A clipboard next to the filler
Every so often during filling, an operator takes a few jars off the line, weighs them and writes the readings on a sheet. The sheet has the product, the target weight and some boxes. On a busy day, the checks happen less often than planned. Readings are rounded. Nobody looks at the sheet until the end of the run, when someone notices the last hour's weights crept up.
Too much product in each jar is margin given away. Too little is a problem of a different kind. Either way, it was visible on the sheet an hour earlier.
Paper cannot raise its hand
The operators are doing the checks. The trouble is that paper just records numbers; it cannot tell anyone that they are drifting.
- Readings are written by hand and sometimes rounded.
- Checks are skipped or bunched when the line is busy.
- Tare weights for the empty container are assumed rather than measured.
- Nobody sees a trend until the sheet is reviewed later.
- Sheets are filed separately from the batch record.
What drift costs
Overfilling is product you made and paid for, handed out free in every unit. On a long run it adds up to real money. Underfilling can mean reworking or holding stock, and is the sort of thing retailers and brand clients expect you to have under control. What limits apply to your products, and how you check them, is for you and your adviser to decide. We make sure the checks you decide on happen and are recorded.
Viscous products make the problem harder. A thick balm or a cream with a lot of body fills differently as the bulk cools or the hopper empties, so the filler that was accurate at the start of the run is not accurate an hour later. The operators know this, and adjust by feel, but the paper record does not show whether the adjustment came in time.
A filling log connected to the scale
- Each product and pack size has its target fill, limits and check frequency, as you set them.
- A check scale at the line is connected to a tablet or small computer. The operator scans the batch and places units on the scale; weights are recorded directly.
- Tare weights are recorded from sample empty containers at the start of each run, or on a schedule you set.
- Each reading is compared with the limits as it is taken, and a trend chart shows readings over the run.
- When readings drift towards a limit, or a check is overdue, the line lead is alerted on the screen.
- At the end of the run, the fill weight record is attached to the batch record automatically, and the average fill can be compared with the target.
| Part of the check | On paper | In the filling log |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Written and rounded | Read from the scale |
| Tare | Assumed | Measured and recorded |
| Spotting drift | At the end of the run | As readings are taken |
| Missed checks | Unnoticed | Flagged when overdue |
| Filing | Separate sheet | Attached to the batch record |
A line that tells you as it happens
Operators weigh as before, but the numbers go straight into the log and the screen shows whether the filler is holding target. Drift is corrected early. The person reviewing the batch sees the fill record with everything else. And you can see across products whether some fillers or pack sizes are consistently giving product away.
When a brand client or retailer asks how fills are checked, you can show them the log for any batch.
Does this happen on your line?
- Fill weights are recorded on paper sheets.
- Drift is noticed at the end of a run.
- Checks are skipped on busy days.
- Tare weights are not measured.
- Fill records are filed separately from batch records.