Challenge and Outcome: Bi-Directional Packing Conveyor for Frozen Fish Fillets

Wrightfield designed and delivered a bespoke bi-directional packing conveyor system for Iceland Seafoods in Grimsby, focused on improving the efficiency of their frozen fish fillet packing process.

Previously, the operation relied heavily on manual handling. Product was bulked into bins, transported, manually transferred onto weighing scales, packed into boxes, and then moved onwards for sealing before returning to the freezer. This approach was labour-intensive, time-consuming, and introduced unnecessary handling of the product.

The objective was to streamline the process by delivering product directly from the freezer tunnel to the packing operation, reducing handling and improving overall efficiency.

Wrightfield engineered a solution centred around a flighted incline conveyor, which transported frozen product directly from the nitrogen freezer tunnel up to an elevated packing platform. From here, the system fed into a bi-directional conveyor, a key feature of the design.

This bi-directional functionality allowed the customer to switch between two packing operations without changing equipment. Product could be directed towards a retail packing line for smaller pack formats, or diverted to a bulk packing line for wholesale output. This eliminated the need to swap out conveyor systems depending on production requirements, significantly improving flexibility and reducing downtime.

At the packing stage, operators were positioned to efficiently weigh and pack product into boxes. The system was designed to support continuous operation, allowing boxes to be filled, weighed, and replaced seamlessly. Once packed, boxes were transferred onwards for sealing and further processing.

By delivering product directly to operators and removing unnecessary handling steps, the system reduced labour requirements while improving consistency and throughput. It also minimised product handling, helping to maintain product quality in a frozen environment.

The result was a more efficient, flexible packing process that could easily adapt to changing production demands, supporting both retail and bulk output from a single integrated system.