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COVER STORY
16 REAL BIG DEAL
Canadian packaging machinery stalwart ready to open up a new chapter in its history of market growth and technological innovation as part of a global automation powerhouse.
FEATURES
24 Berry Well Done
Organic wildberries producer sets itself on a rapid path to rapid growth with award-winning retail-ready packaging format already driving double-digit sales growth.
33 Home Stretch
Canadian stretchwrappjng machinery manufacturer looking to tap into the global customer base built-up by its new growth-focused parent company.
39 Short and Sweet
Venerable candy manufacturer steps up to the plate with a major investment in packaging automation to get a firm handle on surging production volumes.
42 CHICAGO SHOW-STOPPERS
A preview of the exciting features and technologies set to greet and excite visitor to the upcoming PACK EXPO International packaging and processing technologies global showcase in in Chicago net month.
ON THE COVER
Jeremy Patten, president of ATS Food & Technology, takes a moment to have his picture taken during a recent visit to the WeighPack Systems manufacturing facility in Montreal, which ATS acquired as part of its sensational buyout of the Paxiom Group of companies earlier this spring.
Cover photo by Pierre Longtin.
Solving labor shortages must start at the top
Finding the right people to fill the right jobs is a tricky challenge in any industry at the best of times, and it’s gotten even trickier in the last couple of years on the account of persistent labor shortages impacting the North American manufacturing value chain, with the packaging sector being no exception.
The share of packaging companies surveyed by PMMI with no proper talent strategy in place 73%
While being able to recruit top-notch talent has always been a requirement for running a successful business enterprise, getting your hands on this talent, and retaining it for a meaningful duration, is something that many packaging endusers and their suppliers have been struggling with ever since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than three years ago.
And while many companies have been addressing this human deficit by scaling up their automation investments and strategies, there is a limit to how much existing technologies and processes can alleviate the need for human workers needed to ensure that these fancy new machines and packaging lines run like clockwork.
Maybe not in the same numbers as before, granted, but certainly not to the point where companies are losing sales and market share because they don’t have enough staff to keep their lines running.
Maybe AI (artificial intelligence) will address this shortcoming in the future, but then again, maybe not.
In either case, it’s a poor substitute for an effective recruiting strategy that attracts new talent not only through enticing compensation packages, but also with the promise of a purposeful, meaningful and satisfying career choice.
And as many of the readers of this magazine will agree, the dynamic and fast-evolving packaging industry can certainly be a great starting point for a solid career choice with great opportunities for professional growth and development, in addition to providing a decent way to earn an honest living.
Ask anyone who has been to any of the PACK EXPO series of trade shows—organized by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies—about the countless career opportunities packaging provides, and large groups of university, college and high-school students pounding the showfloor to see how they can partake in the
industry’s undeniably bright future.
But for all that, “The shortage of labor, especially skilled workers, is a chronic lament in manufacturing,” says PMMI’s vice-president of industry relations Tom Egan. “New strategies and resources are needed to ensure prospective hires possess the right skillset and that employers are prepared to recruit, develop, and retain productive, satisfied workers.”
And yet, according to PMMI’s own report titled Building an Effective Talent Strategy for the Packaging Industry, 73 per cent of the surveyed companies do not have a proper talent strategy to speak of. That is a serious failing and an area of serious concern, PMMI warns.
“Business leaders agree that no matter the industry they operate in, people are their Number One asset and the key to success,” the PMMI report states. “Neglecting to nurture, develop, and invest in your team will cause your company to fall behind, particularly in the highly competitive labor market that has emerged since the pandemic. “That’s why it’s crucial to develop and continuously refine a talent strategy that aligns with and supports your goals.”
According to PMMI, a sound talent strategy must address at least four pillars of “talent attraction,” including:
•Market. Telling the story of why your industry is an exciting one that people want to build their careers in.
•Product. Explaining why your products and services are positioned to take advantage of growth in the markets they serve.
•Team. People want to surround themselves with success, so talk about the key players in your organization and what they have accomplished.
•Mission. Explaining what your company is trying to accomplish beyond making money.
“This is particularly important for attracting younger talent,” the report asserts. “If you can eloquently ‘sell’ why your company is an attractive one using the elements described above,you will see a big increase in the number of people who want to come work for you.”
OCTOBER 2024 | VOLUME 77, NO. 8
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Spooky graphics create a dazzling backdrop for new Fanta soda flavors
Never the type to miss out on a blockbuster marketing opportunity, soft-drink giant Coca-Cola has teamed up with Hollywood studio Warner Bros. Pictures for a limited-time launch of the iconic Fanta brand celebrating the release of the smash hit comedy Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Featuring vivid on-pack character designs from the movie, the launch is spearheaded by the Fanta Haunted Apple x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice beverage showcasing the titular character himself, played by Michael Keaton. Available in 500-ml and 355-ml plastic bottles adorned with a wraparound label
featuring the iconic black-and-white striped design associated with the mischievous demon, the new flavor is said to offer a unique apple flavor sensation different from any other Fanta brand product to date.
In addition, fans of the movie in Canada can also indulge in the limited-edition can of Fanta Orange x Astrid and Fanta Pineapple x Delia (see pictures), both sold in individual 255-ml cans and in 12-can multipacks while the supplies last.
Automation giant ABB unveils its $12-million Montreal plant upgrade
Industrial automation and robotics giant ABB has officially opened up its expanded electrical products manufacturing facility in Pointe-Claire, Que., following a $12-million investment that has doubled the plant’s size to nearly 65,000 square feet.
Clear On-Hol
With Suspect Foreign Materia
In addition to creating 40 new full-time jobs, the ABB Installation Products Division plant doubles the production capacity to help meet growing demand for electrical solutions used across North America.
According to the company, the upgraded facility integrates ABB cobots and advanced technology, as well as flexible automation to boost manufacturing of multiple product lines, including Marrette wire connectors, Carlon electrical boxes and fittings, NuTek non-metallic boxes, Snap-it fittings, and other components widely used in a range of Canadian industries.
In additions, the processes will help increase production and enhance efficiency and sustainability throughout facility, including the ABB Ability intelligent energy management solution that uses smart sensors to optimize the plant’s energy use.
The revamped plant also includes electric vehicle charging stations, solar thermal panels and electric heat pumps to reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2025.
“Growing our footprint in Canada with this state-of-the-art facility builds on our global strategy to regionalize production of essential electrical solutions and expand ABB’s manufacturing capabilities and supply chain,” says Khalid Mandri, president of ABB Installation Products Division.
ABB Installation Products Division’s president Khalid Mandri (sixth from left) leading senior ABB staff and invited guests through a cheerful ribbon-cutting ceremony.
