About the Customer: Midway Machine Technologies is a leading provider of tailored machine solutions for various industries including food, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and furniture manufacturing. With a client base spanning across the United States, Canada, and Europe, Midway excels in meeting specific industrial needs with innovative designs.
One of Midway Machine’s products that required added visibility is a production line for processing turkeys and chickens. These lines, spanning up to 200 feet in length, incorporate humane methods such as gassing to induce sleep in the birds, resulting in higher-quality meat with reduced stress levels.
Challenge: Midway identified the need to integrate cameras into these production lines. The issue was no one could see inside this machine to observe the turkey’s behavior. Technicians wanted to monitor turkey behavior and assess their physical reactions to adjust levels of gas as needed.
Midway came to HVS to find a solution that would provide high-quality visuals and be able to withstand the dirty environment.
Our Solution: After much discussion with the Plant Managers and Engineers, we designed a camera for Midway to integrate inside the machines that can capture live footage to be displayed on a monitor.
Due to the exposure to the animals and environment, we used stainless steel to avoid corrosion. Midway designed a washdown system that sprays each camera with fresh water to keep a clear view. The machines are also washed and sanitized daily, so the cameras needed to be able to withstand constant abrasive chemicals and temperatures. To fulfill this, HVS modified some of our weatherproof cameras with steel bodies for additional protection.
The interiors of the production lines are fully concealed and are completely dark, so we used infrared LED lighting. HVS did extensive testing using simulated production lines to ensure the camera’s lighting and lens focus were sufficient.
Results: After building a successful system with Midway Machine, our professional relationship is now reaching 15 years. Since the creation of the Turkey Monitoring system, Midway has integrated our camera systems into every one of their production lines. We sell this system as a standard option and have been maintaining replacement parts and additional orders at quantities of 9, 16, and 32 systems at a time.
Today: Today, we continue to provide multiple systems to Midway each year. We also provide replacement parts, technical support, and on-site visits as needed. Our ongoing collaboration has led to continuous improvements and innovations in our camera systems, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of Midway’s production lines.
Interested in more? Read our Customer Story – Custom Solutions – Tennant to learn about another custom case study. If you have an operation that requires additional complicated monitoring systems, please contact us today.
Written by Jessica VerBeek
