Three operational problems show up in almost every kiwifruit packhouse and food manufacturing facility we visit. They are so common that many operations managers have accepted them as normal. They are not normal. They are solvable, and the fix is usually simpler than people expect.
This post covers the three challenges we are asked to solve most frequently, explains exactly why they happen, and describes what a well-designed solution looks like in each case. If any of these sound familiar, they are worth taking seriously because each one is costing you more than you think.
Unplanned line stoppages during harvest or a production run are among the most costly events in a food operation. One jam at a transfer point can stop the entire line for 10 to 30 minutes. Multiple jams in a shift accumulate into significant throughput losses, and if frequent enough, force operations managers to keep extra workers on the line solely to monitor and intervene.
The root causes are almost always one of three things: poorly designed transfer points that catch product at specific orientations; insufficient accumulation that allows back-pressure to build until something jams; or a system running at a speed it was not designed for because the operation has grown since installation.
What makes this particularly frustrating is that the jams look random. They do not occur at the same point every time. This makes them easy to dismiss as bad luck, when in reality they are a predictable consequence of specific design limitations.
The solution starts with a systematic review of every transfer point, mapping product orientation, speed differential, and gap geometry at each one. Most jams trace back to two or three specific points that can be redesigned without replacing the whole system.
Where accumulation is insufficient, we add zero-pressure accumulation zones — typically using motor-driven roller sections — that absorb speed variations without allowing back-pressure to build. The result is a line that recovers from downstream slowdowns automatically, without stopping and without operator intervention.
Component failures during operation are a different category of stoppage, but they share one root cause: systems not designed with their operating environment in mind. A belt specified for a dry warehouse will slip in the humidity of a kiwifruit packhouse. A drive motor sized for an average load will trip when peak load hits. A roller bearing not suited to regular washdown will seize within months.
These failures are predictable. They are not bad luck. They are the consequence of components not specified correctly for the environment they operate in. They will keep happening until the specification is corrected.
Every MCL system is specified for the actual operating environment, including temperature, humidity, washdown frequency, and load profile. Drive motors are sized to peak load with a minimum 15% safety margin. Bearings are selected for the specific environmental conditions. Belts are matched to the cleaning regime and product contact requirements.
We also offer Preventative Maintenance Scheduling (PMS) — a structured service programme that identifies wear before it becomes failure, with NZ-based parts stock available to minimise repair lead times when replacement is needed.
In kiwifruit operations, product damage in transit is a grading problem. Fruit arriving at the packing station with pressure marks, tray displacement, or seal damage has lost export value before it has even been packed. In food manufacturing, it shows up as label scuffing, seal failures, and carton corner damage that fail quality checks downstream.
The cause is almost always one of three things: product-to-product contact under back-pressure; excessive speed at transfer points; or a belt or roller surface inappropriate for the product being carried. Back-pressure damage is particularly insidious because it is not always visible at the time it occurs - trays loaded under pressure may look fine, then present with bruising during export grading days later.
Zero-pressure accumulation is the primary design solution for product-to-product contact damage. Motor-driven roller zones hold each item individually, so no item touches the item in front of it, regardless of what is happening downstream. When the downstream process is ready, zones release product one at a time, gently and under controlled speed.
At transfer points, we design the speed relationship between conveyors to match product length and orientation, so the product does not tip, rotate, or compress as it moves between surfaces. The right belt surface, the right speed, and zero back-pressure together eliminate the vast majority of in-transit product damage we are asked to investigate.
In kiwifruit operations, product damage in transit is a grading problem. Fruit arriving at the packing station with pressure marks, tray displacement, or seal damage has lost export value before it has even been packed. In food manufacturing, it shows up as label scuffing, seal failures, and carton corner damage that fail quality checks downstream.
The cause is almost always one of three things: product-to-product contact under back-pressure; excessive speed at transfer points; or a belt or roller surface inappropriate for the product being carried. Back-pressure damage is particularly insidious because it is not always visible at the time it occurs - trays loaded under pressure may look fine, then present with bruising during export grading days later.
Each manual intervention point on your line is a design gap with a direct mechanical solution. Vertical case elevators and spiral conveyors eliminate manual lifting between levels. Properly designed accumulation zones eliminate the need for workers to manage product build-up. Correct belt speeds and transfer geometry mean product arrives at every machine in the right orientation, at the right rate, automatically.
The goal is not to remove people from your operation. It is to redeploy them from tasks that a well-designed conveyor system can handle, toward tasks that require human judgment. EastPack, one of New Zealand's largest kiwifruit post-harvest operators, recorded a 120% productivity improvement following MCL conveyor system installation, driven primarily by eliminating manual intervention points across the line.
Unplanned stoppages, product damage, and excessive labour reliance are not separate problems. They are symptoms of the same underlying cause: a system not designed with enough detail around the specific operation it serves.
Each one is solvable. None requires replacing your entire system. Most can be addressed through targeted modifications — adding accumulation where it is missing, redesigning transfer points that create jams, specifying correct belt material for the environment, and installing vertical transport to eliminate manual lifts.
MCL offers free on-site consultations. We come to your facility, review your line, and give you a straightforward assessment of what is causing the problems you are experiencing and what it would take to solve them.