Challenge and Outcome: Pace Packing Conveyor System for Ready Meal Pots

Wrightfield designed and supplied a bespoke paced packing conveyor system for Kerry Foods (now Pilgrim’s Food Masters) at their Attleborough site, supporting the production of ready-to-eat food pots.

The system formed part of a make-up line where individual ingredients were manually added to pots by operators positioned along the conveyor. At the start of the process, empty pots were placed onto a chain and peg conveyor, which controlled both the spacing and movement of each pot as it travelled along the line.

This configuration created a fully paced production environment. Rather than operators working independently, the conveyor dictated the line speed — for example, running at a fixed rate such as 30 pots per minute. This ensured consistency in output, improved efficiency, and maintained a steady workflow across all stations.

Operators positioned along the line added specific ingredients to each pot, whether by weight or portion count, before the pots progressed towards the sealing stage. The system layout incorporated a 180-degree radius conveyor, allowing the line to be configured in a compact horseshoe shape, maximising use of available floor space.

A key challenge was integrating the conveyor system with the tray sealing machine at the end of the line. The sealer operated in batches, taking multiple pots at once. To manage this, Wrightfield designed and implemented a hold-back mechanism at the end of the radius conveyor. This allowed pots to accumulate and then be released in controlled groups, ensuring smooth, synchronised feeding into the sealing process.

The result was a highly efficient, controlled packing line that balanced manual input with automated flow, improving productivity while maintaining consistency and product quality.