Automation Solutions for Your Production Line
Between strict food safety regulations, hygienic design standards, and pressure to meet growing demand, food and beverage manufacturers need production processes that are cleanable, reliable, and built for speed. Every piece of equipment must withstand washdowns, minimize contamination risk, and maintain uptime.
Automation for heating equipment, fermentation equipment, packaging systems, and other machinery that aids in the production of food products is the best solution for these industry-wide challenges and demands.
Melton Machine & Control Company designs automation systems for food processing industry machinery applications. We build custom solutions that streamline your workflows, reduce operator exposure, and increase throughput, all without cutting corners on cleanliness or compliance.
Why Implement Automation Into Your Food & Beverage Processing Line?
At Melton, we know that cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and safety are some of your top concerns. Our automation solutions can help you check those items off your list while also addressing common industry challenges and demands, such as:
Stringent Sanitation Standards
Food and beverage facilities operate under some of the most rigorous safety guidelines in manufacturing.
USDA and FDA regulations require equipment that can withstand washdowns, resist corrosion, and avoid contamination risks. Automation systems must feature smooth surfaces, food-grade materials, and hygienic design principles that prevent bacterial harborage. Melton builds custom systems that meet these demands without compromising speed or durability.
Labor Shortages & High Turnover
Roles in sanitation, inspection, and repetitive packaging are notoriously hard to staff and retain. Many facilities experience constant churn, increasing training costs, and risking slowdowns on the line. Automation helps stabilize these areas by taking on high-fatigue, high-turnover roles with machines that never call out. The result is steadier output and less reliance on a shrinking labor pool.
Shelf-Life & Packaging Accuracy
Inaccurate fills, weak seals, or improper dating can lead to spoilage, recalls, or lost retail contracts. Food-grade automation helps ensure consistent portioning, label placement, and sealing, protecting both freshness and your brand.
Melton’s custom systems improve end-of-line precision to help you maintain expectations and avoid costly rework. Accuracy at this stage keeps your operation compliant and competitive.
High-Speed, High-Volume Demands
It doesn't matter if you’re packaging snack kits or beverage cartons; speed and scale are non-negotiable. But manual workflows can’t keep up with modern line expectations, especially during peak seasons. Our automated systems are engineered for continuous motion, fast changeovers, and tight cycle times, so you can move more product without adding headcount. That means better margins and shorter lead times.
Waste Reduction & Sustainability
Overfilled packages, damaged goods, and off-spec cuts add up to serious waste and lost profit. Automation improves consistency, reduces human error, and enables precise portioning that minimizes scrap. With less material waste and better yield per batch, your operation can meet sustainability goals while protecting the bottom line. It’s a win for both efficiency and the environment.
Traceability & Regulatory Compliance
Modern food and beverage processors need detailed records, fast. Melton’s automation platforms integrate scanners, batch coding, and QC checkpoints to create a clear data trail. From lot-level traceability to recall readiness, our systems give you the transparency required by regulators and demanded by supply chain partners. You’ll always know what went where, and when.
Why Implement Automation Into Your Food & Beverage Processing Line?
The experts at Melton offer the following automated and robotic systems tailored to your food and beverage processing equipment applications.
Automated Materials Handling & Processing Machines Built for Clean Zones
Raw goods, finished products, and waste all need to move without cross-contamination or disruption. Melton designs sanitary materials handling systems that integrate seamlessly into your production flow, from ingredient intake to final packaging. Our AGVs/AMRs, overhead cranes, and robotic machine tending systems offer fewer touchpoints and more consistent movement, so your facility stays cleaner and more efficient.
Robotic Cutting Systems with Food-Safe Precision
Food processing requires exact cuts, consistent portions, and minimal product damage, often at high volumes. Melton’s robotic cutting systems use blades or ultrasonic tools, depending on the application, ensuring accuracy and sanitation.
Our machine solutions are engineered for easy disassembly and cleaning, with stainless steel construction and food-safe enclosures. Whether you're portioning meats, trimming baked goods, or slicing produce, we build solutions that can keep up with your line speed and cleanliness standards.
Collaborative Robotics Packaging for Food Lines
End-of-line packaging in food facilities must be fast, accurate, and hygienic, especially when dealing with perishable items or variable SKUs. Our packaging automation solutions include case packers, sealers, labelers, and cobot-assisted stations built for food-grade environments.
Cobots can handle tasks like box loading, label application, and carton erecting with minimal training or floor space. Each system is designed for flexibility, so you can maintain throughput during product changeovers or SKU shifts without sacrificing safety.
Why Choose Melton for Automation Solutions in the Food Industry and Beverage Industry?
More than 55 years of automation experience is only the beginning. Here are a few more reasons why food industry professionals across the country choose Melton:
Designed for Your Plant, Not Just the Product
Before we ever start designing, we take a close look at your entire facility layout. That means understanding your product characteristics, flow direction, sanitary zones, shift patterns, and CIP requirements.
Every automation solution is mapped to fit your space and priorities without disrupting upstream or downstream operations. It’s how we make sure your new system feels like it always belonged there.
Engineered for Cleanliness and Throughput
In food and beverage, there’s no margin for error. Our systems can be built with stainless steel frames, hygienic welds, and washdown-rated components designed to meet food safety requirements and maintain speed under daily use.
We understand how to balance open design for sanitation with the tight tolerances required to hit production quotas. The result is machinery that cleans easily, runs efficiently, and holds up under pressure.
We Don’t Leave Until It’s Running Right
Getting a food-grade automation system dialed in takes more than plugging it in and walking away. That’s why we stay hands-on after delivery, fine-tuning performance, adjusting parameters, and solving for any last-mile issues on the floor.
Our team works side by side with yours until everything is running cleanly, safely, and reliably in a live production environment. We’re not satisfied until your automation solutions are up and running smoothly.
Let’s Build Smarter Food Production Processes Together
At Melton, we engineer automation solutions that support your entire production process, from raw intake to final packaging and everything in between. If you need industrial-grade equipment, our team will tailor a solution to your facility and workflow.
With decades of experience in the industrial food processing sector and a deep understanding of what drives customer satisfaction, we’re here to help you meet demand, reduce risk, and deliver consistent food products at scale. Contact us to get a free automation assessment today.
