Case Study: First Orifice Gate Valve Still Operational At Meat Processing Plant

Westwind Industries of Wichita, Kansas, produces a variety of meat analog (meat alternative) products from soy protein. These products include bacon bits, beef, ham, chicken, sausage and pepperoni granules. A Westwind product many people are familiar with is Bacums™. It is marketed as a "better than bacon choice." Bacums™ are identical to bacon in taste, flavor and texture. However, they are 50% less expensive than bacon, require no refrigeration, contain no cholesterol, and offer up to four times the protein.

When Westwind began production in 1978, a problem encountered in their production process was the inability to meter the flow of product at the same rate of speed as it was produced. This operations bottleneck was creating customer dissatisfaction resulting from missed delivery dates and monetary penalties occurring for detaining overseas containers.