First Nations coffee brand goes mainstream with big nationwide Costco deal
While making sweeping sustainability and social welfare claims has become a commonplace practice for coffee brands to attract conscientious consumers, a new First Nations-owned coffee brand retailing at Club Store giant Costco may well be setting a new benchmark for social consumer activism.
Developed by Birch Bark Coffee Company, it will be the first Indigenous coffee brand to be offered in the mass market chain, providing consumers with an opportunity to purchase packaged
coffee beans that taste great and are ethically sourced.
This innovative coffee company was founded in 2018 by Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow—a band member of Whitefish River First Nation located on Birch Island in Ontario—as part of his personal mission to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous people across Canada.
“I believe that coffee has the power to unite and act as a force of change,” he says. “I created Birch Bark to uplift Indigenous communities by promoting sustainable business practices, supporting development and
education, and raising awareness of critical issues,” Marsolais-Nahwegahbow says.
As he explains, every pound of coffee sold contributes to the company’s efforts to bring clean drinking water to Indigenous homes suffering from endless poor water safety and quality advisories.
“Through every cup of coffee, we strive to empower and honor our communities, fostering resilience and unity against all forms of injustice,” Marsolais-Nahwegahbow states.
To make the product at sufficient scale, Birch Bark has partnered with Reunion Coffee Roasters, a Canadian specialty coffee roaster known for its exceptional-tasting coffee that is sustainably sourced and roasted.
Through this partnership, Birch Bark coffee will be exclusively produced at Reunion’s Bullfrogpowered roaster in Oakville, Ont.
standards of ethical and sustainable sourcing and production.
“Birch Bark Coffee Company and Reunion Coffee Roasters share many core values,” says Reunion’s president and chief executive officer Adam Pesce.
“We believe in the power of coffee to create meaningful change and share a deep respect for every step of the process, from sourcing through to the partners we work with,” Pesce adds. “We are thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of the Birch Bark story and support their incredible vision.”
Currently sold at select specialty grocery stores, Birch Bark will be launched across all Canadian-based Costco stores this fall, with its collection of Fairtrade and organic coffee comprising espresso, medium-dark, dark and decaffeinated roasts in 12-once and two-pound formats.
“We look forward to the opportunity to expand our presence with new listings and, in turn, deepen our work in uplifting Indigenous communities,” says Marsolais-Nahwegahbow.
This partnership allows Birch Bark to increase its production while continuing to offer organic, Fairtrade Canada-certified coffee that meets the highest 24_009016_Canadian_Packaging_OCT_CN Mod: September 13, 2024 3:28 PM Print: 09/13/24
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Leading German food processing and packaging machinery manufacturer MULTIVAC has officially opened its new $20-million Center of Excellence for slicing solutions in Buchenau (Dautphetal) after completing a two-year construction project last month. Built over a surface area of around 4,700 square meters, the new building complex comprises a Customer and Application Center, as well as production areas and warehouse facilities. As part of the building’s sustainable infrastructure, a number of measures have been taken to reduce
greenhouse gases, including installation of air-heat exchangers combined with a photovoltaic system to generate heat for the building, assisted by the waste heat from the air compressors, eliminating the need for any fossil-fuel energy sources. “We have built up a range of MULTIVAC slicing equipment in record time, and this comprehensive range includes all output categories,” says Tobias Richter, director and chief sustainability officer of the MULTIVAC Group. “Thanks to the new Buchenau site, we can now react even more
flexibly to our customers’ requirements, as well as providing yet more complete lines as tailored solutions for food processing and packaging.”
Klöckner Pentaplast (kp), a global leader in rigid and flexible packaging and specialty film solutions, has become the very first food packaging business to receive the RecyClass Traceability Certification with a module focused on closed loop for its recycled PET (rPET) trays made at the company’s production site in Pravia, Spain. “This achievement demonstrates absolute transparency when it comes to the origin of the rPET flake from food trays we use for our kp Tray2Tray initiative,” says kp’s marketing director for trays Cecilia Guardado. “We are fully focused on reducing waste across the entire packaging value chain by developing clear PET thermoformed trays from recycled PET trays that are also fully recyclable.” In addition to this accomplishment, kp recently launched the market’s first food packaging trays comprising 10-percent rPET derived exclusively from trays. Until now, food packaging trays were manufactured using increasing proportions of recovered PET material, but kp’s 100-percent rPET trays are claimed to be the first fully-transparent trays to be made entirely from recycled tray material.
Cryopak, Short Hills, N.J.-based specialist in the design and development of cold chain packaging and temperature monitoring devices, has acquired the Gel-Pack manufacturing segment of Garden State Cold Storage (GSCS), which provides pickup-to-delivery cold storage logistics for customers in the food and beverage industry throughout the northeastern U.S. Among other benefits, the acquisition allows Cryopak to both produce Gel-Packs and execute freezing operations at the same location, which will lower costs, increase service levels and shorten lead times. Located in Carteret, N.J., the new facility brings up the number of Cryopak’s total North American plant locations to 10. For Cryopak, a subsidiary of Integreon Global, the transaction marks its investment is the second acquisition in the past eight months, having recently acquired retail Gel-Pack manufacturer Icy Cools. In related news, Integreon Global has announced a buyout of the remaining stock of Chasen Fiber Technologies (CFT), a textile recycling/manufacturing company specializing in thermal packaging for shipping of refrigerated and frozen ingredients, as well as the manufac-
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turing of mattress components and insulator pads. “Our recent acquisitions and substantial infrastructure investments reinforce a sharp growth curve that both Cryopak and Integreon Global are experiencing,” says Integreon Global president Michael Hays. “As we continue to assertively increase our overall capacity and expand our capabilities and categories, customers will benefit with broader selection, reduced lead-times, enhanced overall service and improved sustainability.”
Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered packaging machinery manufacturing group ProMach has completed the acquisition of MBF, a prominent supplier of filling solutions to the wine and spirit industries based in Verona, Italy. Founded in 1997, MBF is
one of the global beverage industry’s leading rinsing, filling, and closing technology suppliers, with a broad product portfolio and more than 20 registered global patents. “We are excited to welcome the MBF team to ProMach,” says ProMach president and chief executive officer Mark Anderson. “Their addition to our business continues the expansion of our filling and closing solutions, and it significantly expands our Global reach in the spirits market—an area where we have worked hard to establish a strong position.”
Leading Italian packaging and logistics solutions group Coesia has formed a strategic partnership with U.K.-headquartered PWR (Packaging with Robotics) to grow its robotics portfolio and strengthen its automated packaging solutions for
the food industry. The collaboration with PWR, which specializes in large multi-robot lines with vision systems and pick-and-place technology for the bakery, confectionery, snacks and pet food industries, will enable Coesia to expand its offerings and improve productivity and flexibility in highly complex production environments, according to the Bologna-headquartered company. The partnership arrangement will also enable PWR to expand its current global market base primarily focused on Europe and Australia—to North America, where the company will work closely with other Coesia subsidiaries ACMA, Volpak, R.A. Jones and Flexlink to explore new business opportunities in the personal care and e-commerce markets.
