A food processor experienced buildup of sticky, dehydrated cranberries on its plastic modular belt. Specifically, the product would cling to the joints between modules, resulting in accumulation and high amounts of scrap as the product transported around the end of the conveyor and dropped to floor or into scrap bins. Thousands of pounds of product were lost weekly, and the customer endured labor costs to clean the machinery and remove the waste.

To solve the costly scrap problem, the food processor required a food-approved belt with high release characteristics, a smooth surface structure, and suitability for inclined conveying of a sticky food product. Habasit satisfied this requirement by retrofitting the modular belt with the CNB-6EBC-A1 fabric belt, which features a modified TPO coating that boosts release properties. Further, the uniform high-release surface of the CNB-6EBC-A1 provided no place for product to become trapped and cling to the surface.

Once installed, the CNB-6EBC-A1 eliminated the sticky buildup and allowed for the successful transfer of product to the packaging process. As a result, the customer virtually eliminated product waste between processing and packaging, increased throughput, cleared floorspace of totes full of wasted product, eliminated safety hazards due to slippery product dropping to the floor, and made more effective use of resources tasked with waste removal and cleaning activities.

Overall, the food processor enjoyed substantial monthly savings by retrofitting to Habasit's high-release fabric belt:

• $20,280 in redeemed product, monthly
• $3,500 in belt replacement savings
• Reduction in labor and material costs

Total monthly savings surpassed $23,000.