90% reduction in changeover time
Faster, smarter, and more space-efficient frozen food distribution with labour-saving efficiency
Overview
Simplot Australia, home to well-known Australians brands like Birds Eye, Edgell, John West, and Leggo’s, is one of the region’s top frozen food manufacturers. At its Kelso plant, the company was seeking to modernise its frozen seafood and vegetable distribution system – to cut labour costs, reduce maintenance, and improve productivity. Simplot implemented six tna roflo® gateless distribution systems with reverse flow technology, achieving a low-maintenance solution that integrated with their existing equipment, and transformed efficiency across the site.
the challenge
Simplot Australia was operating with 15 conventional belt and plastic mesh conveyors that were labour-intensive, maintenance-heavy, and inefficient for handling its frozen vegetable and seafood products, including crumbed and coated fish fillets for leading brands -Birds Eye, Captain’s Catch and I&J. The system required frequent cleaning and adjustments, creating costly downtime and slowing production changeovers. To keep pace with demand, Simplot needed a solution that would enhance productivity and efficiency, minimise product breakage, and reduce labour and cleaning time.
the solution
After an onsite consultation and a detailed review of Simplot’s requirements, tna recommended replacing 15 conventional conveyors with just 6 tna roflo® HM gateless distribution systems. Flexible enough for a wide range of applications yet ideally suited to frozen food processing, the roflo® HM combines a hygienic, low-maintenance design with gentle handling that minimises product damage while maximising throughput.
The system’s reverse flow technology eliminated the need for conveyor repositioning, allowing Simplot to maximise the use of multiple infeed and packaging points without physically moving conveyors between production runs, ultimately reducing downtime. Extended stainless-steel pans of up to 12 metres (40 feet) further optimised floor space and enabled product accumulation when required. By reducing 15 conveyors down to six, Simplot simplified operations and freed up valuable factory space, delivering a significantly smaller equipment footprint. With minimal moving parts, the solution reduced wear and maintenance demands, and its spray-and-wipe cleaning capability allowed idle conveyors to be cleaned without disrupting production.
The impact was immediate: cleaning shifts were eliminated as the conveyors now run 24/7; product changeover times dropped from several hours to just 20 minutes; labour was redeployed to higher-value tasks; and product quality improved thanks to reduced breakage and a consistently hygienic operating environment.
Simplot Australia Case Study: tna roflo gateless food distribution solutions into the frozen food market
November 7, 2023
