Casing Removal Systems

Background

Since 1939, Dietz & Watson has manufactured high quality beef, pork, ham, turkey, and chicken products in Philadelphia, PA. As part of a facility modernization program, the company decided to update the ready-to-eat hot dog processing, packaging and shipping operations in its plant to bolster food safety. Specifically, Dietz & Watson wanted a system to remove waste casings from its five Townsend 2600 frankfurter peelers as well as waste trim from four packaging lines and bag cut-off trim from two Cryovac bagging lines. The removal system needed to be as trouble-free as possible while achieving maximum production.

Problem

The existing casing removal system in the plant had several shortcomings.  The old system discharged waste casings into a trailer, which once full meant production had to stop until a new trailer was placed in position. They were looking for a solution that was faster, cleaner, and more reliable. Requirements for the new system included:

• Components had to be clean-in-place to eliminate the possibility of contamination
• Continuous operation without plugging under peak demand
• Easy to operate, without valves, canisters, and timers
• Collection of both the waste casings and the packaging trim from the packaging and bagging lines.

Solution

Quickdraft designed Casing Removal Systems (CRS) to operate continuously, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In the Dietz & Watson CRS, all conveying lines and other surfaces in contact with the product are stainless steel, allowing system blowers to circulate a caustic solution through the casing conveying tubes on a daily basis. In addition, the system’s design allows for periodic steam purges, and the conveying path from peelers to discharge into the compactor is completely unobstructed. There are no valves, dampers, or canisters to malfunction or to be maintained. Quickdraft designed the Dietz & Watson system so casings, packaging trim, and Cryovac trim all discharge into the same air/material separator. This separator drops the material into the compactor and allows the conveying air to dissipate into the atmosphere. Once the system was installed, it took Quickdraft just four hours to train the hot dog line operators to operate and clean the CRS.

Results

Not only did Quickdraft successfully meet the immediate need for a new CRS, they were able to accommodate a plant expansion several months later. The new separator location required a 100-foot addition to each of the conveying tube runs. Instead of a costly modification, Quickdraft was able to accommodate the change simply by upgrading the motors in the system. Dietz & Watson also reconsidered the need for a back-up compactor when Quickdraft’s engineers were able to incorporate an accumulation chamber within the discharge chute to accommodate waste while the compactor was taken to an off-site disposal point. All in all, a successful job with a great customer!