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From chub to case,
pet food handled at pace.

Pet food chubs, pouches, bags, trays, and cans — JLS's vision-guided robots collate and case-pack packaged wet and dry pet food at line speed. The Osprey CL's V-TRACK conveyor ends the chub rolling problem. Made to get wet. Built to fit FDA-regulated pet-food facilities.
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Over 70 years
Built on precision, reliability & trust
Multiple
U.S. patents in food packaging automation
Application-matched
Sanitation matched to machine, process & plant zone
U.S. Built
Engineered in-house

JLS builds robotic packaging automation purpose-built for pet food — vision-guided systems that collate and case-pack wet pet food chubs, pouches, trays, bags, and cans at line speed. The Osprey CL's V-TRACK pick conveyor ends the rolling problem on chubs; Osprey BP handles pouches and bags, and Osprey TL and Hawk handle trays and other rigid containers. Construction is matched to the sanitation program — cleanable construction with NEMA 4X-rated control enclosures, or washdown-capable construction with IP69K-rated robots and components on platforms that support them — to fit FDA-regulated pet-food facilities. Every system is engineered and programmed in York, PA, and supported by JLS's in-house support team with direct access to JLS engineering and programming expertise.

In action

Watch JLS handle pet food packaging — at full production speed.

Robotic chub handling — Osprey CL Chub handling

Robotic chub handling — Osprey CL

Secondary packaging — the Osprey CL loads chubs into cases, with V-TRACK infeed and VOB tooling.

Pain points we solve

Pet food's toughest
packaging headaches. Solved.

We've spent decades on food lines. These are the problems pet food 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 pet food systems can be built with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X-rated control enclosures, and open-frame stainless steel construction, and are designed to fit FDA-regulated pet-food facilities — built for the daily high-pressure washdown these environments require.
Chub rolling problem The challenge

Chubs that roll and shift before the pick

How JLS solves it
The Osprey CL's V-TRACK pick conveyor controls rolling chubs before the pick, so case packing stays accurate at high speed with quick-change tooling across pack sizes.
Labor staffing challenges The challenge

Labor that's hard to staff for repetitive packing

How JLS solves it
Vision-guided robots take over the 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
Osprey CL, Osprey BP, and Hawk run at line speed with repeatable placement every cycle — from the filler and stuffer through case packing and into the case.
Applications

Pet food packaging automation,
fill to case packing.

JLS automates pet-food handling and packaging — coordinating with your filling and upstream processing equipment, with construction matched to your sanitation program.

1

Chub case packing

The Osprey CL case-packs pet food chubs at high speed — the V-TRACK pick conveyor ends the rolling problem, with quick-change tooling across chub sizes from 8 oz to 10 lb.
Osprey CLOsprey
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2

Bags & pouches

Osprey BP loads flat pouches and bags of wet and dry pet food into cases — gentle food handling, quick-change tooling across pack sizes and counts.
Osprey BPOsprey
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3

Trays & cans

Osprey TL loads rigid and semi-rigid sealed pet food trays, and Hawk loads cans and other rigid containers, into cases or master containers at line speed — sized to your SKU mix.
Osprey TLHawk
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4

Cases & cartons

Hawk top-loads pet food packs into RSC or retail-ready cases, or Peregrine IS forms, loads, and closes cartons at line speed.
HawkPeregrine
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Have a custom pet food product?

If it can be chubbed, pouched, bagged, or canned, our application 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 pet food products.
We'll put them to the test.

JLS Flight Lab puts your product on real JLS robotics in York, PA. Before the design is finalized, send us product samples — chubs, pouches, bags, or trays — or a close proxy, subject to project scope and availability. JLS application engineers test tooling, pick method, and pack pattern to establish feasibility; rate is validated during FAT before shipment, with final commissioning completed at your facility.

Feasibility
Tooling & pick method tested
U.S. Built
York, PA Flight Lab
Pre-sale
Application testing, subject to availability
Schedule a Flight Lab test

Designed to get wet. Built to be cleaned.

In an FDA-regulated pet-food facility, sanitation isn't a feature — it's the whole game. JLS matches each pet food system's construction to the plant's sanitation program — from cleanable construction where product is already packaged to full daily, high-pressure, high-temperature washdown where it is exposed — so your line stays compliant and your downtime stays low.

IP69K*
Rated components for washdown
NEMA 4X
Rated control enclosures
FDA
Designed to fit regulated facilities
Open-frame
Sloped, minimal harborage

* IP69K refers to the ingress-protection rating of selected components (robots, motors, enclosures) specified for an application — not a rating of the complete machine.

FAQ

Pet food packaging automation FAQs.

Sanitation, throughput, ROI, integration, and washdown.