“We are excited to partner with PWR and work alongside its team, as PWR’s expertise in robotics and food industry applications will significantly enhance our portfolio,” says Coesia’s chief executive officer Alessandro Parimbelli. “Together, we aim to provide a full line innovative and integrated packaging solutions across various industries.”
Chicago-headquartered protective packaging product manufacturer Pregis LLC has announced plans to invest in additional capacity with state-of-the-art, blown film lines across its facilities to enable the company to expand its offering of sustainable barrier and non-barrier films to meet growing demand for rigid and flexible plastic packaging in the food and other CPG industries. According to Pregis, the company’s Renew brand of sustainable sealants and films provides optimal physical properties, while incorporating aspects such as recyclability and recycled content. “We are constantly seeking ways to develop innovative, high-quality films that align with critical business and environmental goals,” says Bob Gargione, president of the Pregis Performance Flexibles unit. “This investment will build on our vision of helping customers choose responsible solutions for their company and the environment.”
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PACK EXPO 2024, Chicago, 3-6 November Hall/Stand S-2766
Jeremy Patten (left), president of the ATS Products & Food Technology group, joins Paxiom Group’s vice president of commercial operations Nick Taraborelli on the floor of Paxiom’s flagship Xperience Center and integration facility in Las Vegas, Nev.
HAPPY TOGETHER
Landmark acquisition sets stage for an exciting future for stalwart Canadian packaging OEM as a core part of a fast-growing global automation powerhouse
By George Guidoni, Editor
Photos by Pierre Longtin
If making a whole bigger and better than the sum of its parts is a hallmark of a successful M&A strategy, then the recent acquisition of Canadian packaging machinery stalwart Paxiom Group by Cambridge, Ont.-headquartered automation powerhouse ATS Corporation could well be the start of an exciting new chapter in the history of both like-minded, globally-operating businesses with stellar reputations for manufacturing excellence and world-class technological competence.
Formally completed this spring, the multimillion-dollar transaction seems to
have no limits to the high expectations and a wealth of new growth opportunities unleashed by this uniquely amicable, made-in-Canada coming together of two undisputed industry leaders in their field.
According to Jeremy Patten, president of ATS Corporation’s Products & Food Technology group, ATS has always had a strong acquisitive streak in it ever since the company was founded by German immigrant to Canada Klause Woerner in 1978.
This has only accelerated with the introduction of Andrew Hider as the CEO in 2017, having achieved signifi-
cant growth for the TSE (Toronto Stock Exchange)and NYSE (New York Stock Exchange)-listed ATS—both organically and through timely strategic acquisitions—along with a strong international profile and reputation as one of the world’s largest factory automations systems integrators.
That robust market growth and an appetite for deal-making have significantly intensified in recent years, says Patten, who joined the company seven years ago after senior postings at major manufacturing conglomerates IDEX Corporation and Danaher Corporation.
“Seven years ago we were a $900-million company with a 10-percent operating profit,” says Patten, “whereas our latest fiscal year has just ended with $3-billion in sales and just over 13-percent adjusted operating profit.
“So it’s been a tremendous growth story, with acquisitions also playing a major part in it.
“We have done 24 acquisitions in the last five years,” says Patten, noting that the ATS Packaging & Food Technology now comprises 13 different but complementary global business that include wellknown names like CFT, IWK, Raytec Vision, Co.Mac, NCC Automated Systems, Marco, Siapi and Rolec
As Patten relates, one of the things that made Paxiom Group a tempting acquisition target was the fact that the family-owned company—founded in Montreal by Louis Taraborelli in 1991— was already a full-fledged total system solutions provider with a global network of manufacturing plants producing high-quality packaging line equipment for food applications.
Manufacturing well over 400 machines per year, Paxiom’s impressive product portfolio includes WeighPack, EndFlex , ValTara, Kang Di , and Paxiom’s flagship Xperience Center and integration facility in Las Vegas, Nev.
Critically for ATS, Paxiom Group’s
“With much of Paxiom’s sales being based here in North America, there is a natural geographic synergy for us to share customers and to grow the business across two opposite geographies.”
Above Paxiom’s vicepresident of operations Justin Taraborelli in front of Paxiom’s fully-automatic JuanaRoll cannabis machine.
Left
strength and high profile in the North American markets perfectly complements its own leading presence in the European markets with hardly any product overlap or duplication worth mentioning, as Patten points out.
“Prior to Paxiom, none of our Packaging and Food Technology group of companies actually manufactured in Canada,” Patten points out, “so there are some really exciting new synergies for us to explore.”
Says Patten: “With much of Paxiom’s sales being based here in North America, and our food businesses having such a strong market penetration and great customer relationship throughout Europe, there is a natural geographic synergy for us to share customers and to
Paxiom’s vicepresident of innovation James Taraborelli (second from left) joins his team by the WeighPack VF 1200 vertical bagging machine.
grow the business across two opposite geographies.”
Paxiom’s familiarity and good standing with the North American food business was also a highly appealing reason for the acquisition for a company making a concerted effort to grow its global food and packaging business, according to Patten.
“From an ATS perspective, our four criteria for looking at acquisitions starts out by evaluating how attractive the market is,” Patten explains, “and we like the food and packaging market precisely because it is not highly cyclical and is also recession-proof, to an extent.
“Our second criteria is whether the acquisition is strategic—whether one plus one equals more than two, and that we can do thing better together than independently,” he explains.
“We also look at the company’s operational fit in terms of being adaptable to our ‘ATS business model’ of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement,” says Patten, citing the company’s ‘decentralized’ approach to day-to-day management.
“So we had to look at the strength of the leadership team,” Patten says, “and we found that the three Taraborelli brothers who helped family patriarch Louis build up a world-class business—Justin, James and Nick—would fit in perfectly with the ATS work culture that values autonomy and innovative thinking.
“And lastly, being a public company that must provide a return on investment for our shareholders, we had to make sure that the deal would make business sense for them.
“After a lot of due diligence and a lot of travel, it became very clear that Paxiom ticked off all four of the boxes,” Patten says, adding that he expects things to run “business as usual” for the Paxiom operations going forward.
Naturally, this respectful and thoughtful on-boarding process helped to ease any anxiety among Paxiom’s 300-strong workforce.
As Paxiom’s vice-president of operations Justin Taraborelli explains, “ATS is a globally respected technology company that values exceptional products.
