Meat+Poultry - November 2021 - 16

SOSLAND PUBLISHING
years
all this change and innovation has been
processor need.
" The need for increased automation has
driven technological advancement in the
equipment industry for decades. Processors
have always looked for solutions that can
provide more capacity, faster throughput, and
more efficiencies. Throughout history they have
wanted solutions that enable them to be more
precise, more productive, and more profitable,
and that continues today, " Bryant said.
WRAP IT UP
Packaging meat used to
be a very labor intensive
job. Each piece of meat
was placed into a bag,
vacuum sealed, clipped
and then moved on.
started to use an assembly line system to
move product through the operation. In the
1870s, in plants in Chicago and Cincinnati,
slaughterhouses used monorail trolleys to
move the carcasses past the line of workers,
each of whom performed a specific task. This
is often historically referred to as a " disassembly "
line.
The process of different workers
performing singular tasks was later adopted
by other industries, but not truly recognized
for its efficiencies until Henry Ford designed
an assembly line in 1913 to manufacture his
Model T cars. He credited the meat packing
" dis-assembly " lines with giving him the idea.
Thanks to this highly efficient process (which
cut the time it took to assemble a car from
12 ½ hours to 93 minutes), Ford was able to
drastically reduce the price of its automobiles.
" Many initial advancements were focused
on providing faster machines that could handle
more capacity, but as the technology improved
so did innovation, " said Wayne Bryant, senior
vice president of sales for Reiser USA, which
was founded in 1959 as the service and sales
agent of Germany-based Vemag. " For example,
electronic advancements led to more precise
machines that provided better, more consistent
portions and limited re-works and waste.
Improvements in packaging resulted in more
attractive solutions that provided better food
safety and longer shelf life while using more
sustainable materials. The one thing driving
16 MEAT+POULTRY | 11.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
As a part of this year's Pack Expo show in Las
Vegas, PMMI - The Association for Packaging
and Processing Technologies, put together
an exhibit called Pack to the Future, which
featured 25 historic machines, more than 230
photos, 250 packaging facts and a lineup of
speakers. Jack Aguero, president of Aguero
Associates, and Meyer were co-curators for
the event. During the 18-month long process of
procuring equipment, photos and facts about
the history of packaging, the two learned a
lot about the evolution of the industry and its
impact on society as a whole, as well as on its
influence on the meat industry.
Packaging can trace its roots back for
centuries. Pottery was an early form of
packaging, as was paper, glass, metal and later
plastics. Each material has its own history and
evolution through the years and variations in
uses, especially when it came to food.
" As civilizations developed, goods needed
to be packaged for transport. Packaging
grew in sync with the ideas of commerce
and trade, " Meyer said. " Historically, you can
see how packaging has really impacted and
benefited mankind. Many of the things that
we have today are because of how packaging
has evolved. Culture wouldn't have developed
the way it has throughout history if we didn't
have packaging. "
Some packaging developments were out
of necessity, while others occurred almost by
accident. In 1809, General Napoleon Bonaparte
offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could find
a way to preserve food for his troops. Nicholas
Appert, a Parisian chef, discovered how food
sealed in glass containers and then boiled
would help food stay fresh for long periods.
But glass wasn't ideal for transporting to the
troops, so soon after Peter Durand of Britain
Sealed Air / CRYOVAC brand
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