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Your Product · Sausage & Chubs

Links and chubs,
tamed at line speed.

Fresh sausage links, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, and ground-meat chubs — JLS's VOB 2.0 tooling and the V-TRACK conveyor handle the rolling, slippery product that are genuinely difficult to automate. Made to get wet. Built to fit USDA-inspected plants.
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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 sausage and chubs — Kestrel collates links and franks, Talon® loads thermoformers and trays, and Osprey® CL case-packs chubs and brick packs with the V-TRACK conveyor that ends the rolling problem. JLS-engineered VOB 2.0 tooling handles the slippery product, and IP69K-capable construction stands up to daily washdown in USDA-inspected plants. Every line is engineered and supported in-house by JLS.

In action

Watch JLS handle sausage & chubs — at full production speed

Ground beef brick-pack case packing Chub case packing

Ground beef brick-pack case packing

Osprey CL case packs ground-meat chubs and brick packs at high speed.

Pain points we solve

Sausage & chub packaging headaches. Solved.

We've spent decades on protein lines. These are the problems sausage and chub 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 sausage and chub systems can be built with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X controls, and open-frame stainless, and designed to fit USDA-inspected plants — built for the daily high-pressure washdown these environments require.
Chubs and links that roll and slip The challenge

Chubs and links that roll, bend, and slip

How JLS solves it
The V-TRACK pick conveyor stops chubs from rolling and VOB 2.0 tooling grips delicate links and franks without splitting casings — no mechanical sorting, gentle handling.
Cold, wet cut-room labor The challenge

Labor that's hard to staff in cold, wet cut 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
Kestrel collates links and Osprey® CL case-packs chubs at line speed with repeatable placement every cycle — from the VEMAG stuffer straight through to the case.
Applications

Sausage & chub packaging automation, stuffing to case packing.

From stuffing through case packing, JLS automates every step of a sausage and chub line — Kestrel collates, Talon® loads packages, and Osprey® CL case-packs chubs, all built for the daily washdown.

1

Thermoformer & vacuum-skin packs

Talon places fresh sausage links and franks into thermoformer pockets and vacuum-skin packs with proper orientation — vision-guided, no mechanical sorting. Finished packs are then case-packed at line speed.
Talon TFOsprey TL
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2

Foam, MAP & corrugated trays

Talon TL loads sausage links and patties into foam, corrugated, or MAP trays; Osprey TL then loads finished trays into cases or master bags — up to 180 trays/min (three-head Osprey TL).
Talon TLOsprey TL
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3

Chub & brick-pack case packing

Osprey CL case-packs breakfast sausage, ground-meat 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 CLKestrel
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4

Retail-ready cases & cartons

Load MAP, foam, and thermoformed sausage packs into RSC or retail-ready cases with Hawk's compact top-loading, or load hot-dog and frank cartons with Peregrine, or form, load, and close them with the Peregrine IS monoblock.
HawkPeregrine
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Have a custom sausage or chub product?

If it can be stuffed, linked, ground, or chubbed, our engineers have probably packed it — and if not, we'll figure it out.

Talk to an application engineer

Test before you commit

Send us your sausage.
We'll put it to the test.

Before any capital commitment, send us your product — links, franks, breakfast sausage, or chubs. 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

Designed to get wet. Built to be cleaned.

In a USDA-inspected plant, sanitation isn't a feature — it's the whole game. Every JLS sausage and chub 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

Sausage & Chubs packaging automation FAQs

Sanitation, tooling, collation, 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 sausage, hot dog, frank, snack stick, or chub packaging application. For sausage and chub processors, the business case is often driven by labor savings, reduced manual handling, improved pack presentation, more consistent loading, less rework, better ergonomics, and more predictable packaging performance. Labor savings scale with line speed, labor model, and platform, with additional value from improved throughput and reduced product handling. JLS reviews the product size, casing type, package format, line speed, staffing model, sanitation requirements, and current production challenges to help determine where sausage packaging automation or chub case packing automation can create the strongest return.

JLS automates fresh sausage links, franks, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, snack sticks, ground meat chubs, sausage chubs, and brick packs. Systems can be designed to collate, load, or case pack products into thermoformer pockets, foam trays, MAP trays, VSP trays, cartons, cases, and other packaging formats. Depending on the application, JLS can support sausage link packaging automation, hot dog packaging automation, snack stick collation, chub case packing, tray loading, cartoning, and robotic case packing.

