Unorganized Packing Shed Layout Can Waste Time, Money

This article appeared in "The Vegetable Growers News," April 1999.

Packing produce in an unsystematic manner wastes time and effort, and may lower produce quality. To help growers design a more efficient packing line, the University of Wisconsin 'Healthy Farmer, Healthy Profits' program has come up with some tips and design schemes.

Time and money can be saved by designing a well organized, clear, step-by-step flow for tasks and products in the packing area. Growers should analyze their packing shed layout to see if packing time can be reduced by changing routines or habits. Diagramming the layout will make it easier to identify areas where the flow of activity can be streamlined. Any time saved during produce packing will save money. Indirect savings come from creating a more comfortable work area that will be healthier and less hazardous for workers. If produce moves quickly through the packing process, it will maintain a higher quality, and be fresher when packed.

Growers should diagram, on paper, the flow of the product from the field to packing box to cooler and to truck. Note the work stations. A good idea is to have an outsider describe the flow so no details are overlooked. Videotaping the packing process may also help reveal inefficient steps.

There are several considerations for an efficient layout, including:

• Consider the general flow of the produce. Try to create a step-by-step task line that doesn’t waste effort. For example, do all of the crops need to be washed? Do some need to be spray washed and others dunked? Are both water and electricity needed at some workstations, but not others? Could two task lines be run into a shared workstation that has water and electricity? Could side-by-side task lines that intersect at a shared workstation where boxes are packed be set up? Could circular task lines intersect into a shared workstation?

• Is there a clear, uncluttered path for the produce and workers to follow?

• Is the space large enough for the packing needs?

• Is there plenty of light?

• Is the floor level and smooth to allow the use of wheeled carts or hand trucks? A concrete floor is most effective, followed by asphalt and packed road-base gravel. Dirt and wood chips hold water, and are unsanitary. With a smooth floor you can set up a pallet system with narrow pallets and a hand truck or full-sized pallets and a hydraulic jack.

• Is there enough water to frequently change wash water? Do wash tubs drain away from the work area, or must they be carried and tipped to empty? Could a splash guard or collection trough under a screen table be used? Is there a hand-washing station?

• Are work surfaces easy to sanitize?

• Is there enough shade for both the produce and workers? Could fans or mosquito netting be used to improve worker comfort? Is drinking water available?

• Are workstation heights adjusted to the individual workers? For lightweight items, efficient work height is halfway between wrist and elbow, measure when the arm is held down at the worker’s side. For heavier items it is slightly lower. Could some workers use a step-stool? Could some tasks be done while sitting? Consider setting up workstations so that you move produce toward your leading hand; for example, left to right for right-handed people. Workers will have more control and be more accurate.

• Do electrical cords and outlets have ground fault circuit interrupters? They are inexpensive and easy to install, and can prevent electrocution.

This material was developed by the 'Healthy Farms, Healthy Profits' Project, whose goal is to find and share work efficiency tips that maintain farmers’ health and safety, and also increase profits.

For more information, call (608) 265-9451 or visit the web site at

http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp