Potato chips is a treat which was
popularized in the 19 th century by the
Americans. Today chips are enjoyed all
over the world, and have become the staple
of every party, being a favorite snack, e.g.
when watching soccer games.
We wanted to see how the popular Lay’s
chips are made and decided to visit the
PepsiCo production plant in Grodzisk
Mazowiecki.
Before we enter the premises, it is
necessary to observe the current
pandemic-related restrictions and
requirements. Thanks to them the plant has
been able to safely continue the
manufacturing process throughout the
lockdown and beyond.
In order for chips to be made, we need
potatoes. PepsiCo is one of the biggest
buyer of the crop in Poland. Each year the
company contracts approx. 240,000 tons of
Polish potatoes.
The unloading of potatoes is fully
coordinated with the manufacturing
process. Fresh potatoes are processed on
an ongoing basis, therefore there is no
need for storage. Initial sorting and washing
are carried out at the provider’s site, i.e. at
the farmer’s.
Lay’s chips are made using the highest
quality potatoes sourced from 70 farms located across Poland. In 1993 PepsiCo
initiated the farming program which
provides for close cooperation with
Polish farmers. The company offers its
partners the required know-how, seed
potatoes, and tools required to farm
potatoes.
Using transmission belts the unloaded
potatoes are moved to the washing station.
Potatoes are driven using water as the
transmission agent, which helps to remove
any foreign material. The water necessary
for the process is re-used.
It’s time to peel the potatoes. Having
weighed the required amount, the potatoes
are moved to the peeling machine which is
a cylindrical container. The walls of the
drum are covered with an abrasive surface
over which the potatoes move. This is how
the thin layer of the potato skin is removed,
retaining the nutritional values found
directly under the skin.
The peeled potatoes are transported to a
quality control station. A state-of-the-art
machine rejects produce with visible
defects, such as dark spots or grazing,
which may be detrimental to the final look
of a chip.
The selected potatoes are then carried to
the cutting heads placed in drums. The
walls of the drums have special blades
installed. These can be flat, for making
regular, traditional chips, or corrugated, for
making wavy chips. On entering the drums
potatoes are set to rotate and the blades
cut the potatoes with high precision - to the
hundredth part of a millimeter, which then
ensures uniform frying and the required
texture of the chips. The plant
manufactures 5 types of chips in over 40
different flavors.
The chips are then dried and transported to
the chips fryer machine. They are fried in a
hot blend of sunflower and canola oils.
The chips fryer features a state-of-the-art
quality control mechanism which
photographs every single chip. The product
must meet the highest quality standards.
The fried chips must now be seasoned.
Natural blends of seasoning are used,
including chili, pepper, or dill. A few
rotations of a special drum are enough for
the chips to be well coated with seasoning.
As the chips are hot, the seasoning easily
sticks. From the drum the chips are
transported to the packaging line.
This is where the chips are weighed. Each
of the scales is equipped with 16 trays. The
computer-controlled dosing units move
chips from the trays so the actual package
weight corresponds to the value shown on
the pack. Individual flavor packaging film
rolls are used and chips are pushed to a foil
sleeve which is then formed using a special
flange.
Once the required dosage has been made,
the pack is heat-sealed at the top and cut
off. 3 kilograms of potatoes need to
processed to produce 1 kilogram of chips.
The ready packs are placed in cartons. One
of the 14 autonomous robots places the
cartons on pallets. The product is then
moved to the storage area. Each day over
100 trucks containing potato chips leave
the PepsiCo plant in Grodzisk Mazowiecki,
to be delivered to customers across
Europe.
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Factories is a journey through production plants. We are visiting industry. We were inspired by the popular program "How it's made?" Known from the Discovery television channel. Every week, together with our viewers, we visit the production plant to check how the selected production process is going. Every week, our channel receives a documentary film, from which you learn how things are produced. Among others machines, rope slings, yachts, wires, windows, railroad switches, radiators, polystyrene etc. You are probably also interested in how food is made? On our channel we showed, among others frankfurters, Pepsi, kebab, salty sticks, mustards, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese and many more. It's amazing how exciting production can be. Science and technology carry so much interesting information. Every week you get to know with us the curiosities of factories. The factory has no secrets for us.
17 сен 2020