“As a product-driven company ourselves we see immense potential in collaborating with ATS to deliver seamless turnkey solutions and leverage the ATS ecosystem for enhanced collaboration across all entities,” he states.
“The decentralized business model fosters entrepreneurship and deep commitment within each entity, while ATS’s support empowers us to drive significant growth and innovation.
Adds Justin: “ATS is led by a dynamic, leadership team that deeply values decentralized ownership, even at the
employee level.
“We’ve fostered an ‘owner-driven’ mindset among our employees, enabling us to seize complex opportunities while maximizing profitability,” he relates.
“We believe that ATS will not only invest in our operations but also support our autonomy—allowing us to continue growing while maintaining our entrepreneurial spirit.”
As Paxiom’s director of operations and service Mark Conforti concurs, “The acquisition of Paxiom Group by ATS Automation is a hugely exciting development for both organizations and customers.
“Combining the operational strengths of both companies has already led to synergies that are driving innovation which ultimately will benefit our customer base with a wider range of high-quality automation solutions,” he says, “expanding Paxiom’s global presence with enhanced support, tools and service network to ensure a quicker response time and better customer service experience at a global level.
“With ATS being one of the largest integrators in the automation industry and their ‘customer first’ culture, they can leverage Paxiom Service’s established support systems including knowledge base, instructional videos and FAQs (frequently asked questions) as a platform to gain deeper insights into customer needs and preferences—enabling a more personalized and effective experience across all ATS North American companies,” he elaborates.
“Such partnerships are essential for driving growth, improving customer
An engineer looking over the CAD image of a turnkey Paxiom packaging line design on his desktop computer screen.
Paxiom’s director of operations and service Mark Conforti (foreground) with the customer service and technical support team.
A bird’s-eye view of the extensive range of high-performance packaging machinery displayed on the plant-floor of Paxiom’s Xperience Center facility in Las Vegas for customer demonstrations and trial runs.
“In today’s fast-paced environment, it is crucial to create machinery that enables operators and maintenance teams to ensure seamless operation and prevent production downtime.”
satisfaction, and achieving a better future for our industry,” Conforti asserts.
For Paxiom’s vice-president of innovation James Taraborelli, the landmark acquisition is in many ways a validation and endorsement of the company’s flair for design and manufacturing innovation that played a large role in Paxiom becoming a major player in the cannabis industry through stunning market success of the company’s fully-automatic JuanaRoll cannabis flower pre-roll machines, along with continuous improvement of all its other major product offerings.
“Over the past several years, we have been dedicated to reshaping our product line to ensure we’re well-positioned for continued growth in targeted global
markets,” he states.
“The key products in this evolution include our high-speed vertical baggerffamily (VF Series), bag insertion and un-cuffer systems (BI, BU, BUSV), our Delta Robot (PKR), and the continuous expansion of our offerings dedicated to the cannabis industry.”
Says James: “Our team is focused on developing new and enhanced features, such as high-pressure washdown capabilities and preventative and predictive maintenance systems.
“These innovations empower our customers to address potential issues before they arise,” he states.
“In today’s fast-paced environment, it is crucial to create machinery that enables operators and maintenance teams
to ensure seamless operation and prevent production downtime.”
For Patten, such sentiments offer compelling proof of a “great alignment between both companies’ respective work cultures and values.
“Our core values are simple: people, process and performance, in that order,” Patten states.
“So we’re going to want to recruit, retain, develop the best people,” he asserts, “because it is those people that are going to drive the process, discipline, the
From left Justin and James Taraborelli join ATS Food & Technology group’s president Jeremy Patten for a group shot at WeighPack’s manufacturing facility in Montreal.
The full side view of a fully-integrated turnkey packaging line, consisting almost entirely of Paxiom-built machinery, at a customer’s facility.
continuous improvement mindset, that ATS business model, and the overall continuous improvement that’s going to yield long term performance for the organization.”
Says Patten: “We’re really excited to have them (Paxiom) as a part of the organization because in addition to the great alignment, they offer a great growth story.
“It is our goal is to help support and drive profitable growth for their business so that we can the next chapter of the Paxiom Group by continuing to see its trajectory and its growth potential fully realized,” he states.
As Patten explains, “You can’t be an expert in everything, and by joining a group that has such a diverse amount of technology and geographic focus areas you don’t have to be.
“You can just be an expert in your space, but you can also leverage existing built-in partnerships to find ways to drive synergy to improve your expertise even further.
“The way that technology moves these days, it is hard to do everything by yourself,” says Patten, adding the company has no plans for any major rebranding overhaul for any of Paxiom’s core brands or product lines.
“The Taraborelli family has done a tremendous amount of work to build brand equity and the organization’s credibility, “ he says, “so the last thing we would want to do is anything that potentially disrupts that credibility and brand recognition.
“We should only be adding to it, not taking away from it,” says Patten. “Our job is to help them grow into other markets and other spaces.
“You can just be an expert in your space, but you can also leverage existing built-in partnerships to find ways to drive synergy to improve your expertise even further.”
Close-up of the PKR Delta pick-and-place robot incorporated inside the ValTara case-packing machinery for gentle high-speed loading of pouches and other packaging formats inside shipping trays and/or cases.
“They already have the technology and the know-how,” he concludes, “and it is now our job is to figure out how to unlock all that potential to help them grow into other new markets and geographic locations.”
For vice-president of commercial operation Nicholas Taraborelli, the ATS acquisition is a truly milestone gamechanging event in Paxiom’s already successful history.
“We accomplished so much in this industry in a short amount of time, having built a tremendous business with manufacturing facilities in four countries and an incredibly diverse, deep and innovative portfolio of products,” he states.
Says Taraborelli: “We were trailblazers in so many respects including joining PMMI as a Canadian company in the ’90s, the first packaging machinery company in Las Vegas over 22 years ago and the first to widely promote showrooms with our Xperience Center, establishing in China over 20 years ago, and the first packaging OEM to enter the cannabis market.
“These are experiences that I can look back upon fondly and tell my kids about,” Taraborelli extols.
“I am appreciative of our incredible employees—past and present—my family, my friends, and our loyal customers who had supported that scrappy hard-working company on William Street in 1991 to the equally hard-working multinational that we had become,” Taraborelli concludes.
“We now celebrate the future with ATS—a world-class organization with significant resources to propel Paxiom even further to the benefit of its employees and valued customers.”
Paxiom Group’s WeighPack manufacturing facility in Montreal is one of the company’s biggest production sites worldwide.
