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Your Product · Meat & Poultry

Raw protein is hard to handle.
That's exactly what we automate.

Whole-muscle cuts, poultry, sausage & chubs, snack sticks, bacon, and ground beef — JLS automates the wet, sticky, irregular protein handling that are genuinely difficult to automate. Washdown-ready, USDA-inspected plant fit. Made to get wet and never get tired.
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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 meat and poultry processors — vision-guided systems that handle beef, pork, poultry, sausage, bacon, snack sticks, and ground meat into trays, thermoformers, flow wrappers, chubs, and cases. JLS-engineered VOB 2.0 tooling grips wet, sticky, irregular protein, and IP69K-capable construction handles daily washdown in USDA-inspected plants. Every system is engineered, programmed, and supported entirely in-house by JLS.

In action

Watch JLS handle meat & poultry — at full production speed

Ground beef brick pack case packing Ground Beef

Ground beef brick pack case packing

Vision-guided robots case pack ground beef brick packs at full production speed.

Pain points we solve

Meat & poultry's toughest packaging headaches. Solved.

We've spent decades on protein lines — beef, pork, poultry, sausage, bacon, and deli. These are the problems meat and poultry processors bring us most — and how JLS robotics solve them.

Sanitation & washdown The challenge

Sanitation & food safety under constant washdown

How JLS solves it

JLS builds meat and poultry systems with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X controls, and open-frame stainless when the application calls for it, and designs them to fit USDA-inspected plants — built for the daily high-pressure washdown these environments require.

Gripping wet, sticky raw protein The challenge

Wet, sticky, slippery raw protein that's hard to grip

How JLS solves it

VOB 2.0 vacuum-on-board tooling and custom EOAT pick raw beef, pork, poultry, and portioned cuts straight off the belt — no mechanical sorting, gentle handling.

Cold, wet cut-room labor 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 & line speed The challenge

Throughput & consistency capped by hand-packing

How JLS solves it

Talon®, Osprey®, Hawk, and Kestrel run at line speed with repeatable placement every cycle — from the grinder, portioner, and stuffer through the tray line and into the case.

Applications

Meat & poultry packaging automation, loading to case packing.

From primary loading through case packing — matched to your protein product, pack format, and line speed.

1

Thermoformer & vacuum-skin packs

Talon places fresh beef, pork, and poultry cuts into thermoformer pockets and vacuum-skin packs with proper orientation — vision-guided, no mechanical sorting. Handles the wet, irregular protein that demands specialized tooling.

Talon
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2

Foam, MAP & corrugated tray loading

Talon TL loads fresh cuts and ground portions into foam, corrugated, or MAP trays; Osprey TL then loads finished trays into cases or master bags — fragile seal zones handled gently, up to 180 trays/min (three-head Osprey TL).

TalonOsprey TL
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3

Ground meat chubs & brick packs

Osprey CL case-packs ground beef, pork, and poultry chubs and brick packs at high speed — the V-TRACK pick conveyor ends the rolling problem, with quick-change tooling for chubs from 8 oz to 10 lb. Integrates with Reiser/VEMAG stuffing upstream.

Osprey CL
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4

Sausage, links & snack sticks

Kestrel collates fresh sausage links, hot dogs, snack sticks, and portioned cylinders at up to 600 ppm single-head* (*depends on product and package type) and orients them for automated case packing — eliminating hand-loading in the coldest part of the plant.

Kestrel
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5

Bacon draft loading

Harrier loads shingled bacon drafts and fresh pork belly slabs gently and consistently — designed to prevent slips, flips, and distortions — purpose-built for the wet, high-fat environments of bacon packing lines.

Harrier
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6

Retail-ready cases & cartons

Load MAP, foam, and thermoformed protein packs into RSC or retail-ready cases with Hawk's compact top-loading, handling rigid containers and cases across beef, pork, and poultry SKUs.

Hawk
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Have a custom meat & poultry need?

If your product, pack format, or line doesn't fit the applications above, our application engineers will design, test, and prove the right solution — before you commit.

Talk to an application engineer

Test before you commit

Send us your meat & poultry products.
We'll put them to the test.

Before any capital commitment, send us your product — whole-muscle cuts, ground, sliced deli, sausage, bacon, or poultry. 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 · Berks Packing

Robotics on a daily-washdown sausage and processed meat line.

