OneFlow reinserts products with the right timing

27 Oct 2026

"By correctly timing the reinsertion of products on the belt, OneFlow increases efficiency and yield while reducing labor costs. It eliminates the need for an additional operator whose sole task was to position products before cutting or packing," says Birgir Freyr Ragnarsson, JBT Marel Global Product Manager.

Organize the flow

In today's secondary processing lines, from deboning to packing, many operators still perform manual tasks. After their interventions, product flow on the belt can quickly become chaotic, as there is no way to organize items consistently.
But now, there's OneFlow. Birgir Freyr Ragnarsson continues, "OneFlow finds the ideal moment to reinsert a product on the conveyor belt. At multiple manual handling points in the post deboning process, it can ensure consistent, singulated product flow. Most of the time, OneFlow will be combined with trimming."

Buffer and release

The 'dropper', a product holding hopper above the belt, is the key component of OneFlow, acting as a buffer and release bin. Operators place their treated products into this dropper. By tracking the position of each meat piece on the belt, OneFlow's software precisely detects when there's an empty space available for an additional item. It keeps the product in the dropper, buffering it until the optimal moment for release, which ensures the integration with the flow on the belt. OneFlow not only singulates the product flow but also positions the products accurately on the belt, long side leading. OneFlow therefore precisely organizes the infeed for downstream processes. Up to 120 fillets per minute can be handled, all the time maintaining a consistent flow. The reduced manual handling also benefits food safety.

Ergonomics

By simply placing the product in the dropper right next to their cutting area, operators no longer have to reach over to the conveyor belt to return the product to the flow, a position that is always further away. This ergonomic improvement in handling eliminates repetitive strain injuries and creates more comfortable working conditions.

OneFlow with AMF-i

Operators at the AMF-i breast meat deboning system typically inspect fillets to determine whether they are A or B-grade and which ones require trimming. When equipped with OneFlow, the operator puts B-grade fillets on the top belt to be manually trimmed. A-grade fillets are put in the OneFlow dropper, which releases them in a controlled way long-side leading onto the main product belt. These A-grade fillets are now well-positioned for downstream processes and remain untouched during the rest of the process.

OneFlow at a trimming station

OneFlow can also do its job at the trimming station. While off-cuts and trimmings disappear from the line, operators put the trimmed product in the OneFlow dropper. The product will only return to the belt when there's an empty space, merging well with products already there.

OneFlow with SensorX

Rework at the SensorX often poses a major challenge for processors. Operators removing the bone usually put the reworked fillet randomly on the belt. If it is put back too close to another fillet with a bone, it will be rejected again. OneFlow prevents this. Once the reworked products are put in the dropper, OneFlow finds just the right time for the product to return to the belt. Such a singulated product outfeed benefits downstream applications such as graders, portion cutters or packers and saves an operator who repositions products on the belt.

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