Internal Logistics and Plant Layout in the Canning Industry: flow, food Safety, and performance

In a canning factory, productivity is not solely dependent on machine capacity. It primarily relies on how the product, along with all associated elements, moves from its receipt at the plant to its exit as a sealed and sterilized can.

At Gaictech, we advocate that internal logistics and plant layout should be designed with a clear objective: reduce downtime, minimize contamination risks, and maximize the efficient use of available space, all without compromising product quality or food safety. The key lies in the strategic separation of areas, a layout designed to prevent bottlenecks, and automation that coordinates both transportation and process control.

Below, we outline the pillars of this concept for the optimal design of plants in the canning industry that work with tuna and pelagic fish such as sardines.

Zone Separation: Temperature and Cleanliness Levels

An efficient canning plant doesn’t mix processes with opposing requirements. Therefore, the design begins by dividing the space into zones with specific thermal and sanitary conditions, tailored to the behavior of each raw material (such as tuna or sardine).

Cold Zones: receiving and preparation

The purpose of this separation is to protect the product from the very first moment, during the initial stages of fish processing, such as sorting.

• Tuna: The raw material usually arrives frozen at -19°C and, after sorting, is kept in cold areas between 0 and 3°C.
• Sardine: Reception should occur in controlled environments, around 7-8°C, and the pre-packaging process should not exceed 10°C to prevent histamine development.

This initial control stage is critical as it sets the tone for the entire safety process.

Transition zones:

Before moving to the cooking stage, controlled thawing rooms using water or steam, along with cutting and preparation areas for cooking, are used to ensure a homogeneous thermal transition to the hot zones.

In practice, this helps stabilize the process and prevent temperature fluctuations that can cause issues with quality, performance, or inconsistent process times.

Temperature-controlled zones: cleaning

In products like tuna, the cleaning lines are located in climate-controlled rooms set at 19-22°C. Why? Once the loin is cooked, the risk of microbiological development increases if the environment is not properly controlled.

This is a layout decision with a direct impact on food safety, process profitability, and the final product quality.

Hot zones: cooking and sterilization

Here you’ll find the cookers and autoclaves. These areas do not require strict climate control and can operate like a standard industrial facility, always prioritizing an efficient raw material flow within the design.

As these are pieces of equipment performing thermal processes, even though they are insulated, it is recommended to have constant air renewal in these rooms to avoid a progressive increase in temperature during the day and to ensure the operation takes place in as clean an air environment as possible.

This is where automation possibilities come into play, which are vital to avoid certain manual tasks, especially around the periphery of the autoclaves in processes such as loading and unloading the equipment.

Clean zones vs dirty zones

This separation is quite common:

• Clean processing zone: This mostly corresponds to where the container is already sealed, such as washing, sterilizing, and storage areas.
• Dirty processing zone: This aligns with the beginnings of production lines, including thawing, cutting and preparation, cooking, cleaning, packaging areas, and liquid dosing.

In dirty zones, it’s also important to differentiate between areas where cleaned fish is handled for packaging and areas where waste generated during the process is managed, avoiding cross flows of these two types of products.

This reduces the risk of cross-contamination and organizes the movement of people, materials, and products.

Optimized Layout: Continuous Production

Designing a plant is more than fitting machines onto a floor plan: it is about creating a frictionless system. Gaictech places a special focus on ensuring that the production line is fluid, ergonomic, and robust against typical daily incidents.

Circular cleaning lines in closed circuit

Instead of straight lines—more prone to generating bottlenecks—Gaictech manufactures closed-circuit tuna cleaning lines with three levels:

• Raw material
• Clean loin
• Waste

This approach enhances the ergonomics for the operator, the process order, and the efficiency of the internal movement of the product.

Buffers: the breath of micro-stops

In the canning industry, it is common to have machines acting as buffers with intermittent behavior or to encounter micro-stops. To prevent these from halting the entire line, buffering hoppers are installed to allow operation to continue for several minutes even if an incident occurs.

This simple measure has a significant impact on OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) because it prevents incidents from turning into small production stoppages.

Parallel integration of complementary equipment

A typical example is installing the grill washer in parallel with the sardine cooker to reduce operator movements, shorten cycle times, and facilitate utensil reuse.

These distribution details collectively create a more agile and productive plant.

Internal transport and automation: less handling, more safety, and constant pace

Efficient internal logistics should focus on reducing manual handling and integrating transport as part of the process.

Gravity and vacuum transport

Depending on the phase and type of raw material being processed:

• Gravity dosing for oils and sauces.
• Vacuum aspiration for viscera extraction.

This approach enhances hygiene and reduces the physical strain on personnel, while also contributing to process efficiency.

Industrial waste management with evacuation

Waste management is also a part of logistics. Therefore, the design includes specific evacuation lines (for example, for mussel shells or cooked tuna waste) using screw conveyors to external silos, where shredders are often installed to reduce volume (in the case of mollusc shells), optimize truck collection, and keep the plant clean and operational.

In the case of the cooking of tuna and sardines, utilizing the fats and exudates from the cooker is essential for generating highly profitable by-products. In this area, it is crucial to integrate a collection and transport system for these liquids like those incorporated in Gaictech’s cookers.

Conclusion: a Plant Design to Produce more with less Risk

Internal logistics in a canning factory is not merely an operational issue: it is a competitive advantage. When plant layout separates zones sensibly, incorporates smart buffers, and automates transports and tasks, the results are clear:

• More continuous production.
• Enhanced food safety.
• Increased economic performance per square meter.

At Gaictech, we perceive plant design as a complete system: flow, temperature, cleanliness, transportation, and waste management. Because in the canning industry, every detail of the layout translates into real efficiency.