Barbers Farmhouse Cheesemakers – automation increases profits

Barbers is a traditional cheesemaker using 60 year old recipes but also ensures their production operations are up-to-date and effective.

Customers require specific portion sizes and weights must be tightly controlled as legislation requires the average weight of any batch to be above the weight specified on the label and only a small number of portions are allowed to be below this weight. The challenge is to meet this legislative requirement and also to minimise the oversize known as giveaway.

By implementation of an automated weighing and cutting system Barbers has been able to reduce this giveaway from between 4% and 5% down to less than 1%. With output of 14 tonnes of cheese per day this saving is equivalent to 2,600 extra portions in a single shift which is worth up to £3,000 per day dependent on the type of cheese being produced.