FEATURE Robotics
MEETING THE POULTRY PRODUCTIVITY CHALLENGE
Darren Chandler, General Manager for Protein Solutions at Ishida Europe, explores how robotic grading and packing systems are becoming an increasingly attractive solution in poultry processing
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abour shortages, rising throughput demands and increasing pressure to improve yields are creating new challenges for poultry processors. As
production volumes grow, traditional labour- intensive grading and packing operations are struggling to keep pace, while maintaining consistency, efficiency and profitability. Robotic systems could be the answer to these challenges.
Thanks to its affordability, versatility and status as a lean protein, chicken is becoming an ever-more popular choice with consumers. While this has served to drive higher production volumes across poultry processing, it has highlighted how some packaging operations are lagging behind the curve.
Many processes are heavily reliant on factory workers to inspect, sort, weigh and pack products; an issue exacerbated by ongoing challenges with recruiting and retaining staff. However, with production volumes having ramped up so dramatically – and the growing need for speed, consistency, and cost control – simply adding more workers is unlikely to resolve the problem. Emerging robotic grading and packing technology has a vital role to play in this regard. Fully automated robotic tray-packing solutions are helping to enhance accuracy and efficiency across processing lines while reducing waste and downtime. Indeed, some machines are capable of handling up to 320 chicken fillets per minute, reducing the reliance on labour and the possibility of manual errors, while increasing pack output. For example, at Maple Leaf Food’s poultry
processing plant in London, Ontario (above), Ishida’s RobotGrader and Flex Graders handle and pack all the prepared cuts from the 27,000 birds processed every hour, producing roughly 270,000 retail trays each day across 16 grading and packing lines. Combining weighing and pick-and-place technologies to
12 October 2026 | Automation
grade chicken fillets of varying weights and packing them at a fixed number of pieces per pack, the technology is capable of operating at the high speeds and levels of reliability processors require to meet demand. Achieving greater throughput is one aspect, but ensuring that the highest standards of quality assurance are provided is another altogether. Indeed, processors must not lose sight of their compliance requirements when they aim to ramp up production. When taking into account their obligations against Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, for example, processors must demonstrate their ability to identify potential biological, chemical and physical hazards, and implement controls to avoid or reduce risks to safe levels. This means putting appropriate measures in place to prevent foreign body contamination; a process that can prove more challenging when output is increased. A starting point here could be incorporating
remote monitoring and production software to provide data capture across connected equipment on poultry processing lines. Platforms such as Ishida’s Sentinel 5.0 provide real-time visibility of production line activity, collecting and analysing data from connected equipment to help operators identify trends, bottlenecks and potential issues before they impact productivity, or allow faulty packs from leaving the factory.
By transforming operational data into actionable insights, processors can spot trends quicker and make more informed decisions relating to not just quality assurance, but also line efficiency, maintenance requirements, giveaway reduction and Overall Equipment
Effectiveness (OEE), driving continuous improvement. Alongside remote monitoring and integrated data capture, combining X-ray inspection systems with grading and packing solutions can maintain and enhance quality control procedures. Such systems are capable of detecting small bones in fillets and other foreign bodies with a high degree of accuracy, thus reducing the rate of false detections and disruption to production. In turn, this can reduce the number of complaints received from consumers and ensure that relevant food standards are adhered to. With some X-ray systems able to operate,16 hours a day, seven days a week, inspecting 120 chicken pieces per minute for example, processors have the peace of mind that production and detection requirements are both being met.
Incorporating these technologies into existing
processing lines has many advantages, but space efficiency must remain an important consideration. Many poultry processing facilities have limited floor space, so ensuring compact, automated solutions are integrated wherever possible can support processors in increasing throughput while avoiding the need for costly extensions. Operational flexibility, however, lies at the heart of modern robotic grading and packing systems, with solutions designed to provide a solid foundation for future automation and evolving business needs. After all, with the rising demand for poultry expected to continue, processors need both the agility and capabilities to scale production to meet this demand. Automation gives them this and more, reducing the reliance on manual operations.
Ishida Europe
www.ishida.com/ww/en/
automationmagazine.co.uk
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