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Your Product · Cheese

Cheese packaging automation
from soft goat to aged Gouda.

Slices, sticks, blocks, shreds, wheels, and soft cheeses — JLS's VOB 2.0 tooling handles the soft, sticky, irregular cheese formats that are genuinely difficult to automate. Made to get wet. Built to fit FDA-regulated dairy environments.
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70+
Years of automation engineering
Multiple
U.S. patents (food)
IP69K-capable
Washdown construction
U.S. Built
Engineered in-house

JLS builds robotic packaging automation purpose-built for cheese — vision-guided systems that load slices, sticks, blocks, shreds, string cheese, and soft cheeses into thermoformers, MAP trays, VSP trays, cartons, and cases. JLS-engineered VOB 2.0 tooling handles soft, sticky, irregular cheese formats that demand specialized tooling, and IP69K-capable construction stands up to daily washdown in FDA-regulated dairy plants. Every line is engineered, programmed, and supported entirely in-house by JLS.

In action

Watch JLS handle cheese — at full production speed

Barron County Cheese — customer story Customer Story

Barron County Cheese — customer story

How Barron County Cheese automated thermoformer loading and case packing with JLS.

Pain points we solve

Cheese & dairy's toughest packaging headaches. Solved.

We've spent decades on dairy lines. These are the problems cheese processors bring us most — and how JLS robotics solve them.

Sanitation icon The challenge

Sanitation & food safety under constant washdown

How JLS solves it

JLS cheese systems can be built with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X controls, and open-frame stainless, and designed to fit FDA-regulated dairy environments — built for the daily high-pressure washdown these environments require.

Product handling icon The challenge

Soft, sticky, fragile cheese that deforms

How JLS solves it

VOB 2.0 vacuum-on-board tooling and custom EOAT handle goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, and shingled slices gently — gentle, consistent handling.

Labor icon The challenge

Labor that's hard to staff in cold, wet rooms

How JLS solves it

Vision-guided robots take over the cold, repetitive packing positions, fill chronic labor gaps, and free your people for higher-value work.

Throughput icon The challenge

Throughput & consistency capped by hand-packing

How JLS solves it

Talon®, Osprey®, and Peregrine® run at line speed with repeatable placement every cycle — from the VEMAG extruder through the thermoformer and into the case.

Applications

Cheese packaging automation, loading to case packing.

From primary loading through case packing and cartoning, JLS automates every step of a cheese & dairy line — Talon® loads your packages, Osprey®, Hawk, and Peregrine® case-pack and carton them, all built for the daily washdown.

1

Thermoformer & vacuum-skin packs

Talon places sliced cheese shingles, soft cheese, and portions into thermoformer pockets and vacuum-skin packs with proper orientation — vision-guided and gentle on delicate product. Finished packs are then case-packed at line speed.

Talon TFOsprey TL
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2

Foam, MAP & corrugated trays

Talon TL loads sliced and portioned cheese into foam, corrugated, or MAP trays; Osprey TL then loads finished trays into cases or master bags — fragile seal zones handled gently.

Talon TLOsprey TL
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3

Sticks, shreds & soft cheese

Osprey CL case-packs mozzarella sticks, string cheese, and shred pouches — the V-TRACK conveyor ends the rolling problem — while VOB 2.0 tooling handles delicate goat cheese and fresh mozzarella that deform under conventional grippers.

Osprey CLKestrelTalon
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4

Cartons & retail-ready cases

Peregrine IS forms, loads, and closes cartons of slices and blocks — a compact-footprint cartoner — and Hawk loads rigid retail-ready cases.

PeregrineHawk
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Have a custom cheese product?

If it can be sliced, stuffed, shredded, or shaped, our engineers have probably packed it — and if not, we'll figure it out.

Talk to our cheese automation experts

Test before you commit

Send us your cheese products.
We'll put them to the test.

Before any capital commitment, send us your product — slices, sticks, blocks, shreds, or soft cheese. We'll run it on real JLS robotics in our York, PA Flight Lab with tooling configured for it, and prove out the line on your actual product.

Live
Robotic test with your product
U.S. Built
York, PA Flight Lab
No
Commitment required
Schedule a Flight Lab test

Customer Case Study · Barron County Cheese

Multiple cheese shapes, one robot — running at 60 pieces per minute, as reported in Packaging World.

Barron County Cheese — a converter and packager of dairy cheese for retail and private-label brands since 2010 — needed a line that could handle a real multi-SKU mix gently, without compromising sanitation. JLS installed a Talon® vision-guided pick-and-place system that replaced manual loading on a high-throughput cheese line.

Their commitment to food safety was bar none. The robot is fully encapsulated, so product can’t get into the internals — and throughput increased substantially.

