machines. The route the product takes through the complete production process also needs to be considered.
By starting with the product, process requirements, transportation and subsequent handling, manufacturers can plan a production flow in which the different parts are designed to work together.
Protech provides equipment for smoking, cooking, drying and cooling, as well as solutions where multiple processing stages can be combined.
Learn more
Integrated smoking, heat treatment and cooling in industrial food production