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BERRY WELL DONE
Wildberry processor’s switch to innovative retail-ready packaging rewarded with top industry acclaim and double-digit sales surge
By George Guidoni, Editor
Photos by Pierre Longtin
hile the term superfood may have lost some of its mystical aura and allure in recent years due to rampant overuse, one thing that hasn’t changed is the virtually unanimous consensus among leading dietitians and nutritionists about wildberries being the best and tastiest source of fiber, natural sugar, antioxidants and many other kinds of disease-fighting nutrients essential to healthy eating and living.
As a major grower and producer of organic wild cranberries and blueberries, Villeroy, Que.-based Fruit d’Or takes a lot of pride in its self-styled mission to provide Canadian consumers with all the significant health, nutritional and
environmental benefits offered by its surprisingly diverse product range.
Founded in 1995 by Martin Le Moine, the company was one of the first in North America to make a switch to organic farming techniques—perfecting the art of fighting insects and weeds by natural means.
In addition to sparing the soil and the product from presence of toxic pesticides and chemicals such as chlorothalonil, lazoxystrobin, acephate, chlorpyrifos and methamidophos, among others, organically-grown cranberries and blueberries are said to contain up to 30 per cent more antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients than their conventionally-grown counterparts.
After overcoming some early growing pains and general market apathy about organic produce at the time, the company leveraged its knack for innovation to develop an extensive portfolio of nutrition and other products utilizing its berries as prime ingredients—making steady market inroads into the ingredients, retail, private-label and nutraceutical co-packing segments.
Sourcing its berries from its own boglands and about 45 family-owned farms across the province of Quebec, the vertically-integrated operation nowadays ranks as the world’s largest grower of organic cranberries and a second-largest organic blueberry processor—with export markets in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Operating three production facilities across Quebec with a total area of more than 550,000 square feet—along with another processing operation in Carver, Ma., acquired in 2021—the company produces a diverse range of products in a variety of formats including dried fruits, concentrates, powders, juice, purées, frozen fruits, seeds and seed extras.
Boasting a varied customer base comprising distributors, repackers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, the company’s berries are widely used
Fruit d’Or’s product specialist RenéJunior Turcotte happily displays the award-winning retail-ready packaging solution for the company’s Patience SourCran line of flavored dried cranberry snacks produced in close collaboration with prominent packaging machine-builder Delkor Systems.
“It’s all about making cranberries cool.When you look at what the younger consumers are looking for in a snack, being healthy and shelfstable often top the list.”
across a growing range of everyday foods that include cereals and nutrition bars, dairy products and beverages, baked goods and snacks, jams and sauces, cosmetics, and nutraceutical beverages, among others.
To gain greater visibility and prominence in the retail sector, in 2015 Fruit d’Or launched the Patience SourCran line of dried cranberries, packed in snacksized, single-serve pouches filled with select, slow-grown dried cranberries flavored with peach, raspberry, cherry, strawberry or watermelon extracts.
Made with simple nutritious ingredients without any complicated ingredients or synthetic additives, the tangy high-fiber berries offer an exceptionally healthy and snacking option with only
eight grams of sugar per pouch.
Instead of adding sugar, the slowdried berries are thinly sprinkled with natural flavors and citric acid to transform them into sour candy-like treats.
All the cranberries used in the SourCran brand pouches are fully grown and then gently dried to the perfect point, according to the company, so that they retain as much of their flavor and nutrition as possible.
“It’s all about making cranberries cool,” says Fruit d’Or’s vice-president of marketing and innovation Caroline Miron, describing the brand as a novel and inspired “snackertainment” product.
“We wanted to rejuvenate our target audience,” Miron explains, “and so we decided to go on a platform that we call
‘snackertaining,’ whereby the product is intended for both snacking and entertainment.
“As such, it is really targeted at younger consumers by inspiring them to choose a healthier option to mainstream sour candies,” she says.
“When you look at what the younger consumers are looking for in a snack, being healthy and shelf-stable often top the list,” Miron says, citing the SourCran candies’ impressive two-year shelf-life.
With the SourCran pouches being adorned with luscious gouache-painted graphics matching the colors with their respective flavors, the brand has steadily built up a loyal following among Canadian and U.S. consumers over the last couple of years, culminating in winning the high-profile 2024 Grand Prix Best New Product Award of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) in the Sweet Snacks category this past spring.
“We were very thankful and excited to receive this award,” says Miron, crediting much of the brand’s breakthrough mass appeal to the distinct Cabrio Case® retail-ready packaging developed by the Minneapolis, Minn.-based secondary packaging equipment manufacturer Delkor Systems Originally invented by Delkor’s vice-president of engineering Rick Gessler about eight years ago, the Cabrio Case was invented specifically to facilitate upright shelf packaging for bags and stand-up pouches of cheese products as
The high-performance Trayfecta X Series former manufactured by Delkor Systems was installed at the Plessisville production facility in May of 2023.
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Above
The LSP Series case-packer is equipped with three FANUC pick-and-place robots to handle throughput speeds of up to 120 pouches per minute.
Right
Equipped with proprietary technology that automatically compensates for warped corrugated without stopping the process, the Trayfecta X Series former features high-capacity magazine holding up to 500 blanks at a time to facilitate maximum running time.
an alternative to the traditional peg-hole displays—requiring a fair bit of manual stocking by the retailers’ staff and unnecessary reaching and product handling by the shoppers.
Nowadays widely used for a broad range of single-serve and other smaller-sized food products retailed in standup pouches and other flexible packaging formats, the Cabrio Case features a perfectly pre-cut tray front to provide perfect
presentation for the product inside the case, standing up or laid-down flat, with its wrapped tray corners and machine-cut front edges and sides facilitating a clean and tidy look for the entire shelf.
Made from a single corrugated blank for optimal material usage and die-cutting precision, the patented tray-hood Cabrio Case is easy to open on the shelf with a single swift motion with no cutting required and, moreover, it eliminates the
need for using standard corrugated shipping carriers and boxes to ship the products to customers—resulting in significant savings in packaging materials.
“By using the Cabrio Case as shelfready display and as a transportation box all at once, we were able to achieve a 59-percent reduction in the amount of packaging materials used for the distribution of the SourCran brand products to our retail customers,” says Miron.
“It basically eliminated the use of the ‘brown box’ containers for this product range,” Miron says, “while providing an opportunity for extra brand messaging and shelf impact on the exterior panels of the Cabrio Case.
“It’s been a great tool for us since we began using it just over a year ago,” says Miron, “and we were very proud to relaunch our product in this innovative packaging with Delkor’s help.
“In fact, this was one of the most successful product launches we ever had as a company,” says Miron, citing a doubledigit increase in sales for the SourCran brand since the packaging switchover.
As Delkor Systems sales manager Matt Meidl relates, Fruit d’Or first expressed serious interest in Cabrio Case packaging two years ago while attending the biennial PACK EXPO International packaging exhibition in Chicago.