— Gene Graf, COO, Barron County Cheese

Get the full case study

See the configuration, throughput, and results behind this install.

Tell us more about your challenge

By submitting, you agree that JLS Automation and Robert Reiser & Co. may contact you about your inquiry.

Questions about this application? Talk to an expert →

Designed to get wet. Built to be cleaned.

In a FDA-regulated dairy plant, sanitation isn't a feature — it's the whole game. Every JLS cheese system is engineered for the daily, high-pressure, high-temperature washdown so your cheese plant line stays compliant and your downtime stays low.

IP69K*
High-pressure washdown
NEMA 4X
Sealed controls
FDA
Designed to fit regulated plants
Open-frame
Sloped, minimal harborage

* Specific JLS components are IP69K full-washdown rated; system-level ingress protection varies by configuration. Contact JLS for your application.

FAQ

Cheese packaging automation FAQs

Sanitation, tooling, throughput, ROI, and integration — answered by JLS application engineers.

Payback is commonly evaluated in the 24–36 month range, depending on labor cost, shift schedule, production volume, uptime improvement, and the specific cheese application. For many cheese processors, the business case is driven by labor savings, reduced manual handling, improved consistency, higher throughput, better ergonomics, reduced rework, and more predictable production. Labor savings scale with line speed, labor model, and platform, with additional value from throughput gains and improved line efficiency. JLS reviews the cheese product, package format, line speed, staffing model, sanitation requirements, and current production challenges to help determine where automation can create the strongest return.

JLS automates a wide range of cheese products, including blocks, bars, sticks, loaves, slices, shreds, chunks, wedges, portions, string cheese, and individually wrapped cheese products. Systems can be designed for loading into thermoformer pockets, MAP trays, VSP trays, cartons, cases, and other primary or secondary packaging formats.

Yes. Fresh cheese products can be difficult to handle because they may be cold, wet, sticky, slippery, soft, or inconsistent in shape. JLS designs the product handling, robot tooling, conveyor control, and system layout around the specific cheese product and package format. Each application is reviewed and tested based on the way the product actually behaves in production, so the system is engineered to pick, place, load, or pack the cheese without unnecessary product damage or poor presentation.

Yes. JLS systems for cheese and dairy applications are designed for high-sanitation food production environments. Primary product handling (Talon) can be specified with hygienic, open-frame stainless construction, sloped surfaces, and IP69K-rated components where required; secondary case packing and cartoning use cleanable, washdown-capable construction with NEMA 4X controls. JLS systems are designed to fit the sanitation expectations of cheese and dairy plants, including daily washdown, product contact considerations, and access for cleaning and maintenance.

Yes. JLS systems can be designed to fit cheese and dairy facilities with strict sanitation, washdown, and inspection requirements. While project requirements vary by plant, application, and product-contact area, JLS designs primary handling (Talon) for hygienic operation and configures case-packing and cartoning equipment for cleanable, washdown-capable operation, with integration into dairy production environments. For each project, JLS reviews the facility requirements, sanitation expectations, product contact zones, and packaging environment to make sure the automation is designed for the real operating conditions.

Yes. JLS cheese automation systems can be configured to load cheese into thermoformer pockets, MAP trays, VSP trays, cartons, cases, and other packaging formats. The right system depends on the cheese type, package format, product orientation, line speed, available space, and upstream and downstream equipment. JLS can support cheese applications from primary handling and loading through cartoning, case packing, and integrated packaging systems.

Yes. Cheese presentation matters, especially for sliced cheese, string cheese, portions, blocks, and retail-ready packs. JLS designs the handling approach to control product orientation, placement, spacing, and stack integrity through the pick-and-place or loading process. The goal is to move the cheese efficiently while protecting product appearance, package quality, and downstream packaging performance.

Yes. JLS can integrate with upstream and downstream equipment already in the plant, including conveyors, slicers, portioners, wrappers, thermoformers, tray sealers, cartoners, case packers, checkweighers, metal detectors, labeling systems, and other packaging equipment. The final design depends on the current line layout, product flow, controls, sanitation access, available floor space, and production goals.

Throughput depends on the cheese product, package format, product presentation, robot configuration, tooling, and required placement accuracy. Cheese blocks, sticks, slices, portions, and wrapped products may all require different handling approaches and different rates. JLS sizes the automation system around the product, SKU mix, line speed, and packaging equipment so the system is designed for the actual production requirement.

Changeover depends on the product family, package format, tooling, and system configuration. Many JLS systems use recipe-driven changeover through the HMI, with tooling and format changes designed to be as simple and repeatable as possible. During project development, JLS reviews the SKU mix, product dimensions, package formats, and changeover goals so the system can be designed for the way the plant needs to run.

