Pingo’s Speedbirds

"The AEW Delford machines are easy to work with. Not only is their speed, accuracy and functionality impressive – they’re easy to programme, adjust and load, require low maintenance and they’re very reliable."

To become one of Europe’s leading and most prestigious poultry processors takes some doing, but Pingo Poultry – a Nutreco company – has done just that. It comes as no surprise to learn that their high sales volumes of quality chicken products to leading retailers and food service companies are the result of consistent and close attention to detail across every single aspect of the business. This even applies to control over virtually every link in the production chain – from feed manufacture to animal health and welfare, the careful selection of chicks and very efficient further and final processing.

This strict adherence to high standards also applies, of course, to the production and packaging line where, in the last year or so, considerable investment has been made in new plant to enable the company to respond more efficiently to the considerable demands of their customers. A shift from stretch wrapping to tray sealing was necessary to improve product presentation and shelf life. The higher speeds of the tray sealers far exceeded the throughput capabilities of existing weighing, pricing and labelling equipment so, after stringent evaluation and trials, 7 AEW Delford model 8100 weigh price labellers were installed at the Maasmechelen plant in Belgium and 6 model 8060 machines at Mierlo in Holland. Each machine carries out top and base labelling functions, base barcode scanning and rejection of non conforming packs. Metal detection is also integrated into the Maasmechelen machines.

Thanks to considerable input from our Dutch distributor, IFS of Nunspeet, Holland, all the machines are integrated and networked with the factory management system to allow highly efficient remote tasking and command of the machines so that they perform as required and report results back to the central management information system. This is a particularly important feature as Pingo Poultry process a wide variety of cooked, uncooked and even marinated products, including chicken fillets, legs and wings.

Throughput is impressive (for obvious reasons we cannot reveal the actual flow rate!) with speeds now easily matching the output of the tray sealers. Pack presentation consistently meets the high standards demanded by the industry, thanks to AEW Delford’s labelling accuracy and printing quality.

Of course, all this makes a major contribution to overall processing and production efficiency. Pingo’s production director, Wim Koole, says, “The AEW Delford machines are easy to work with. Not only is their speed, accuracy and functionality impressive – they’re easy to programme, adjust and load, require low maintenance and they’re very reliable.”