Pricing is confirmed in the proposal and depends on format — chubs on the Osprey CL, pouches and bags on the Osprey BP — plus rate and case pattern. Pet food projects are commonly evaluated on a 24–36 month payback range, depending on the line. The case is typically driven by labor at the case-packing station across shifts, and by ergonomics: heavy chubs and large bags packed by hand are an injury and turnover problem as much as a labor-cost one. JLS reviews formats, rate, case pattern and staffing to show where the return is strongest.

JLS automates pet food chubs, pouches, bags, trays, and cans — collated, loaded, and case-packed into cases, cartons, and retail-ready formats for wet and dry pet food.

Vision-guided robots with custom tooling pick and place chubs, pouches, and trays accurately; for chubs, the Osprey CL's V-TRACK pick conveyor controls rolling product before the pick.

Yes. Pet food case packing is downstream of sealed packaging, so most Osprey CL and Osprey BP systems use cleanable construction with stainless steel frames, sloped surfaces, and NEMA 4X-rated control enclosures. Where a raw or fresh pet food line requires full washdown, washdown-capable construction is specified, with IP69K-rated robots and components on platforms that support them. Systems are designed to fit FDA-regulated pet food facilities.

Yes. JLS integrates with fillers, chub stuffers, pouch and bag machines, conveyors, case packers, checkweighers, metal detectors, and labeling systems into one coordinated pet food line.

The Osprey CL case-packs chubs, the Osprey BP handles bags, pouches, and brick packs, and Osprey TL and Hawk load trays, cans, and cases.

Throughput depends on format. Osprey CL case-packs chubs at up to 240 chubs per minute, depending on chub size, weight, pack pattern, and system configuration; Osprey BP case-packing of stand-up pouches and bags is sized by package size and case pattern, with heavy bags running slower than light pouches. JLS sizes robot count and tooling to your filler's rate and SKU mix. Rate and performance are validated during the project FAT before shipment, with final commissioning completed at your facility.

Changeover between pet food SKUs is recipe-driven through the HMI, with tooling changes designed to be simple and repeatable. Pet food ranges typically span chub diameters and pouch or bag sizes, so JLS reviews the full format range up front and designs tooling to cover as much of it as possible without a swap.

Yes, where the product suits it. JLS tests your chubs, stand-up pouches or bags in the York, PA Flight Lab with tooling configured for the format, to establish the pick method and how heavy or floppy packages behave under vacuum or mechanical grip before the design is finalized. It is a feasibility test, not a production-rate run; rate and performance are validated during the project FAT before shipment, with final commissioning completed at your facility.

Often, yes. Chub and pouch case packing is usually added downstream of an existing stuffer, form-fill-seal or pouch filler. The final design depends on floor space, line speed, how packages present, controls and the case erector and sealer already in place. JLS reviews the full line so the case packer fits the existing flow.

For a pet food quote JLS typically reviews the package formats — chub diameters and lengths, pouch and bag sizes and weights; the case format and pack pattern; target rates; the SKU mix; photos or video of the current line; available floor space; the stuffer or filler and the case erector and sealer in place; and your labor model.

Pet food systems are designed, built and programmed at JLS in York, Pennsylvania. The Osprey CL chub loaders and Osprey BP pouch and bag case packers are supported by an in-house team backed by direct access to JLS engineering and controls expertise — remote diagnostics, on-site service, training and parts. Heavy stand-up pouches and large bags put real load on tooling, so tooling wear parts are stocked by JLS, and the support team has direct access to JLS engineering and programming expertise.

Still have a question that isn’t answered here?

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Have a pet food product or package you need automated?

Tell us what you’re packaging and what you’re trying to solve. A few sentences is enough.

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Ready for the realities of your pet food line?

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

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JLS + Reiser: Expertise across the line

Planning a complete pet food line?

JLS builds complete pet food lines — from the filler and stuffer through chub case packing, pouch loading, 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 TALONJLS KESTRELJLS Automation 05PrimarypackagingThermoformingTray sealingVacuum / MAPSkin packAvailable throughReiser portfolio 06CasepackingRobotic case loadingRobotic loadingWashdown configurationsWashdown optionsJLS OSPREYHAWK · PATTY HAWKCase erecting & sealing via partner equip.JLS Automation 07CartoningForm, load,close cartonsCompact footprintWashdown-capable designJLS PEREGRINEPEREGRINE 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 and case packing, with third-party collation, palletizing, and load securement coordinated into the plan.

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
  • In-house support team, backed by direct access to JLS engineering and controls expertise
  • Fast dispatch from York, PA — within a day's drive of most East Coast and Midwest plants
  • Remote diagnostics + on-site support
Have a product you need loaded, packed or cartoned?
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Tell an application engineer what you’re packaging and what the line looks like today. A few sentences is enough. If the product suits it, JLS can test it in the Flight Lab before any design is finalized.
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