Advanced Automation Boosts Efficiency in Beef Processing & Packaging for Major Retailer

Wunderlich-Malec Engineering (WM) partnered with a leading retailer to deliver advanced automation, production, and packaging system design using the Rockwell PlantPAx® distributed control system. Through collaboration with trusted design partners and reliable suppliers, WM engineered and built innovative production lines that maximize productivity, reduce costs, and enhance product quality across the beef processing and packaging operation.

Backed by decades of automation engineering experience, WM’s team develops solutions for even the most demanding environments—achieving client goals for sustainability, reliability, efficiency, and operational performance.

Background & Customer Needs/Requirements

A major global retailer requires new production lines to reduce costs, improve quality, create flexible and faster throughput in its new 300,00 plus square foot meat processing and packaging plant. Six production lines must be designed to deliver up to 75 million pounds of meat and build initially for 57 million pounds of display case ready meat packages. The project must:

• Minimize manual product handling risk in compliance with USDA.
• Enable high-mix production, with rapid product changeovers and running multiple Stock-Keeping Units (SKUs) on the same production line.
• Implement Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to calculate availability, performance and quality of the production lines.
• Enable “Smart Machine Controls” to improve line efficiency.
• Provide Vision and Barcode systems for sorting and validation.

The customers’ relentless commitment to providing low cost and high-quality products created uncompromising expectations for the project team to deliver a production facility that ensured the customer commitment could continuously be achieved.

WM ’s Approach & Solutions

1. Design Phase:
   • With our Client and their Construction Manager a design team was created to develop 30%-90% design packages that included:
     • Individual and utility line drawings (both plan view and elevation)
     • 3D line equipment modeling using Revit, Inventor and Navisworks
     • Provided VAE (Value-added engineering) solutions.
     • Analysis of equipment vendors with decision matrix.
     • Collaborated and worked with designers and with Conveyor Supplier using ACC and BIM 360 Autodesk products.
   • Coordinated with Client to select equipment suppliers for final design.
   • Created a mass-balance spreadsheet for each production line detailing flow charts, production rates/weight, Merchandising SKU data.
2. Rockwell PlantPAx Automation & Controls:
   • WM collaborated with Client in selection of Rockwell Studio 5000 v36 software with Allen-Bradley PLCs and PowerFlex VFDs.
   • WM’s Programming Approach:
     • Hybrid Mix of PlantPAx v4.10.06 Function blocks, custom AOIs, Ladder Logic for Line Control
     • Safety PLC code – Custom AOIs (Interlocks, E-Stop routines).
     • Machine sequencing for Lane changing, Crust Freezers, Portioners, Water Jet Cutter, Spiral Accumulators, Tray Wrappers, Metal Detection, Intralox Sorters, Bagging and Tote handling.
     • Used Machine Data and Photoeyes for data reporting to SAP.
     • Created interlock and timing logic for acid spraying to ensure cuts get sprayed and in compliance with USDA metrics.
     • Developed custom recipe management for VFD speed control based on Stock Keeping Units (SKU).
     • OPC data Collection from vendor machines.
     • Configured Stratix 5700 Ethernet managed switches.
     • Integrated Cameras for Vision System for cut size, sort and bag tray-count verification.
   • Network Topology:
     • With Allen-Brady Stratix 5700 network switches WM enabled CIP ring communications to VFD drives using E2P cards.
     • WM integrated communications into production machines and Clients IT master network switch.
   • Data Integration:
     • WM integrated production machine and line data into plant SCADA and MES systems.
3. Electrical Motor Starter and Control Panels:
   • WM designed, built and tested integrated motor starters and control panels in its Minnesota panel shop facility.
   • Integrating motor starters and controls into six 3-door 114” x 80” & two 4-door 157” x 80” panels reduce field wiring time and costs and improves quality.
4. Installation and Commissioning:
   • WM supported field craft with installation of equipment and utilities to ensure design criteria achieved.
   • Maintained RFI logs and action item lists to support scheduled completion.
   • Provided troubleshooting of installation, equipment and commissioning issues to ensure Client requirements and schedule were achieved.

Why Choose Wunderlich-Malec Engineering?

Wunderlich-Malec has leading the industry professional designers and engineers that listen to the customer and deliver project solutions that achieve their expectations and requirements.

Contact us today to learn how WM can provide you with process and facility solutions with our diverse team of design engineering of Subject Matter Experts.