In a recent email, Food Manufacturing End of line packaging automation expressed interest in hearing from Neil Weisensel, Brand & Marketing Director for Muller LCS, about food packaging and automation developments.
In a recent email, Food Manufacturing expressed interest in hearing from Neil Weisensel, Brand & Marketing Director for Muller LCS, about End of line packaging automation and automation developments.
What are the most recent advancements in the field of food packaging?
Companies are continually on the lookout for goods and equipment that will increase reliability while also allowing for more seamless integration with upstream and downstream operations. Furthermore, while the term “sustainable” has lately been dropped from the vocabulary of the packaging business, the trend toward companies being able to accomplish more with less persists. End-of-line packaging must ensure the security of loads while simultaneously reducing prices, footprint, consumable usage, and, in some cases, labour hours.
What challenges do you see consumers encountering when it comes to end-of-line packaging?
A: In the food manufacturing industry, there is a great demand for innovative automation from beginning to end. The first stage is to ensure that the automation achieves the desired result for the consumer. The purchase of a standard automatic machine will not enough if a firm has an extremely large number of different SKUs and pallet configurations to handle. When using rotatable arms or turntables, stretch wrap machines are unable to handle a wide variety of applications. It is critical in this case to have a system that can alter wrap patterns quickly in order to accommodate SKU variances.
In addition, there is no centralised purchasing or support for the system. Most businesses must purchase end-of-line packaging solutions from a variety of vendors, ranging from film to conveyors. Occasionally, the distributor will be the only point of contact, however distributors might source from a variety of sources. Consequently, requests for system assistance can take longer to respond to, and purchasing becomes more difficult because several purchases are required to meet packaging requirements. Muller LCS is a company End of line packaging automation that manufactures both consumables and equipment for the industry. We are a one-stop shop for all of your end-of-line packaging needs, making it easier for you to manage your business.
What new technology innovations are affecting the packaging of food delivered to consumers?
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What is in store for us?
A: New technology enables businesses to package their products more efficiently than ever before. Manufacturers are constantly striving to decrease both primary and secondary packaging, believing that “being green” is beneficial to both the environment and the bottom line in the long run. The end result is a system that is both more cost-effective and more ecologically responsible. Packaging is becoming smaller and more compact. In an environmentally conscious culture, the concept of “doing more with less” will gain in popularity.
The use of automation is also critical in this change. Companies can now control consumable usage while simultaneously increasing throughput thanks to new technology. The Octopus rotary ring stretch wrap machines by Muller LCS are a good example of this. Octopus machines automatically reduce the amount of film used by customers by 25 percent. It offers film tension control as well as wrap patterns to accommodate pallet loads of varied sizes. It’s a water-based glue that makes a chemical bond with the package surfaces and remains hard until the pallets are removed from the pallet stacking machine. Lock n’ Pop, in contrast to conventional adhesives, does not deteriorate the surface of the package. Because the application is straightforward and low-maintenance, it is virtually invisible. Lock n’ Pop systems help to decrease waste while also increasing the security of pallet loads. Further innovation will be spurred on by the goal to develop packaging that is safer, stronger, more efficient, and more ecologically friendly in the future.
What methods are available to food businesses for automating their processes? Describe what distinguishes this product from other “outdated” options.
A: Food manufacturers are subject to more stringent regulations than other industrial businesses, ranging from temperature to HACCP. Despite this, some “vintage” items continue to offer an issue in these instances. Stretch film applied completely around a load, for example, can suffocate the goods, causing it to deteriorate during transportation in hot or cold weather (like dairy or produce). The majority of pallet wraps employ rotary arm machines for increased automation; however, the lubrication points are located at the top of the machine, where they can spill onto loads, contaminating the goods being wrapped.
Muller LCS proposes solutions to these problems and concerns industradgroup. The Octopus rotating ring machine, for starters, has no lubricating points on its rotor. Other options and retrofits, such as Flexi-Rope, which automatically applies ventilation between stretch film rotations, are available from Octopus. The mechanism for roping film from both sides of the web together results in a smaller but more durable ring of film. Rotating ring technology allows food producers to wrap designs on their loads no matter where they are. This one-of-a-kind feature allows stretch film to be used in more applications. Adding more or less film as needed to reduce waste and stabilize loads is a good way to save money. Load security can be maintained with solutions such as Lock n’ Pop while traditional packaging materials such as stretch film, slip sheets, dunnage bags, corner boards, and other traditional packaging materials are virtually eliminated.