Berks Packing — a 90-year-old, third-generation family meat processor in Reading, PA — has steadily expanded its use of robotics as production volumes grow and labor markets tighten. JLS installed a Talon® vision-guided pick-and-place loading system on Berks's sausage and processed meat line.

When I think of JLS, I think about excellence. They are the cream of the crop — I’d recommend them to any processing facility.

— John Buckley, Director of Operations, Berks Packing

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 USDA-inspected meat or poultry plant, sanitation isn't a feature — it's the whole game. Every JLS meat and poultry system is engineered for the daily, high-pressure, high-temperature washdown so your line stays compliant and your downtime stays low.

IP69K*
High-pressure washdown
NEMA 4X
Sealed controls
USDA
Designed to fit inspected 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

Meat & poultry packaging automation FAQs

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

Most JLS meat and poultry packaging projects evaluate payback in the 24–36 month range, depending on labor cost, shift schedule, line speed, uptime improvement, and the specific application. Labor savings scale with the platform, line speed, and labor model, with added value from improved throughput and more consistent protein handling. JLS reviews your product, package format, line speed, staffing model, and current production challenges to determine where automation creates the strongest return.

JLS automates fresh and processed meat and poultry — whole-muscle and portioned cuts, ground meat chubs and brick packs, sausage, bacon, snack sticks, frozen patties, and sliced deli — loaded into thermoformers, trays, pouches, cartons, and cases.

Vision-guided robots with custom end-of-arm tooling and JLS-engineered VOB 2.0 vacuum-on-board technology pick raw protein straight off the belt — no mechanical sorting and gentle handling, engineered and lab-tested per product.

Yes. Systems can be built with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X controls, and open-frame sloped stainless construction — washdown capable and designed to fit USDA-inspected meat and poultry plants and the daily high-pressure, high-temperature washdown.

Yes. JLS integrates with grinders, VEMAG stuffers, linkers, thermoformers, tray sealers, conveyors, case packers, checkweighers, and metal detectors, and partners with Reiser into one coordinated protein line.

Talon loads thermoformers and trays; Kestrel collates sausages and snack sticks; Harrier loads bacon drafts; Patty Hawk stacks frozen patties; and Osprey and Hawk case-pack chubs, trays, and cases.

It depends on your product and package format — fresh meat, poultry, sausage and chubs, beef and snack sticks, bacon draft, or formed and portion-controlled. JLS has a dedicated solution for each and helps match the right system to your line.

Throughput depends on product and format. The Osprey CL case-packs chubs at up to 240 per minute in a max multi-head configuration (120–200 typical), and tray, carton, and case rates are sized to your line and SKU mix.

Many JLS systems use recipe-driven changeover through the HMI, with tooling and format changes designed to be simple and repeatable. JLS reviews your SKU mix, product dimensions, and changeover goals so the system fits how the plant runs.

Yes. Before any capital commitment, JLS runs your actual product in our York, PA Flight Lab with tooling configured for it and validates the application on your real product before final design.

Often, yes. The final design depends on available floor space, line speed, product presentation, controls, sanitation access, and your existing equipment. JLS reviews the full line so the system fits how the plant runs.

JLS typically reviews the product and cut type, dimensions, photos or video of the current line, package format, target speeds, SKU mix, labor model, sanitation requirements, available floor space, upstream and downstream equipment, and the main problem to solve.

Designed, built, programmed, and tested at JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania, with support from JLS's in-house team, working directly with the engineers who built your system — remote diagnostics, on-site service, training, parts, and preventive maintenance.

What do you want to know?

Ask us anything — an automation expert will follow up.

What can we help with? Optional — select any that apply.

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

Ready for the realities of your meat & poultry 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.

Schedule a facility tour Call (717) 505-3800
JLS + Reiser: Expertise across the line

Planning a complete meat & poultry line?

JLS builds complete meat and poultry lines — from the grinder, portioner, and stuffer 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.

Your details
Facility location
Your line today
What you're planning
What solution(s) are you interested in?* Select all that apply.
Project timeline

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

Over 1,000 custom installs. Predictable performance. Premier, dedicated service.

  • Factory-tested reliability
  • In-house programming — York, PA
  • Same in-house team, day one to decades later
  • Fast dispatch from York, PA — within a day's drive of most East Coast and Midwest plants
  • Remote diagnostics + on-site support
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