Weighing giveaway under increasing pressure from costs, supplier argues

Ishida Europe believes higher input costs, tight margins, inflation and sustainability priorities are pushing manufacturers to address giveaway.

Product giveaway has long been a challenge, says product manager Dean Ball. But with persistent UK inflation, rising labour and energy costs taking their toll, even small levels of overfill can significantly erode profitability over time.

“Giveaway is often seen as an unavoidable cost of doing business, and with factories managing multiple day to day priorities, opportunities to address it can sometimes be overlooked,” says Ball.  “For this reason, the way performance data is captured, presented and acted upon is becoming increasingly important. Real-time visibility allows manufacturers to identify trends early and take corrective action, helping to bring product giveaway under closer control. Solutions such as AI driven remote monitoring systems are designed to support this by turning data into practical insights that can significantly improve weighing accuracy.”

So why does giveaway happen in the first place? “Higher line speeds can increase variation from the target weight, increasing the likelihood of overfilled packs,” Ball says. “This is often compounded by more complex product mixes and formats, ageing equipment, inconsistent maintenance and a natural tendency to overcompensate to avoid underweight risk.”

It will often come down to how effectively multihead weighers are set up and operated as the core portioning system on the line, according to Ishida. Factors such as product feed consistency, hopper configuration and timing, surface and material selection and regular performance checks all have a direct impact on weighing accuracy and overall control.

“This is where data becomes increasingly important,” says Ball. “By improving how performance is monitored, visualised and acted upon, manufacturers can identify the root causes of variation earlier and make more targeted adjustments. Solutions such as AI driven monitoring platforms, including Ishida’s Sentinel 5.0, support this by turning production data into clear, actionable insights.”

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