Wolverine Packing Co. prevents injuries with Guardian Bandsaw

Mark Dillenbeck has been cutting meat for years at Wolverine Packing Co. in Detroit. He's good at it – fast, precise, efficient. But speed and a running bandsaw blade don't always mix well.

"Bandsaws are intimidating right off the bat," says Spencer Pippin, Plant Manager. "They're a big piece of equipment with a blade running at an incredible rate. When people are focused on yield and quality, they don't always realize how their hand may be misplaced."

For operators, that's the trap: you're thinking about the cut, the portion weight, the production quota – not about where your fingers are in relation to a blade moving at over 100 feet per second.

Mark Dillenbeck on Wolverine's production floor using a Guardian G400.

Installing a zero-accident bandsaw

Recognizing the need for a safer solution, Wolverine sought out Guardian's zero-accident bandsaws. It was a no-brainer for Spencer Pippin. “Our employees are our number one asset in the company. They come here to make a living to go home and be with their families," he tells us.

In 2023, they installed four Guardian G400 bandsaws. Since then, they haven't had another bandsaw accident. Guardian's vision system tracks hand position in real-time. Get too close? The blade stops in milliseconds – before contact.

"When you get too close to these blades, the machine stops on you," explains Dillenbeck.

The Guardian's blade stops within 12 milliseconds when an operator gets too close.

A surprising benefit: Higher productivity

What surprised Pippin: productivity went up.

"The operators have become more efficient in their day-to-day productivity because they're more confident in the saw," he explains. "The saw really alleviates a lot of the stress off of them."

When you're not worried about losing a finger, you can focus on the work. Dillenbeck puts it simply: "Safety is everything. It's very important to have safety at a higher standard so I can feel comfortable doing my job. I don't have to worry about any injuries happening. I can increase my speed."