Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods Canada's Saint-Laurent plant produces 30 different SKUs of barbeque sauce at up to 265 bottles per minute. Laser-based barcode scanners required frequent manual adjustment during product changeovers because code positions varied by label design. The technical team spent considerable time managing scanner adjustments and troubleshooting no-read failures, diverting them from other work.

Kraft replaced laser-based barcode scanners with Cognex DataMan 300 image-based ID readers. The 800x600 pixel resolution captures the entire label, reading codes regardless of position. The 1DMax+ algorithm with Hotbars technology handles difficult linear barcode-reading on high-speed lines. Built-in Ethernet enables easy PLC communication. The system was rolled out across four readers on the barbeque sauce line and three additional lines.

Read rates improved to 99.9%+, virtually eliminating read failures. Line changeovers no longer require scanner adjustments, freeing the technical team for other work. The readers proved economical to purchase and easy to install and maintain. The solution was successfully expanded from one line to four total lines.

• Image-based barcode readers eliminate the position sensitivity and adjustment burden of laser-based scanners
• Near-perfect read rates reduce false rejects and improve overall packaging line efficiency
• Allergen management in food production requires reliable barcode verification to prevent costly recalls