Ottenbreits Meats Experiences 50% Increase in Packaging Efficiency with Harpak-ULMA Packaging
Meatpacking
Grayson, SK, Canada
Thinking Forward through a Packaging Backlog
Ottenbreits Meats is an industry leader in meat processing, packaging, and sales throughout Saskatchewan, Canada. With over 50 locations throughout the province and over 70 years of family-owned operation, Ottenbreits Meats blends traditional preparation techniques with advanced technology to produce time-honored quality meats to meet increasing customer demand.
After conducting a full audit of their processing line, Ottenbreits Meats identified an urgent need for a more robust, reliable packaging system to match rising volume requirements, maintain brand quality, and expand operations at their Grayson, SK, location. Employees identified severe gaps in production efficiency and throughput from their outdated system capabilities, which created a costly packaging backlog and made future innovation impossible.
Additionally, the lack of synergy between their processing line, existing automation, and ancillary equipment decreased the effectiveness of their marketing, labeling, case packaging, and shipping operations. If Ottenbreits Meats wanted to reduce operations and labor costs, create uniform packaging, and produce at high volume, they would need an advanced packaging system to mirror their needs.
Perseverance through Packaging Performance
After extensive discussion and collaboration with Harpak-ULMA Packaging’s experts, Ottenbreits Meats chose the TFS 300 thermoformer to update their operations. The TFS 300 offered high-speed, high-volume packaging capabilities to increase packaging throughput by more than half and allowed for optimized synchronization between all primary, secondary, and palletizing systems. The combination of performance and ease of use increased output and efficiency at every packaging cycle and reduced labor costs and employee turnover through simplified real-time training and execution.
In addition, the TFS 300 thermoformer integrates various packaging films and materials, including sustainable, cost-effective roll-stock film and paperbound packaging. Ottenbreits Meats incorporated these materials into their new high-speed packaging process to create uniform packaging and accommodate frequent changes in production and SKUs, including shifting packaging sizes and formats.
System Success by the Numbers
Ottenbreits Meats significantly improved productivity and cost savings by integrating the TFS 300 thermoformer into their production lines. The company reduced its per-product processing and packaging time, resulting in a 50% efficiency improvement per cycle. This improved efficiency allowed them to produce more product by a wide margin while reducing annual labor costs.
Ottenbreits Meats also saved material costs by integrating sustainable roll-stock film and paper-based packaging materials. Costs per package decreased by 60%, translating to an annual average savings of more than $9.9 million going forward. Opting for the TFS300 thermoformer has already paid dividends regarding return on investment (ROI), provided better control over the entire packaging line, and allowed for the integration of modern high-quality packaging materials for their traditional brand.
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