GEA PowerPak PLUS boosts bakery business
An award-winning bakery is thrilled with its significant investment in packaging machinery which is helping to boost productivity and increase efficiency, after experiencing the trouble-free installation and commissioning of GEA’s new thermoforming technology.
Family-run business Butt Foods chose GEA’s new PowerPak PLUS thermoformer for wrapping naan breads at its Nottingham facility, and is delighted that having the latest thermorforming technology is proving a major advantage for the company as it seeks new markets for its range of hand-finished frozen sweet and savoury products. Butt Foods is passionate about developing high quality, innovative products that meet specific market needs, and has its corporate finger constantly on the pulse of trends in foodservice and bakery
GEA, a specialist in food processing and packaging machinery, saw off three competitors to land the order with the bakery, thanks to key benefits including ease of operation, higher speeds and flexibility compared to rival solutions.
Offering faster access to market and longer shelf life, whilst significantly reducing the impact of film waste by up to 75% in the packaging process, the PowerPak PLUS’s innovative design can also help food manufacturers shorten set-up and changeover times. In addition, GEA’s thermoforming equipment can be operated in tandem with Oxycheck, the non-invasive in-line quality control system for Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP).
Danesh Butt, Managing Director of Butt Foods, admits he was not only sold on GEA’s innovative and flexible technology, but was also impressed by GEA’s knowledge of the bakery market and the level of local customer support on offer even though the packaging machinery partner is a global operation.
He said: “The equipment was a significant milestone for Butt Foods as we are an SME and this was our most important purchase to date. GEA made several site visits before successful installation of the line, and all trials have been perfect! GEA delivered on its promises, the system is performing to every expectation and the GEA team has demonstrated nothing but professionalism, support and commitment since we first connected.
“We work with some of the finest development specialists, to explore flavours, textures and processes that we can bring to market. Our passion for bakery excellence ensures that only the best products make it through our rigorous processes, so it makes sense to enhance our production capabilities with only the best packaging solutions. I look forward to building a long-term strategic partnership with GEA, and hopefully this is the first of many GEA packaging lines at Butt Foods.”
PowerPak PLUS has been designed to bring real economic benefits for the food industry through shorter downtime, minimum film waste and the elimination of packaging errors. User-friendly, flexible and robust, GEA’s next generation thermoforming packaging machine can comfortably handle different printed films and a variety of packing weights and product sizes, making the equipment suitable for a huge range of bakery products.
Greg Austin, GEA’s UK Product Manager Thermoforming, commented: “Butt Foods is a new customer and we’re delighted to have found the company an ideal thermoforming solution. They were originally focused on frozen flow wrapped products, so choosing our equipment means they can expand their ranges into new, profitable areas as well as offering their customers longer shelf life and increased speed to market.”
GEA is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-tech equipment that is easy to operate and process-reliable, delivering savings while meeting the diverse and demanding requirements of the food and drinks packaging industry. The company also offers service and maintenance packages that can help keep production lines running.
