Combi Improves Ergonomics for Global Leader in the Frozen Bakery Industry
The Client / Product
ARYZTA owns a global leadership position in the frozen bakery industry for food service, retail and the quick service restaurant sector. With over 50 bakeries across five continents, the ARYZTA group has an impressive range of products and capabilities.
The Challenge
AZYRTA was looking for ways to reduce excess motion and improve ergonomics for production employees at one of their North American manufacturing facilities.
“We determined that some of our manual processes required too much awkward twisting, bending and other repetitive motions that could lead to fatigue and unsafe conditions,” said Plant Manager Mark Reisinger.
He said the packaging operations at the bakery had historically been an entirely manual process. Employees built, packed and sealed the cases used in production. The busy product packaging lines of a 24/7 facility presented a great opportunity to reduce worker strain.
“Finding a way to improve this process was important because ARYZTA places a high priority on employee safety,” Reisinger said.
The Solution
At ARYZTA, the selection process was the result of team effort involving engineering, quality, operations, finance and plant management.
“When we make the commitment to a piece of equipment, it’s not done lightly,” Reisinger said. “The Combi 2EZ HS Ergopack we went with satisfied all of our stakeholders, and most importantly, it met our ergonomic needs.”
Capable of production speeds of up to 20 cases per minute, the Combi 2EZ HS was able to step in and instantly make a positive impact on ARYZTA’s packaging operations.
“The install only took a day,” Reisinger said. “By the time the Combi technicians left, we were up and running at production speeds.”
The bakery has been running the Combi solution for approximately a year and a half. On top of significantly reduced worker strain, ARYZTA values the equipment’s dependability.
Our product offered:
- Combi 2EZ HS Ergopack- Ambidextrous Bottom Taping Case Erector
The Results
- Improved plant ergonomics
- Increased production speeds
- Reduced labor costs
“It just gets the job done—day in and day out,” Reisinger said.
He noted that the biggest impact the Combi solution delivered was an improvement to the safety of the ARYZTA workforce.
“Our employees have realized the biggest benefit from the implementation of this packaging equipment. It just makes their jobs easier and safer,” he said.
An added benefit of upgrading its production machinery has been automation. As a result, ARYZTA has reduced its labor costs and increased its competitive advantage by using the Combi system.
“We’re able to run leaner and have happier employees,” Reisinger said. “Best of all, this added productivity was able to provide us with a fantastic ROI of less than one year.”