Ryder System has expanded its Beaver Dam Logistics Center (BDLC), a food packaging and distribution center, located in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The 327,000 square-foot center, which includes a low-temperature environment, serves food manufacturers with production, packaging and distribution capabilities for a broad range of frozen and refrigerated food products.
Recently, Ryder expanded its BDLC facility to include 15,000 square feet, temperature-controlled technology that is used to pack meats, fruits, vegetables and refrigerated and frozen foods. In addition, the company added an advanced packaging line equipped with seven-station blending capability. The capability consists of automatic and semi-automatic cartooning and high-speed robotic palletizing. The expansion will enable the food packaging and distribution center to meet the rising volume needs and offer packaging for various products and blends in different sizes. The facility has a capacity to process about 75 million pounds of products per year.
BDLC comprises several capabilities, including high-speed robotic palletizing; vegetable processing, which includes sorting, inspection, cleaning and cutting; individual quick freeze (IQF); blending and mixing; and vertical form-fill seal for fruits, vegetables and other foods. The packaging formats offered by the facility are upright (doyen) bags, steamer, pillow pack and zipper top bags.
Darin Cooprider, VP of Consumer Packaged Goods at Ryder Supply Chain Solutions, noted that food manufactures are looking for distinctive and cost-effective ways to efficiently manage the processing, packaging and distribution of their products. The expanded facility will enable their customers to take advantage of the advanced technology, tools and processing capabilities and also enjoy the flexibility of the center’s space that can be accustomed to meet their changing requirements, added Cooprider.