Sausage links, franks, hot dogs, snack sticks, and chubs can be difficult to automate because they roll, slip, vary in orientation, and can be delicate depending on casing type and product condition. JLS designs the conveyor control, product handling, end-of-arm tooling, and robot configuration around the specific product. For chub applications, JLS V-TRACK conveyor technology can help control rolling products before the pick. For sausage links, franks, and snack sticks, custom tooling and JLS VOB 2.0 vacuum-on-board technology can help grip and place products with controlled handling. Each application is engineered and tested around the actual product to support consistent placement, reduced manual handling, and reliable packaging performance.

Yes. JLS sausage and chub packaging systems can be designed for washdown environments and USDA-inspected meat plants, with construction matched to the product contact area, sanitation requirements, and packaging environment. For primary product handling, JLS can build full sanitary washdown construction intended to comply with NSF/ANSI/3-A SSI 14159-1 and EHEDG hygienic design principles. Depending on the application, systems may include stainless-steel construction, open-frame design, sloped surfaces, washdown-capable components, IP69K-rated robots and components where required, and NEMA 4X controls.

Yes. JLS can integrate sausage and chub automation with upstream and downstream equipment, including VEMAG stuffers, grinders, linkers, conveyors, tray sealers, thermoformers, cartoners, case packers, checkweighers, metal detectors, labeling systems, and other packaging equipment. JLS also works closely with Reiser to support coordinated sausage, hot dog, frank, snack stick, and chub packaging lines where upstream processing and downstream robotic packaging need to work together.

JLS Kestrel is a high-speed robotic loading system that uses a centrifugal feeder, collation belt, and delta robot to orient, group, and load cylindrical products such as sausage links, franks, hot dogs, and snack sticks. Kestrel is designed for products that need to be organized into a repeatable pack pattern before loading. Depending on the product and configuration, Kestrel can support high-speed sausage collation, snack stick loading, carton loading, and case packing applications.

Throughput depends on the product, package format, line layout, robot configuration, tooling, and required placement accuracy. Sausage links, franks, hot dogs, snack sticks, chubs, brick packs, trays, cartons, and cases may all require different handling approaches and different rates. JLS sizes the system around the product, SKU mix, line speed, and packaging equipment so the automation is built for the actual production requirement rather than a generic rate claim.

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, casing type, package formats, sanitation needs, and changeover goals so the system can be designed around how the plant actually runs.

Yes. Product testing is often an important part of sausage and chub automation projects. Product behavior can vary by temperature, moisture, casing type, diameter, length, weight, surface condition, package format, and how the product arrives at the automation. Testing with real product in the JLS Flight Lab helps validate the right tooling, pick method, conveyor control, collation approach, placement method, and system configuration before final design. This helps reduce project risk and confirms the automation concept is based on the actual sausage, frank, snack stick, or chub product.

Yes. JLS sausage and chub automation can often be integrated into existing production and packaging lines. The final design depends on available floor space, product presentation, line speed, controls, sanitation access, upstream equipment, and downstream packaging equipment. JLS reviews the full line so the automation fits the way the plant actually runs, instead of forcing the plant to work around a standard machine.

To evaluate a sausage or chub automation project, JLS typically reviews the product type, casing 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 sausage links, franks, hot dogs, snack sticks, and chubs, product behavior matters — rolling, slipping, casing sensitivity, moisture, orientation, and product spacing may require testing to validate the right handling method, tooling, conveyor control, robot configuration, and collation strategy.

JLS sausage and chub packaging 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.

Yes. JLS has robotic systems running in sausage, hot dog, frank, snack stick, and chub packaging applications across North America, including collation, tray loading, cartoning, case packing, and ground meat chub case packing. For each project, JLS reviews the product, packaging format, line speed, sanitation requirements, and production goals to design a system that fits the processor's actual plant environment.

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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 sausage and chub 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 sausage and chub line?

JLS builds complete sausage and chub lines — from the VEMAG stuffer and linker through collation, tray loading, chub 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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By submitting, you agree that JLS Automation and Robert Reiser & Co. may contact you about your inquiry.

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