The Client
Darlington Snacks is a family-owned commercial bakery that is headquartered in Indiana. Founded in 1982, they have grown substantially to become a nation-wide supplier with a network of 65 distributors. Darlington provides pre-baked, packaged snacks to daycares, K-12 schools, and healthcare facilities. They are committed to developing snacks that balance craveable taste and nutrition.
The Challenge
Like many companies, Darlington Snacks faced labor shortages. This was compounded by the fact that their location puts them in direct competition with other food manufacturing companies for qualified employees. The additional workload caused by open positions added strain to their current employees’ workload.
Additionally, Darlington faced an increased demand for single-serve containers from their school and healthcare customers. These organizations were instituting strict product handling requests. They wanted snacks that were not handled by multiple parties.
How Yamato Met the Challenge
Darlington Snacks purchased two Yamato DataweighTM Omega Series scales with patented Frontier Technology to accurately portion single servings of their snack food products. The Omega combination scale for snack food are built with speed, accuracy, and sanitation in mind, aligning perfectly with the expectations of Darlington’s customers. The addition of Frontier Technology means that the scales can be run in three modes: high-speed simplex, duplex, and reject mode. This means that the packaging lines are adaptable to changing production needs.
To further increase peace of mind that their single-serve snack packages were accurate and safe, Darlington invested in two Yamato J-Series Checkweighers. These advanced checkweighing inspection systems offer unparalleled reliability and precision. From checking package weight and content accuracy to detecting foreign objects with inline metal detection, Yamato checkweighers for snack food weight verification are an essential component in optimized, automated packaging lines.
The Impact
Darlington invested in automation throughout the packaging process with the Yamato snack food weigher. The result was improvement in throughput and a reduction in labor-related issues. Investing in automation enabled them to reallocate employees to other areas of the facility.
“Automation has cut down on our waste, overpacking, and amount of giveaway,” reports Brad Schweiss, vice president of manufacturing at Darlington Snack. “It has made our customers’ experience better because we’re not coming up short on products. And I’m pleased to report we’ve doubled production with about 40 percent less labor on the line.”
Learn More
Yamato combination scales and checkweighers enable snack manufacturers and packagers like Darlington Snacks to optimize their operation and reduce labor on packaging lines. To learn how Yamato can help meet your production goals, contact us.