“It turned out that the [packaging] line we brought to the show was exactly
what they were looking for,” Meidl recalls. “Specifically, the system has fast changeovers and the flexibility to run all the package formats at the speeds they needed: a large Club Store tray format, a retail-ready Cabrio Case, and a ‘brown box’ shipper.
“As Delkor’s case designs are formed from flat blanks, our customers are also able to significantly reduce their packaging material usage,” Meidl points out. “Our customers typically save around $100,000 annually in corrugated for every new line install.”
Installed at the Plessisville plant in May of 2023, the new retail-ready packaging line is comprised of three fully integrated Delkor secondary packaging machines, including:
• A Trayfecta X Series former. Said to be Delkor’s most versatile former to date with a five-axis servo control, the Trayfecta X Series former is capable of producing retail-ready and virtually all other common shipper styles on a single machine, switching from one type to another with a simple, tool-less threeminute changeover.
Boasting proprietary forming technology that automatically compensates for warped corrugated, and a large-capacity magazine holding up to 500 blanks, the compact machine can form up to 50 cases per minute.
• An LSP Series case-packer with three robot cells. Capable of packing pouches and large bags into deep cases at speeds up to 120 products per minute, this newly developed loader can seamlessly place a variety of pouches into multiple types of cases—including the Club Store trays, Cabrio Cases and
Above Filled Cabrio Cases emerging from the LSP Series case-packer on their ways towards the F Series closer.
Right Fruit d’Or’s product specialist René-Junior Turcotte holding up a finished Cabrio Case filled with the SourCran brand pouches.
brown-box shippers—with the choice of laying them flat or standing upright inside the case.
Left
A close look inside the Trayfecta X Series former erecting Cabrio Case from a single corrugated blank with unerring precision and accuracy at speeds of up to 50 cases per minute.
Bottom Erected Cabrio
Cases heading towards the LSP Series case-packer to be filled with pouches.
Equipped with a heavy-duty central vacuum system and vision-guided robotics, the modular system’s three FANUC M10 pick-and-pace robots are perfectly synced to work together to pick pouches weighting up to 20 pounds in any orientation on the infeed conveyor.
As with the formers, the LSP Series case packer can switch from one type of case/tray to another with a simple threeminute changeover requiring no tools.
• An F Series closer, used to seal all the shipper styles produced on the Trayfecta X Series former.
The low-maintenance, high-speed carton and case closer features self-tensioning belts to provide long service life and simple belt replacement, combined with oversized bearings and shafts, and lug-less belts to alleviate maintenance problems common to other closers.
According to Fruit d’Or’s product specialist René-Junior Turcotte, the in-
stallation of Delkor equipment has already yielded significant improvements in productivity and energy efficiencies at the Plessisville facility.
In addition, it quickly accelerated the development of a much more attractive and ergonomic packaging solution with commanding shelf presence and minimal product handling for store staff stocking the shelves.
“You just tear open the box by tearing back the top of case along the perforations and it’s all ready to go on the shelf,” he says.
“Retailers love this package,” Turcotte extols, complimenting the thoughtful box design with precision-placed flaps and perforations that make forming and filling the Cabrio Cases a breeze on Delkor equipment.
“The Delkor equipment enabled us to finetune our packaging process to make sure that every case coming off that Delkor line looks good and functions great.”
Says Turcotte: “What really impressed me the most about the system
New MULTIVAC site in Buchenau: Centre of Excellence for slicing solutions
The MULTIVAC Group has been developing and designing high-performance slicers for the food industry at its Buchenau site since 2017. Following strong growth since then in its Slicing Business Unit, the new building will now expand the current capacity. Built over a surface area of around 4,700 square metres, the new building complex comprises a Customer Centre, as well as production areas and warehouse facilities. The new building also creates a second Application Centre, in addition to that at the company’s headquarters in Wolfertschwenden, and this new facility offers even greater opportunities for customer tests and demonstrations at the Buchenau site. As part of the building’s sustainable infrastructure, a number of measures have been taken to reduce greenhouse gases: The heating for the building is provided by air-heat exchangers combined with a photovoltaic system, and this is assisted by the waste heat from the air compressors, so that no fossil-fuel energy is used.
“We have built up a range of MULTIVAC slicing equipment in record time, and this comprehensive range includes all output categories. Thanks to the new Buchenau site, we can now react even more flexibly to our customers’ requirements, as well as providing yet more complete lines as tailored solutions for food processing and packaging,” said Dr. Tobias Richter, Director and CSO of the MULTIVAC Group. “And with the additional Application Centre in particular, we can now offer our customers an even better and more accessible consultancy service in that wider region.”
Bernd Höpner, Director and CTO of the MULTIVAC Group, added: “The investment is an important milestone in our growth strategy, and it is a clear recognition by the company’s owners of their long-term commitment to the Marburg-Biedenkopf area. Thanks to the expanded development and production capacity, we now have the best conditions for continuing to develop the Slicing Business Unit successfully and sustainably.“
when I first saw it at PACK EXPO was the high level of automation built into the equipment.
“We went to that show looking for a former, a robot filling the boxes with bags and a box closer, and although we could have acquired these machines from several other suppliers, we decided that having one supplier provide all three machines would make things easier for us,” Turcotte says.
According to Turcotte, it was a wise and far-sighted decision.
“What really impresses me about Delkor is the way they design and build their machines to make them easy for humans to work with: being user-friendly, changeover-friendly, with smooth operation, and good communication between the machine and the operators,” he says.
“We only need one operator to run all three machines on the Delkor line,” says Turcotte, adding the line currently runs the Delkor line at average operating speed of 100 pouches per minute.
Moreover, “Our Plessisville plant has achieved a 30-percent reduction in energy consumption since the Delkor installation,” says Turcotte, crediting the high level of automation on Delkor’s equipment for a lion’s share of that improvement.
As Turcotte reflects, “What we really like about Delkor is the service and the experience they have, along with their 24/7 technical support.
“If we ever have an issue with the material (corrugated board), they immediately help us find a solution to fix it he relates.
“That’s really the nicest part of working with Delkor—knowing that they always got our back.”
Miron agrees: “Our new shelf-ready
“Having
Right Close-up pictures of Delkor’s fully-automatic F Series closer swinging into action to close the filled Cabrio Cases shot at the end of the Delkor line.
packaging has been very well-received— we really haven’t had any negative feedback since launching it just over a year ago.
“Having our marketing team and engineers working with Delkor enabled us to execute our most successful product
launch to date,” she says, “in a groundbreakingly short amount of time.
“Partnering with Delkor was a key and strategic initiative that has really accelerated the process of packaging innovation for us,” she adds, “and we are really looking forward to seeing our Cabrio Case packaging hitting the stores right across North America by January.”
