In the highly competitive food manufacturing industry, you’re constantly looking for ways to increase output, automate production, and minimize waste. Luckily, we live in 2025, when technology allows manufacturing facilities to deliver highly consistent products at an extraordinary rate. The role of automated checkweighers in reducing waste and ensuring quality cannot be understated, and has revolutionized how the most successful competitors in today’s industry operate.
This machinery quickly and precisely measures item weight as it moves through your conveyor line, instantly verifying regulatory compliance. With the ability to sync with real-time data systems, it offers insights into waste reduction techniques, allowing your business to increase profits. Below, our experts at TDI Packsys, offering state-of-the-art checkweighing technology, discuss everything you need to know about this technology.
What Is an Automated Checkweigher and How Does It Work?
An automated food checkweigher combines precisely calibrated hardware with integrated software to instantly weigh items coming through the conveyor belt, verifying compliance with your facility’s quality standards. If items are under or overweight by specified amounts, they’re redirected to a deviation area where your team can further inspect the product to determine the right steps forward.
Here’s how the technology generally works:
- Products move through the conveyor belt and feed into the weighing mechanism.
- The device accurately weighs the package using load cell sensors.
- The machine uses advanced computer processing to compare the identified weight with predefined target weights you set internally.
- The items are then sorted into green (perfectly accurate), yellow (slight variation), and red (outside of the target zone) categories.
- The machine collects data on all products to help you identify ways to reduce inconsistencies moving forward.
These systems can sort and weigh virtually any type of product, including various sizes and shapes. From frozen fish to canned goods, the machinery moves at speeds of up to 300 feet per minute, self-zeroing itself between items. The highest-end solutions offer a premier accuracy of 0.02 ounces.
Why Adopt High-Speed Checkweighers at Your Facility
Now you understand how the machinery operates, but what is the role of automated checkweighers in reducing waste? Let’s explore the key benefits you can achieve through this technology:
1. Minimize Product Giveaway Through Precise Measurements
When you leave your workers to weigh items manually, human error can quickly arise, leading to overfilled items. While your customers may love scoring bags of overstuffed chips, this can eat away at your profits and even compromise product sealing, integrity, and safety. Overfilling may not seem very wasteful, but when you’ve calculated the perfect quantities required for your facility to profit, excess goods add up quickly.
Another issue with overfilled items is serving sizes. Your consumers rely on the serving suggestions on your labels for accurate nutritional information. When you deviate from the stated fill weight, this nutritional information becomes inaccurate, which can lead to legal troubles.
Checkweighers prevent overfilling products through precise measurements, reducing excess usage of your valuable food items. For example, about 20 years ago, a popular condiment manufacturer began implementing checkweighers to remove just two grams from their bottles. While this minuscule amount may not be detectable by consumers, it offered significant cost savings when multiplied across their enormous production line.
2. Prevent Underfilling To Ensure Compliance With Quality Standards
Underfilling can be even more of a concern than the former. No one wants to open a box of crackers to see it nearly empty. If they do, they may file a complaint, leave bad reviews against the company, and damage your brand’s reputation.
These types of issues often snowball out of control. Social media might turn one small complaint into a major PR crisis, leading to legal action.
For example, one customer could post a photo of a nearly empty chip bag online, prompting others to do the same. What began as a simple photo could quickly turn into a class-action lawsuit and attack against your brand’s name.
Automated checkweighers detect and reject underweight products to prevent regulatory penalties and customer dissatisfaction. As soon as a slightly under-filled item goes through the line, it’s moved aside before it can get any closer to store shelves or customers’ hands. This allows you to maintain compliance and protect your reputation.
3. Heighten Production Efficiency With Real-Time Monitoring
Checkweigher systems connect seamlessly with the rest of your production line for real-time data integration, allowing you to monitor items moving through the conveyor belt and receive feedback on recurring errors. With the high level of analysis you receive, you can detect weight discrepancies early on in the process, reducing material loss and process re-work. The software also offers optimization insights, teaching you new ways to decrease waste generation.
For example, if it identifies patterns in rejected items, it can help you determine prevention strategies so you can see more “green lights” in the future. This could involve changing the materials you use on a certain bag or re-calibrating one of your fill systems to prevent issues earlier on in your process.
4. Reduce Waste for Facility Savings and Sustainability
Automated checkweighers play a huge role in reducing waste. Maximizing their potential requires analyzing the data they collect and acting on it. By implementing process improvements based on the system’s analytics, you can streamline your facility’s operations.
As you continuously monitor and adjust your efforts using advanced weighing technology, your facility will become more sustainable and profitable. This can help you achieve environmental goals, and you may appeal to more eco-conscious buyers.
How To See the Highest ROI With Your Equipment Investment
To achieve the full benefits listed above, your machinery must be properly calibrated, maintained, and operated. We recommend the following tips for optimal results:
- Follow manufacturer maintenance requirements: For efficient and safe operation, machines must be cleaned, inspected, and calibrated on a routine basis. We recommend following your manufacturer’s guidelines regarding cleaning standards and schedules. Be sure to routinely lubricate all moving parts and check for worn components.
- Regularly train operators: Optimal system performance depends on knowledgeable worker operation. While these systems are “automated,” your operators still must routinely monitor screens, calibrate settings, and perform maintenance tasks. Be sure to train your staff on all standards and keep them updated on the best practices to prevent manual error.
- Follow environmental control standards: While modern checkweighing machines can operate under flexible conditions, you should still check your manufacturer’s guidebook for recommendations on temperature and humidity control. To prevent system malfunctions, you may need to install a dehumidifier or additional ventilation to keep your facility in the right operating conditions.
- Use the correct materials: Most units can handle a wide variety of packaging materials and types. Still, some systems operate more efficiently when working with specific items, so be sure to verify that your checkweigher is compatible with the food you’re sending through your production line.
Upgrade Quality Control and Waste Reduction at Your Facility Today
The role of automated checkweighers in reducing waste must not be overlooked. These systems prevent product giveaways, protect brand esteem, increase facility efficiency, and ultimately allow you to create a more profitable business structure.
When you’re ready to upgrade quality control in your facility, look no further than TDI Packsys. Call us today at (877) 834-6750 to learn about our industry-leading checkweighers.
