How Combination Weighers Drive Productivity in the Food Industry
With rising labor costs and increasing demands for precision and hygiene, combination weighers have become essential for modern food production. This article explores how global brands like Nestlé and Hershey use combination weigher systems, and how Kenwei is making advanced automation accessible to domestic manufacturers.
The Evolution of China’s Food Industry
Following the "Ninth Five-Year Plan," China's food industry has seen tremendous growth, achieving notable milestones in scale and brand development. Leading domestic brands such as Hsu Fu Chi, Big White Rabbit, Alps, and Yake have emerged, contributing to an industry valued at over ¥15 trillion by 2020. However, despite these achievements, Chinese food manufacturers still lag behind international giants like Nestlé, Kraft, and Hershey in terms of production scale and labor productivity.
While top global confectionery brands post annual sales from ¥20 billion to over ¥600 billion, Chinese counterparts typically range between ¥500 million to ¥6 billion. The labor productivity gap is even more striking, with foreign companies significantly outperforming domestic ones.
Why Global Giants Invest in Combination Weighers
Foreign manufacturers face higher operational costs—particularly labor. For instance, an average worker in Europe or the U.S. earns more than $30,000 annually, roughly 30 times the wage of a worker in China. This economic pressure forces global companies to adopt automation to maintain competitiveness.
Combination weighers, especially multihead systems, offer unmatched speed and precision in quantitative weighing and packaging. These systems—costing between $150,000 and $250,000—are commonplace in Nestlé and Hershey factories, where hundreds of high-speed, 14- to 20-head combination weighers operate in a single workshop.
Each combination weigher system can:
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Save up to 60 employees (around $2 million/year)
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Reduce raw material waste by up to 30 tons annually
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Achieve speeds of 140+ packs per minute
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Improve hygienic management and plant space utilization
Their impact is both direct—cutting labor and material costs—and indirect, offering benefits in machine maintenance, hygiene control, and production consistency. It’s no wonder that combination weighers are often referred to as “the king of quantitative weighing.”
Closing the Gap: Kenwei's Role in Domestic Automation
Many domestic food enterprises have yet to adopt combination weighers, either due to limited awareness or the high cost of imported systems. This gap has allowed manual weighing or outdated cup-based systems to persist, limiting efficiency and competitiveness.
Enter Guangdong Kenwei, a pioneer in domestic intelligent weighing technology. Kenwei offers high-speed, high-precision combination weighers that make automation accessible to more Chinese manufacturers. With lower costs and proven performance, Kenwei's systems are helping businesses transition from labor-intensive production to automated, efficient operations.
From global names like Hershey and American New Food to leading Chinese brands like Qiaqia and Nissin, Kenwei combination weighers are powering a new era of productivity in the food industry. Their application is setting the stage for:
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Smarter factory environments
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Reduced operational costs
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Increased production automation
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Enhanced product consistency and hygiene
Conclusion
Combination weighers are no longer a luxury exclusive to global food giants. With domestic innovators like Kenwei, even small to mid-sized manufacturers can harness the power of automation. As China's food industry continues to grow and modernize, intelligent weighing systems will be at the heart of its transformation—ensuring quality, efficiency, and profitability.
About After Sales Support
How can I get technical support for my Kenwei machine?
You can contact Kenwei's technical support team via email, phone, or through our website.
Can I get remote troubleshooting assistance?
Yes, Kenwei offers remote troubleshooting for certain issues. Our technical team can guide you through diagnostics and help resolve issues via phone, video call, or online messaging.
About Product choice
How do I choose the right product for my business?
Choosing the right machine depends on several factors:
Product Type: Different machines are suited for different products (e.g., powder, granules, etc.).
Production Capacity: Consider the volume of products you need to process and the speed requirements.
Customization: If you have specific needs, such as the need for unique features or sizes, we offer customization options.
What is the difference between a multi-head weigher and a linear weigher?
Multi-head Weigher: Ideal for high-speed and high-precision weighing of products with irregular shapes or varying sizes. It provides multiple weighings in parallel for faster processing.
Linear Weigher: It is suitable for powder and granule. It is typically slower than a multi-head weigher but is effective for certain types of applications that require more continuous flow or controlled weighing.
About Solution suggestions
What are Kenwei’s primary solutions for industrial weighing and packaging?
Kenwei provides comprehensive solutions for automated weighing and packaging, including multi-head weighers, linear weighers, check weighers, metal detectors, and packing machines. These solutions are tailored to improve speed, accuracy, and efficiency in various industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
This type of weigher is designed to handle the unique characteristics of pickles, ensuring precise measurements for packaging and distribution. It uses a vertical single screw mechanism to feed the pickles into the weighing system, allowing for efficient and consistent weighing. This technology is particularly useful in food processing and packaging facilities where precise portioning is essential for quality control and customer satisfaction. This specialized equipment is perfect for accurately measuring and dispensing pickles in a production line or packaging facility. The vertical design allows for efficient and precise filling of containers, while the single screw feeding mechanism ensures consistent and reliable weighing.
The Standard Multihead Weigher features a high-speed, spring-free hopper with a new aluminum shell design, ensuring stable and fast weighing performance. The integrative welding of the mouthpiece case and middle seat enhances the overall machine strength. Ideal for weighing granular products like melon seeds, peanuts, nuts, almonds, raisins, candies, and pistachios, this 14-head multihead weigher offers hopper options of 1.6L and 2L. With a maximum weighing speed of 120 packs per minute, it delivers rapid and accurate results for high-volume operations.
The linear weigher is perfect for precise, quantitative weighing of powdery and small granular materials such as white sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, chicken essence, milk powder, coffee, seasoning powder, and more. Available in up to 5 different specifications, this linear scale offers a maximum weighing speed of up to 70 bags per minute, making it the top choice for accurately weighing powdery materials in high-speed production environments.
The Kenwei JW-B26 Single Multihead Weigher Mixing and Packaging System offers fully automated operation, completing feeding, weighing, filling, date printing, and product output with high accuracy and speed. Ideal for granules, slices, irregular shapes, and mixed products like candy, nuts, snacks, pet food, and even small hardware. Its versatility and precision make it a perfect solution for diverse packaging needs.
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