Adds Delkor’s sales manager Meidl: “Fruit d’Or has been great to work with.
“They are a respected and recognizable brand,” he says, “and we are glad to be their trusted automation partner.
“We are also very appreciative that they allow us to display their award-winning packaging in our booth at trade shows,” says Meidl, adding that visitors to the upcoming PACK EXPO International trade show in Chicago next month will be able to see the new award-winning SourCran-branded Cabrio Case packaging at Delkor’s booth N-5325 at Chicago’s McCormick Place exhibition center.
As Meidl happily recalls: “Overall, the Plessisville plant installation went very well, and the line is running great.
“We were there to support them and train their operators to ensure the line is running as efficient as possible and will continue to do so,” he concludes.
“Naturally, we look forward to continuing to support them as they continue to grow their company.”
Enhancing
line flexibility by using Spiral Conveyors
Beverage companies face numerous challenges in optimizing their operational efficiency and maintaining line flexibility. Spiral Conveyors have emerged as a promising solution to address these challenges – And with good reason.
Efficiency and flexibility are crucial factors for success in the highly competitive beverage industry. As beverage companies strive to optimize their manufacturing processes and reduce operational costs - while meeting consumer demands, they are constantly seeking innovative solutions. One solution that has gained traction is the use of spiral conveyors. These helical conveyors offer numerous advantages over traditional linear conveyors, making them a valuable asset for beverage companies – That ultimately help reduce their total cost of ownership.
Product Orientation and Diversification:
Spirals offer the flexibility to transport various types of containers and packages, regardless of shape, size, or material. This adaptability allows all kinds of packaging companies to introduce new products or package designs without significant modifications to their conveyor systems. Spiral conveyors can also be equipped with specialized attachments, such as product orientation devices and rotators, to ensure proper alignment and presentation of containers throughout the production process. This capability enhances line flexibility by accommodating a broader range of products and packaging formats – without the need for configuration changes between products.
Line Reconfiguration and Scalability:
Companies often need to adapt their production lines to accommodate changing product demands or manufacturing processes. Spiral conveyors facilitate line reconfiguration and scalability by offering modular designs and flexible configurations. These conveyors can be easily integrated into existing production lines or expanded to meet growing capacity requirements. The modular nature of spiral conveyors enables swift changes in conveyor layout, minimizing downtime and allowing beverage companies to quickly respond to market dynamics.
Maintenance and Serviceability:
Reducing Operational Footprint:
One of the key advantages of spiral conveyors is their ability to optimize space utilization. Unlike straight incline conveyors, which require long stretches of floor space, spiral conveyors occupy a smaller footprint and utilize vertical space more efficiently. By conveying products in a spiral motion, these conveyors can transport goods between different levels within the facility, reducing the need for extensive floor space. This space-saving characteristic is particularly beneficial for beverage companies operating in already space-constrained environments.
This benefit is of particular advantage when adding an additional line in an existing plant - or replacing older equipment. The vertical configuration allows for creative and efficient floor plans, enabling companies to utilize available overhead space more effectively – and help free up valuable floor space. By eliminating the need for long straight sections of conveyor lines, spiral conveyors enable smoother material flow, reduce bottlenecks, and optimize the overall operational flow.
Spiral conveyors are designed for easy maintenance and serviceability. They feature modular designs with readily accessible components, allowing for quick troubleshooting, repairs, and routine maintenance. The ease of maintenance and serviceability of spiral conveyors contributes to reduced downtime, and enhanced operational efficiency, that helps lowering operational costs.
Spirals can also be configured to provide vertical accumulation allowing beverage companies to create buffers or accumulation zones utilizing vertical space. This feature is particularly useful in situations where downstream processes may experience temporary interruptions, such as equipment maintenance or changeovers. By accumulating products vertically, beverage companies can maintain a continuous flow of materials, prevent disruptions, and minimizing costly down-time.
The integration of spiral conveyors brings significant benefits in terms of reducing the operational footprint and enhancing line flexibility. By optimizing space utilization, improving facility layout efficiency, and enabling multi-level operations, Spiral Conveyors contribute to a more streamlined and efficient production process. As the beverage industry continues to evolve, embracing innovative technologies such as spiral conveyors will be crucial for companies aiming to stay competitive and achieve operational excellence.
For application assistance or more information, give us a call or visit www.ryson.com Check out our running equipment at Pack Expo | Booth N-5945
www.ryson.com (757) 898-1530
THE HOME STRETCH
Canadian stretchwrapping machinery OEM proves to be a perfect fit for fast-growing endof-line packaging powerhouse
By Andrew Snook
In the world of packaging, there are many steps before a manufactured good arrives safely at its destination.
One of the most vital steps is ensuring it survives the transportation process, which can include trips on planes, trains, cargo ships, trucks and, sometimes, all of the above.
Phoenix Wrappers of Laval, Que., understands this reality better than most.
A leader in stretchwrap machine manufacturing, Phoenix Wrappers, a Pacteon Company, specializes in a full range of stretchwrap equipment from semi-automatic machines to high-speed, fully automatic custom-built material handling systems.
With its 80 employees, the company handles everything from manufacturing and assembly to sales support, design and engineering from its 50,000-square-
feet facility in Laval.
Currently celebrating 30 years in the packaging industry, the company serves a wide variety of industries: from brick and block to agricultural, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, bagging, distribution centers, and more.
Originally named Phoenix Innotech, the company was started up in 1994 by Manfred Fourestier, who had previously been the general manager of other respected wrapping equipment manufacturers.
The company attempted to aggressively expand in the early 2000s, but after finding itself under a great deal of financial pressure in 2001, Fourestier reached out for a partner in the business and found Jacek Mucha, founder and owner of Orion Packaging
After selling Orion Packaging to a
Phoenix Wrappers general manager Luc Bergeron at his desk inside the company’s headquarters facility in Laval, Que.
Email:
Phone:
The pictures above demonstrate the high level of hands-on expert craftsmanship and attention to detail involved in the assembly of the company’s industry-leading automatic rotary ring stretchwrapping machinery for demanding high-volume, high-speed pallet wrapping applications.
multinational company, Mucha and Fourestier teamed up with another the senior engineer at Phoenix to create a strong manufacturing base for the company.
In 2006, Can-Am Packaging Systems (CAPS) partnered with Phoenix Innotech as the master distributor worldwide for all sales. In 2016, CAPS and private equity investment firm Vopne acquired the manufacturing side of the brand from Mucha and combined CAPS with Phoenix Wrappers.
The company then embarked on a journey to significantly grow its market share and hired Luc Bergeron as its general manager to lead the expansion.
“When I joined, it was more of an entrepreneurial company,” Bergeron recalls. “We rebuilt from the ground-up all the business processes, good practices, and rebuilt the team in all functions from engineering, production, finance, human resources, logistics, aftermarket and supply chain.
