COVINGTON, LA. — While the state of Kansas was under a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Allpax remained steadfast in its support of a pet food co-manufacturer operating in the state as it upgraded its end-of-line capacity.

With permission from Kansas state officials and a long, carefully mitigated list of procedures and policies to protect the health of all involved, Allpax drove a caravan of rental cars and RVs and “camped out” in the pet food manufacturer’s parking lot until the upgrade was complete.

The pet food processor partnered with Allpax to install a new can loader, unloader and conveyor system to provide uninterrupted flow of various can sizes during filling, processing and labeling, while also reducing downtime for changeovers.

Allpax also helped the company install an automated basket tracking system and will install a new retort later in 2020. These improvements are expected to increase the plant’s overall capacity by up to 50%.

The upgrades were made over a five-week period by a total of 15 Allpax technicians who travelled from Covington to the Kansas pet food manufacturing plant.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure, these technicians practiced social distancing on the journey to Kansas and while making the upgrades, were subject to temperature checks each morning, and wore PPE and sanitary gear.

Members of the upgrade crew worked 13-hour days on average, sometimes working for 16 hours per day, and relied on carryout meals and five parked RVs to remain safely on-premise until the job was complete.

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