Palletizer Improves Worker Safety at Dairy

When Canada's largest dairy cooperative, Dairyworld Foods, decided to upgrade handling operations at its plant in Delta, British Columbia, with automated palletizing systems, the company opted for three medium-speed, low-level Pro-Pal Mini models from Priority One, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Plant manager, Rod Neil, said, "Besides increasing productivity, we wanted to eliminate the risk of worker injury from manual palletizing. Low-level palletizers are much safer. You're not climbing up on equipment, and you maximize your sight lines, your field of vision with low-level machines."

Dairyworld Foods processes and aseptically packages 30 million liters of milk and juice products annually at its Delta plant. The company produces products under its own brand name as well as under co-packing agreements with such companies as Dole and Tetley.

The three palletizers can handle multiple infeed and discharge directions, and currently accommodate cases from five filling lines at the plant. Various pallet patterns can be easily programmed into the system, and changeovers from trays of 250-ml boxes to one-liter boxes can be accomplished quickly. Dairyworld projects the palletizers will deliver a return on investment in less than two years, while making a significant contribution to worker safety.

Contact: Dave Booz, Palletizer Product Manager, Priority One, 140 Bathurst Drive, Waterloo ON N2V 1V7 tel: (800) 387-9102.

By: Mike Pehanich