“I’m told to improve the yield rate, but I can’t find specific measures.” “I want to reduce waste on the factory floor and secure more profit.” For managers in charge of food processing sites, improving yield is an unavoidable challenge.
If you could improve your yield by 20% just by reviewing your current processes, how much extra profit would that generate annually? In many facilities, “over-peeling” and “quality variations” caused by manual labor mean throwing away profits that should rightfully be yours.
In this article, we summarize the fundamental causes of decreasing yield and specific improvement measures to break past the limits of manual labor and “maximize profit.” Please use this as your first step toward simultaneously reducing food waste and increasing profitability.
A change of just 1% in the yield rate makes a massive difference in annual profit. Today, I’ll introduce improvement hints you can start using on the factory floor tomorrow!
In the food industry, “yield rate” refers to the percentage of raw materials introduced that can actually be used as the final product (e.g., the edible portion).
The yield rate is generally calculated using the following formula:
Yield Rate (%) = (Weight usable as product ÷ Total weight of raw materials input) × 100
For example, if you purchase 100 kg of apples and have 90 kg of flesh left after removing the skin and core, your yield rate is 90%. The higher this number, the more efficiently you are utilizing your raw materials—meaning your “productivity is high.”
A serious issue in many facilities is “Over-trimming,” where perfectly edible parts are thrown away. Particularly in the peeling process, a single slip of the knife can cause a discrepancy of several percent.
You might think, “It’s only a few percent,” but in factories handling massive volumes of raw materials, that few percent often translates to millions or tens of millions of yen in losses (waste loss) annually. Improving yield is not just a cost-cutting measure; it is the absolute highest priority for strengthening a company’s profitable foundation.
If you are wondering “why our yield won’t improve” on the factory floor, the causes generally boil down to three main issues. Particularly in manual-labor-centric facilities, it is glaringly common that large amounts of edible parts are discarded unconsciously.
The biggest cause is the difference in skill levels among workers. For example, in peeling apples, an experienced veteran with a knife can maintain a yield of 85-90%. However, an inexperienced worker will inevitably peel too thickly, causing the yield to drop significantly.
What plagues the factory floor further is “balancing with speed.” When trying to shorten work time, knife handling inevitably gets sloppy, making “thick peeling”—where edible flesh is shaved off—the norm.
Unlike industrial products, every fruit and vegetable is different in shape and size. However, to prioritize operational efficiency, many factories instruct workers to “deliberately peel thickly so no skin is left behind.”
In peeling kiwis, many facilities cut off both ends and then slice it into a “polygon” instead of peeling it round. Actually, that’s a very wasteful way to peel!
When you use polygonal peeling (like chamfering) on small fruits like kiwis, a massive amount of perfectly edible flesh is discarded. These losses caused by “process convenience” slowly chip away at your profits.
Even if automated machines are implemented, ignoring blade wear or misaligned settings leads to uneven peeling and over-trimming. Relying on the assumption that “it’s the same setting as yesterday, so it’s fine” is dangerous. Constantly making optimal adjustments to match the condition of the materials is an absolute requirement for maintaining a high yield.
To improve food processing yields, you need a system that eliminates reliance on individual skills and manages the numbers. Specifically, the following three methods are highly effective: “Standardization via work manuals,” “Data visualization of waste loss,” and “Automation via specialized machinery (automated peelers).”
First, clarify the “peeling rules” for each workspace. Visualize the knife angles and movements of veterans, and share a standard yield rate as a target value. However, since it is manual work, it is difficult to completely eliminate fluctuations caused by physical condition or concentration, so manualization should be viewed merely as “raising the absolute baseline.”
Understand the numbers regarding “what time” and “on which line” the yield is dropping. In particular, if there is a difference in figures right after the shift starts versus right before it ends, the cause might be a drop in concentration due to fatigue. Showing the reality in numbers encourages a shift in consciousness among the floor staff (raising awareness of food waste reduction).
The most certain and dramatic method to improve yield is the automation of the peeling process. Modern automated peelers, utilizing sensor technology and proprietary peeling methods, can peel thinner and more uniformly than manual labor.
Automated machines are not just “fast”; they serve as “precision tools” to prevent raw material waste.
Related Article: Guide to Types and Selection of Food Processing Machines | Implementation Benefits and HACCP Compliance
The impact of yield improvement is most noticeable in large fruits like pineapples. We introduce a specific case of improvement that overturned conventional industry wisdom.
In pineapple processing facilities, the mainstream method for many years was to press down a “cylindrical cutter” to remove the core and outer skin all at once. However, because this method punches out a fixed size regardless of the fruit’s shape, massive amounts of delicious outer flesh are shaved off. In this case, the yield rate remains at a mere approx. 40%.
・Conventional (Cylindrical Cutter): Approx. 40% Yield
・ASTRA Peeling Machine: Approx. 60% Yield
By implementing an automated peeler, the yield improved by approx. 20%. This means that in a facility handling 1 ton of raw materials, the amount available to ship as product increases by 200 kg.
Furthermore, continuously peeling hard, large fruits like pineapples all day with a knife is excruciating heavy labor. When beginners hold a knife, not only is there a risk of injury, but they inevitably peel too thickly at first. Even veterans experience fatigue and boredom as time passes, leading to sloppy peeling.
With ASTRA’s machines, anyone can peel at the optimal thickness with just a switch. Not only are you freed from heavy labor, but the fruit flesh you used to throw away turns into profit. It’s the best!
The implementation of automation contributes massively not only to securing profit through improved yield but also to reducing the burden on floor staff, lowering turnover rates, and improving the work environment.
Improving yield in food processing is not simply a means of cost-cutting. It is a critical management strategy for utilizing raw materials carefully, alleviating the burden on workers, and maximizing corporate profit.
If you feel you have reached the limits of inconsistent manual skills or over-trimming due to speed prioritization, it might be a sign that you should review your “choice of tools” rather than demanding more “human effort.”
Related Article: What is ‘Over-trimming’ in Food Factories? The 3 Major Causes on the Floor and Proper Standards to Reduce Loss
ASTRA Inc.’s KA-750PM series of automated peeling machines was developed to maximize yield rates while reducing the burden on the factory floor. With optimal settings tailored to each individual piece of raw material, it enables the “ultimate thin peeling” that was impossible with manual labor or conventional cutters.
If you are thinking, “I want to know how much the yield would improve on our line,” or “I want to see the actual peeling results,” please feel free to contact us. Together, we will find the optimal solution for your facility.
Thanks for reading to the end! Let’s reduce waste and create a workplace where everyone smiles together!
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