Working With J. W. Allen

Rich Products Corporation is one of the nation’s foremost family-owned manufacturers of frozen foods, offering more than 2,000 products in the food service and in-store bakery sectors. They are also one of Span Tech’s oldest partners in material handling. Currently, Span Tech conveyors, powered transfers and other equipment are operating in many Rich Products locations, providing the same great service day after day, year after year.

In 1999, Rich Products acquired J. W. Allen & Co., a producer of frozen cakes, bakery mixes and icings with facilities located in Wheeling, Illinois and Morristown, Tennessee. Conveyors manufactured by Span Tech have been a continuous and reliable part of the Morristown plant since 1994, where they transport cake pans and depanned cakes before and after wrapping. The conveyance includes inclines, declines, horizontal bends, diverts, and packing. The boxes are accumulated and filled on the conveyors.

Minimal Maintenance

In consideration of the length of time in which the Span Tech equipment has been in service, Span Tech’s Customer Service Manager, Casey Thomas, visited the Morristown facility in the summer of 2008 to assess the wear on the conveyors’ chains and frames. After conducting a thorough inspection, Casey determined that the equipment was capable of running for many more years.

“We had Span Tech conveyors before the 1997 and 1999 lines were installed,” said Steve Lawson, Maintenance Purchasing Manager. “The conveyors have been very reliable; most are still running with the original chains.”

The maintenance team at the Morristown plant performs maintenance on a regular schedule, ensuring little or no downtime and providing major cost savings over the life of the system.