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Your Product · Poultry

Poultry is slippery business.
Our grip isn't.

Chicken and turkey, whole-bird and portioned, ground poultry, and chicken sausage — JLS's VOB 2.0 tooling handles the wet, slippery, irregular raw poultry that are genuinely difficult to automate. Made to get wet. Built to fit USDA-inspected poultry plants.
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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 poultry — vision-guided systems that load whole-bird and portioned chicken and turkey, ground poultry, and chicken sausage into trays, thermoform and vacuum-skin packs, chubs, and cases. JLS-engineered VOB 2.0 tooling handles the wet, slippery raw poultry that demands specialized tooling, and IP69K-rated components can be specified for daily caustic washdown in USDA-inspected poultry plants. Every line is engineered, programmed, and supported entirely in-house by JLS.

In action

Watch JLS handle poultry —
at full production speed.

Fresh poultry tray loading Tray Loading

Fresh poultry tray loading

A closer look at JLS robotic tray loading of fresh poultry at full production speed.

Pain points we solve

Poultry's toughest
packaging headaches. Solved.

We've spent decades on protein lines. These are the problems 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 poultry systems can be built with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X-rated control enclosures, and open frame stainless, and designed to fit USDA-inspected poultry plants — built for the daily high-pressure washdown these environments require.
Gripping wet, slippery raw poultry The challenge

Wet, slippery raw poultry that's hard to grip

How JLS solves it
VOB 2.0 — JLS's Vacuum on Board tooling — carries its own vacuum at the end of the arm to grip wet, slippery raw poultry. With custom EOAT it picks raw chicken breasts, drumsticks, and portions 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 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
Talon, Osprey, and Hawk run at line speed with repeatable placement every cycle — from the cut-up line and portioner through the tray line and into the case.
Applications

Poultry packaging automation,
loading to case packing.

From primary loading through case packing — matched to your chicken and turkey pack format and line speed.

1

Thermoformer & vacuum-skin packs

Talon places chicken breasts, portions, and whole birds 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 & paperboard trays

Talon TL loads chicken breasts, drumsticks, and portions into foam, plastic, paperboard, or MAP trays; Osprey TL then loads finished trays into cases — fragile seal zones handled gently, up to 180 trays/min in a Tri Head configuration.
Talon TLOsprey TL
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3

Ground poultry & chicken sausage chubs

Osprey CL case-packs ground chicken and turkey chubs and chicken sausage chubs from 8 oz to 10 lb — up to 240 chubs/min, depending on chub size, weight, pack pattern, and system configuration. The V-TRACK pick conveyor solves the rolling problem, with recipe-driven, application-dependent changeover. Kestrel collates links and patties upstream.
Osprey CLKestrel
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4

Retail-ready cases & cartons

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

If your product, pack format, or line doesn't fit the cases 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 poultry products.
We'll put them to the test.

Before the design is finalized, send product samples — chicken breasts, drumsticks, whole birds, or ground poultry — 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 a USDA-inspected poultry plant, sanitation isn't a feature — it's the whole game. Every JLS poultry system is engineered for your plant's sanitation program — with hygienic washdown construction where exposed product requires it and cleanable construction in packaging areas, with IP69K-rated components where the application calls for it — so your line stays compliant and your downtime stays low.

IP69K*
Rated components for washdown
NEMA 4X
Rated control enclosures
USDA
Designed to fit inspected plants
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. Contact JLS for your application.

FAQ

Poultry packaging automation FAQs.

Common questions about sanitation, tooling, throughput, ROI, and integration.

Pricing is confirmed in the proposal and depends on the product — fresh tray-pack, cooked or formed — the package format and the rate. Poultry projects are commonly evaluated on a 24–36 month payback range, depending on the line. The case is usually built on labor at the tray-loading or case-packing station across shifts in a cold, wet environment where turnover runs high, on keeping the tray sealer or thermoformer at rate, and on consistent tray presentation. JLS reviews product mix, formats, rate, staffing and the sanitation window to show where the return is strongest.

Whole birds and portioned chicken and turkey (breasts, drumsticks, wings, thighs), ground poultry chubs, and chicken sausage and patties — loaded into thermoformer pockets, foam, MAP and VSP trays, cartons, and cases.

With tooling built for wet, irregular product. JLS VOB 2.0 Vacuum on Board tooling picks raw chicken and turkey — breasts, thighs, drumsticks — directly off the line and places them into trays or thermoformer pockets. The vacuum is generated in the tool itself, which simplifies plumbing, and its airflow is optimized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Where vision is used, it handles random orientation; tooling is engineered and lab-tested per product for gentle handling.

Yes. JLS poultry systems can be designed for washdown environments and USDA-inspected poultry 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-rated control enclosures.

Yes. JLS partners with Reiser and integrates VEMAG grinders and extruders, tray sealers and thermoformers, and your existing upstream and downstream equipment into one coordinated poultry line.

Yes. Talon picks sliced deli turkey and chicken shingles into thermoformer pockets or MAP trays with vision handling random orientation, and custom EOAT preserves the shingle stack through the pick-and-place sequence.

Throughput depends on product and format. Osprey CL case packs ground poultry chubs at up to 240 per minute, depending on chub size, weight, pack pattern, and system configuration, and tray and case rates are sized to your line and SKU mix.

Changeover between poultry SKUs — breast counts, drumstick patterns, tray sizes — is recipe-driven through the HMI, with end-of-arm tooling designed to swap by hand where the tray or product format changes. The SKUs in the project scope are set up and verified at commissioning, and new formats can be added later as recipes or tooling.

Yes. Product testing is often an important part of poultry automation projects. Raw poultry can vary by temperature, moisture, fat content, shape, weight, surface condition, and how it arrives at the automation. JLS Flight Lab can test product samples, or a close proxy, subject to project scope and availability, to establish the right tooling, pick method, conveyor control, and placement approach before final design — reducing project risk. Rate and performance are validated during FAT before shipment, with final commissioning completed at your facility.

Yes. JLS poultry 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 poultry automation project, JLS typically reviews the product 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 raw poultry, product behavior matters — wet, sticky, slippery, flexible, or inconsistent product may require testing to validate the right handling method, tooling, conveyor control, and robot configuration.

JLS poultry automation systems are designed, built, programmed, and tested at JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania. Support comes from JLS's in-house support team, with direct access to JLS engineering and programming expertise, including remote diagnostics, on-site service, training, parts support, and preventive maintenance.

Yes. JLS robotics load and case pack chicken breasts, drumsticks, ground poultry, and chicken sausage on USDA-inspected lines across North America. 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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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 poultry 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 poultry line?

JLS engineers the automation for complete poultry lines — from the portioner and grinder discharge through tray loading, case packing, and cartoning — owning its defined scope and coordinating the agreed interfaces with your other equipment suppliers.

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.

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

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  • In-house programming — York, PA
  • In-house support team, backed by direct access to JLS engineering and controls expertise
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  • Remote diagnostics + on-site support
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