Yes. Product testing is often an important part of cheese automation projects. Cheese behavior can vary significantly based on temperature, moisture, texture, shape, surface condition, packaging format, and upstream handling. Testing with real product in the JLS Flight Lab helps validate the right tooling, pick method, conveyor control, placement approach, and system configuration before finalizing the design. This helps reduce project risk and confirms the automation concept is based on the actual cheese product.

To evaluate a cheese automation project, JLS typically reviews the cheese type, product dimensions, product weight, photos or videos of the current line, package format, target speeds, current labor model, sanitation requirements, available floor space, upstream equipment, downstream equipment, SKU mix, and the main production problem the system needs to solve. For cheese applications, product behavior matters — cold, wet, sticky, soft, slippery, or irregular cheese products may require testing to validate the right handling method, tooling, conveyor control, and robot configuration before final system design.

Not always. High-volume cheese lines often see the clearest automation payback, but automation can also make sense when a processor has repetitive manual loading, difficult labor positions, inconsistent placement, sanitation challenges, ergonomic concerns, frequent SKU changes, or a need to improve line predictability. JLS reviews the product, rate, packaging format, labor model, and production goals to determine whether automation is the right fit — and what level of automation makes sense.

JLS cheese automation systems are designed, built, programmed, and tested at JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania. Support comes from JLS's in-house support team, working directly with the engineers who built your system, including remote diagnostics, on-site service, training, parts support, and preventive maintenance.

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By submitting, you agree that JLS Automation and Robert Reiser & Co. may contact you about your inquiry.

Ready for the realities of your cheese plant line?

Bring us your product. We'll test it in our York, PA lab, engineer the automation, and prove it on your real product — before we say yes.

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JLS + Reiser: Expertise across the line

Planning a complete cheese line?

JLS builds complete cheese lines — from the slicer and portioner through tray loading, case packing, and cartoning — integrated as a single solution from one team in York, PA.

Full food production line — JLS + Reiser: expertise across the line Ten production-line stages across four zones. JLS-built robotic automation stages are shown in purple; stages available through Reiser's OEM portfolio in blue; customer-selected or partner equipment in gray. Dashed lines mark coordinated integration points. Prepare. Portion. Form. Load. Seal. Case. Carton. Collate. Stack. Secure. 01Mixing &blendingGrindingEmulsifyingMarinatingTumblingAvailable throughReiser portfolio 02Forming &portioningStuffingExtrudingPatty formingDepositingAvailable throughReiser portfolio 03FurtherprocessingSlicingDicingShreddingTenderizingAvailable throughReiser portfolio 04PrimaryloadingPick & placeVision-guidedLane loadingProduct collationJLS TALON®JLS KESTREL™JLS Automation 05PrimarypackagingThermoformingTray sealingVacuum / MAPSkin packAvailable throughReiser portfolio 06CasepackingRobotic case loadingRobotic loadingWashdown configurationsHygienic optionsJLS OSPREY®HAWK™ · PATTY HAWK™Case erecting & sealing via partner equip.JLS Automation 07CartoningForm, load,close cartonsCompact footprintWashdown-capable designJLS PEREGRINE® ISPEREGRINE ISJLS Automation 08Collation /bundlingCount & stackBundle packMultipackPartner equipmentscope-dependent 09PalletizingLayer buildingRobotic palletizingSlip-sheet placeLayer padPartner equipmentscope-dependent 10LoadsecurementStretch wrapBandingCorner boardTop sheetPartner equipmentscope-dependent Tier 1 Primary Packaging The package that touches the product Tier 2 Secondary Packaging Cases, cartons, and multipacks for retail or distribution Tier 3 Tertiary Packaging Stretch wrap, ship-ready unit

Together, JLS and Reiser help food manufacturers develop coordinated processing and packaging lines—from product preparation and primary package loading and sealing through cartoning, case packing and load securement.

Illustrative line architecture. Stages, equipment suppliers and sequence vary by product and project scope. Not every food line uses every stage, and slicing, cooking, freezing, inspection and other processes may occur in different positions.

Scroll left and right to scan the full line. Open the printable line map →

JLS-built robotic automation Available through Reiser’s OEM portfolio Customer-selected / third-party equipment Coordinated integration point

Reiser role across the line

Food-processing expertise, application development, equipment selection, product testing, and sales & lifecycle support.

JLS role at robotic packaging stages

Robotic engineering, product & package handling, controls interfaces, and integration & FAT when included in project scope.

Let’s talk more about planning your full line.

Tell us who you are and a bit about your line. An automation expert will reach out — and we’ll bring the right people from JLS and Reiser to the conversation.

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What solution(s) are you interested in?* Select all that apply.
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