Large Bacon Producer | Case Study

BAK Implements Natural Smoke Spiral System Dramatically Decreasing Labor and Increasing Consistency, Production Efficiency, #1 Bacon Yield

Facing Challenges in Bacon Production

One of America’s largest bacon producers, handling over 175,000 pork bellies weekly, struggled with labor shortages and inconsistent yields. Their production output relied heavily on the number of employees available each week—causing inefficiencies, delays, and missed targets. The solution? Automation.

BAK Food Equipment introduced its patent-pending automated smoking, cooking, and chilling/freezing spiral system to revolutionize the processor’s bacon production. Leveraging natural smoke, the spiral system achieved exceptional taste, texture, and color, rivaling traditional batch smokehouses. These automated systems offered significant efficiency gains, consistency improvements, and a rapid ROI for the bacon producer.

Seamless Product Movement and Logistics

With BAK’s system, pork bellies travel seamlessly via conveyors through the entire production line—from brine injection to smoking, cooking, and freezing. This automation eliminates the need for rail systems and manual labor traditionally required to move products between batch smokehouses. Additionally, pork bellies enter and exit the system in the same orientation, streamlining logistics and improving efficiency.

Eliminating Combing and Hanging

The spiral system removes the need for combing and hanging pork bellies, which has long been a labor-intensive, slow, and error-prone process. This innovation not only reduces labor demands but also prevents product damage from hooks and other manual handling issues. By removing this bottleneck, the system increases the yield of #1 bacon and improves overall safety and productivity.

Consistent Product Quality

BAK’s spiral system ensures every pork belly is treated under identical conditions, exposed to consistent temperatures and smoke throughout the process. This results in a uniform product with the same shape, color, texture, and temperature—something traditional batch smokehouses cannot achieve. Additionally, the system significantly reduces trim loss, maximizing output and profitability.

Results That Speak for Themselves

The impact of BAK’s spiral system is astronomical. Each line produces over 10,000 lbs. of fully finished bacon per hour while requiring fewer than two employees to operate. The processor now benefits from increased efficiency, improved product quality, and reduced labor reliance—all while achieving a quick return on investment.