As a small business, watching your customers grow and profits climb is incredibly exciting. However, many business owners make the mistake of immediately scaling up their workspace. Transitioning from a small to a medium-sized business does not require a bigger and more expensive space. It requires smart investments.
Moving to a large unit will bring with it legal fees, moving expenses, and general business disruption, which can be difficult to deal with as a newly growing business. Rushing into a new commercial location is often completely unnecessary.
Instead of instantly expanding your space, it is more important and effective to focus on increasing your "throughput density". Prioritising your production and increasing your output can be easily done in a limited space, with a few simple ways to upscale your machinery and production.
How To Increase Your Output
It is easy to blame your small workspace for holding back your production from satisfying newly increased demands. However, this is deceptive. A large space outfitted with inefficient, low-capacity machinery is not going to increase your yield.
Instead, focus on creating a workspace that configures higher-volume equipment in an effective and efficient way. You may think that more space will equal more production, but largely spread-out machinery can decrease the efficiency of your production lines.
You may think that upscaling your entry-level machinery will cause unnecessary expenses and eat into your new profits. But if low-volume and low-capacity machines are being pushed beyond their intended workloads, you may experience:
- Slower processing times. Underpowered machines will not be able to sustain high processing speeds or the volume of products. Therefore, you will not increase production speed to the level you require. This will cause a batch to take twice as long compared to a higher-powered machine.
- Accelerated wear. If a machine is being pushed beyond its limits, you will notice accelerated component wear. This will lead to lower-quality, inconsistent products and higher machine maintenance costs.
To effectively scale up your facility, you must evaluate and upgrade each station of your production line individually.
How to Successfully Upgrade Your Packaging Station
Compact, entry-level vacuum packers (such as the Henkelman Jumbo 42 or Mini Jumbo) will be the perfect size for small businesses for light daily use. However, you cannot force these small chambers to handle high-volume batches if they are simply not large enough.
To effectively upscale your operation, you will need to invest in a machine that is designed for medium-volume production and larger batches. These machines include:
- Henkelman Boxer range (42, 42XL, or 52).
- Henkleman Marlin range (52 or 90).
- Henkleman Falcon range (2-60, 2-70, 52, or 80).
If you are batch-preparing high volumes of products, you may want a machine that can process multiple large bags during one cycle. Therefore, choosing a vacuum packer with dual chambers will be a great option.
How to Upgrade Your Cutting Equipment
For a growing deli or butcher shop, a larger customer base brings heightened expectations for product quality, especially in presentation. Attempting to satisfy this demand for higher standards with a worn, over-worked entry-level slicer or bandsaw will not leave you successful.
Slicers.
Switching from a standard belt-driven slicer to a gear-driven one will make a huge difference to the cutting torque, which you will be able to see in the performance consistency. These slicers will also perform better with dense or hard products. To upgrade your slicer for better presentation and cutting speed, opt for the:
- Berkel Suprema range (315 or Macelleria).
- Berkel Domina range (370).
Pairing these models with compatible sharpening and honing stones will allow you to significantly reduce maintenance costs and time. These simple spare parts will ensure your blade is consistently sharp, reducing product wastage and greatly improving the presentation of your slices.
Bandsaws.
You may think that your entry-level bandsaw will withstand higher volumes as it already deals well with tough, frozen products. In reality, overusing this machine will still result in severe motor strain, worn components, and consequent expensive replacements.
Switching to a higher-powered machine that is designed for medium-volume use will not only increase your production but also reduce your maintenance costs. To upgrade your cutting, opt for:
Operational Layout
Having suitable equipment will have the most significant impact on your production. However, combined with an intentional layout of your workspace, you will be able to double your output.
When creating a productive layout, your product should move in one direction. Your production lines should never backtrack or cross over. Not only does this slow your production, but it can also be a serious food and health safety risk. Both the Food Safety Act (1990) and the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations (2013) outline the "raw" to "ready-to-eat" laws that prevent cross-contamination from occurring.
If your machinery is taking up all of your valuable work surfaces, invest in metal trolleys that will mobilise these compact machines. This way, you do not have to invest in large, high-capacity floor-standing machines that will take up more space and incur more expenses.
By mobilising equipment, you can also optimise separate storage spaces while the machine is not actively in use. Doing so will allow you to change your production line depending on your product. This means no matter what you are processing, your production line will be optimally productive.
Contact Us
At SMS Food, we offer full servicing for all of our products. Whether your machine requires a minor repair or an emergency breakdown fix, our team of engineers is on hand to help.
If you are simply looking for advice on what machine will best suit your operation, please contact us. Our team has 45 years of industry experience and will be able to guide you through upscaling your production effectively.