Fierce competition in supermarkets means it’s imperative for manufacturers to stand-out at the point of sales and Syntegon’s flexible packaging lines support this
Once delicate sweets and crumbly snacks are protected by their primary plastic or paper packaging, they begin the last stretch of the packaging process and are ready to be loaded into cartons and cases. Just as the sweet treats, their cartons and cases come in many different shapes and sizes to make them shine on the shelves.
Competition is fierce in supermarkets. The choice for consumers is endless and your product needs to grab their attention. It must almost be love at first sight to get into their shopping carts. And that’s where attractive pack styles play an important role. In today’s market, it is imperative that manufacturers switch between different products and formats in rapid succession to cater to retailer demands and consumer preferences.
With many formats, it is vital that changeovers are short – the faster production restarts, the better. When it comes to reducing downtime and maximising efficiency of secondary packaging, the equipment’s flexibility, as well as good operator experience, are important factors to consider.
100 case styles on one case packing machine
Manufacturers look for future-proof flexibility when choosing their case packing equipment. The more styles and formats they can produce on one machine, the higher the overall efficiency will be. Very popular pack styles – especially with highly frequented discounters – are shelf-ready cases. Shop assistants just tear off the hood and place the tray with the nicely presented products directly onto the shelf. This is easy, tidy, and fast.
With frequently changing formats comes the request for fast and reproducible format changes. An example for a good user experience in this respect is Syntegon’s Elematic 3001 WAH case packer. It produces more than 100 case styles on one machine. Its highly efficient format change concept supports operators to perform a changeover quickly and without errors.
Apart from the tool-less Elematic click system for change parts, Syntegon’s Operator Assistance – a software module – offers three levels of assistance: Guided, Verified, and Semi-Automatic changeovers. During a guided changeover, HMI and message-in-place-screens indicate the parts to be changed and which Elematic Click setting must be adjusted. Verified changeovers include automatic verification of each setting and format part by RFID technology. Semi-automatic size changeovers allow for the highest level of automation in case packing: Motorised format axes facilitate smooth and simultaneous adjustment of multiple changeover settings at once, enabling operators to process formats and sizes at the touch of a button on the HMI.
To stay competitive for years to come, manufacturers need to take advantage of innovative cartoning and case packing technology. Syntegon is a leading packaging equipment specialist with a broad portfolio to choose from and decades of experience.
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Media contact
Caitlin Gittins
Editor, International Bakery
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920
Email: editor@in-bakery.com
