Blanca Potato had a problem: the pallets in its new automated material handling system kept failing, causing shutdowns that disrupted distribution and delayed customer deliveries. PECO Pallet provided a crucial solution to the problem.
Rodney Smith has spent over 20 years in the potato industry and serves as the general manager of Blanca Potato, which supports five major potato farms in South Central Colorado's San Luis Valley. The company is one of the largest shippers of raw potatoes, processing about 2.2 million 50-pound bags annually for North America and beyond.
In the small farming community of Blanca, Smith faces challenges in recruiting and retaining workers for the physically demanding packing operation. Potatoes arrive in bulk, and the process of unloading, washing, grading, sorting, and packaging remains largely manual.
"Getting the potatoes into bags and crates, putting them onto pallets, has not changed a whole lot," Smith explains. "It is still mostly manual."
Recognizing the need for change, Smith began exploring automated material handling systems to replace manual labor with robotic equipment and conveyors. In Blanca's case, this shift promised to enhance efficiency and address staffing challenges for what was once a labor-intensive process of stacking packaged bags of potatoes on pallets and in crates and then moving them to other areas for shrink-wrapping, storage, and shipping.
For more information:
Gary Frantz
PECO Pallet
Tel: +1 (925) 594-1434
Email: [email protected]
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