“A lot of things happened between 2016 and 2021 to bring the company to that point,”he says, “where it’s exponentially growing and improving.”
In 2021, the company was purchased by the Pacteon Group, an integrated end-of-the-line packaging provider comprised of four companies: Phoenix Wrappers; Descon Conveyor Systems of Newmarket, Ont.; Schneider Packaging Equipment Company of Brewerton, N.Y.; and ESS Technologies of Blacksburg, Va.
While the four companies work together to offer complete packaging solutions, the Pacteon Group has each company’s operations managed independently, letting the product experts at each location leverage their unique knowledge of their customers’ needs.
“It’s a balance between synergies and making sure that each business keeps to their own specific expertise,” Bergeron says.
Bergeron says the acquisition created many opportunities
for growth in the packaging sector for Phoenix Wrappers.
“There are a lot of synergies we are creating from engineering, production and supply chain, so there are a lot of savings and a lot of sharing of good practices,” Bergeron says.
“We’re working together to offer a completely integrated solutions to our customers now: not just being a stand-alone supplier, but also being part of end-of-the-line packaging solutions.”
Bergeron adds that being part of Pacteon has also allowed Phoenix Wrappers to leverage some very useful modern technology tools, such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems.
“These are all tools to better manage customer service.,” Bergeron points out.
As Bergeron acknowledges, one of the biggest advantages of joining a larger company is the ready access to additional service technicians, who are always in high demand.
“We have close to 50 technicians now, so we have people available to better respond to customer needs and customer support,” Bergeron says.
“We are cross-training them so they can support each other [across different product lines],” he adds. “It’s a great advantage.”
With a deeper pool of product designers and engineers to draw from, Phoenix Wrappers is improving its capabilities to work with integrators to provide more flexible solutions than ever before.
“We are also growing the overall stretchwrapping knowledge and expertise within the group,” Bergeron adds.
As he relates, Phoenix Wrappers recently invested in new steel cutting tools for in-house fabrication and racking to grow its capacity and to effectively support increasing demand for its products.
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Clockwise from top
Aligning rollers on a heavy-duty pallet conveyor; A CAD drawing of a rotary-ring stretchwrapper on a computer screen; bird’s-eye view of the busy on-site machine shop; an SEW-Eurodrive motor commonly used on Phoenix machinery; making finishing welds on the machine frame.
While the company is manufacturing automated equipment, many of the facility’s processes are still performed the old-fashioned way.
“We’re not deeply automated in terms of equipment to build the machines,” Bergeron says. “There are a lot of manual and semi-manual processes to make those assemblies.
“The fundamentals of wrappers are standardized,” he says, “but it’s much more customized for fully-automatic applications.”
One of the strengths of Phoenix is we provide reliable custom solutions that are responsive to customer needs.”
Keeping the operation as flexible as possible is key for Phoenix Wrappers, which prides itself on offering customized solutions in response to any customer environment.
• Breathe-easy film slitters, which use s standard stretch film rolls to and slices the film into bands for stronger holding power and aeration on the finished load.
• Dual film carriage systems to ensure optimal holding power, puncture resistance, and quick wrapping for higher production environments.
Some of Phoenix Wrappers automated features and HMI (human-machine interface) functions being incorporated into their machines include handy options, such as no load contact film tail treatment on their rotary-ring automatic pallet wrappers (RINGs) with PackML (Packaging Machine Language) program standardization.
The company’s PRRA rotary ring stretchwrappers feature a unique pallet wrapping ring concept, which incorporates three preset cycles to save on film by placing itis is needed. The ability to heat seal film tails is integrated on the standard machine, while its ability to start and finish wrapping anywhere on the load opens the possibility to double- or triple-stack loads and wrap them individually. It also has a dual head film carriage option for longer intervals between film roll changes.
When operating the stretchwrapping equipment, it’s not unusual for a lot of stretchwrap film to go to waste. To address the issue, Phoenix Wrappers’ engineers are currently investigating the use of paper wrap on existing stretchwrapping machines as a more sustainable solution.
In addition, the demand for thinner stretchwrap made from increasing levels of post-recycled consumer resin (PCR) is also growing in popularity.
“High-performance films are popular, but they are very thin,” says Bergeron.
“Our machines are suited for these films with effective pre-stretch capacity and upgrades for higher levels of stretch.
“We’re dealing with all sorts of difficult environments: cold, washdown, hot, harsh environments … everything you can imagine that can affect how to properly wrap products on a pallet,” he explains. “Fortunately, we are very strong at responding to those different customer needs.”
As Bergeron relates, today’s customers are looking for reliable and cost-effective solutions when it comes to the stretchwrapping equipment days, with price sensitivity being a very commonplace purchasing factor.
The company’s full range of stretchwrap equipment offer users a variety of unique and special features, including:
• Film carriage cut and wipe, a low-maintenance mechanism with a Safe impulse cut wire and an overwrapping film clamp.
“We can achieve longer intervals between roll changes with these thinner, higher-performing films,” he explains, “as they are more resilient and better-performing than the traditional cast films.”
Looking to the future, Bergeron says Phoenix Wrappers plans to continue taking advantage of synergies within the Pacteon Group to grow its market share
“I think our ambitions are to grow and continue adding a bigger footprint in the North American market, but also on the southern border as well, in places like Mexico,” he concludes.
“I think that we have the product lines, we have the team, and we have the organization to have a much better footprint in the industry.”
SUPPLIERS
Phoenix Wrappers
Pacteon Group
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Ryson Spiral Conveyors need less floor space than conventional conveyors and are faster and more reliable than any elevator or lift.
Unit Load Spirals convey cases, totes and packaged goods smoothly on our slat style belts and come in 9 standard slat widths ranging from 6” to 30”. Available in powder coated carbon steel, stainless steel, wet environment and freezer versions.
Mass Flow Spirals handle full and empty bottles, cans and jars in mass up to 2,000 units per minute. Available in 4 different slat widths ranging from 6” to 20”.
Narrow Trak Spirals are super compact and designed to handle smaller loads. Our 6” and 9” wide nesting slats can end-transfer small cartons and packages or side-transfer small bottles and containers in a single file or in mass at speeds in excess of 220 FPM.
Ryson’s Bucket Elevators combine vertical and horizontal transportation of bulk materials in one integral unit.
Our Bucket Elevators are designed for gentle handling and well-suited to transport a broad range of bulk products. They are completely enclosed with overlapping pivoting buckets, that prevent spillage and helps mitigate foreign debris.
They can be configured with multiple inlets or outlets that can be controlled individually. Available in three standard bucket sizes, yielding capacities up to 300, 700 or 1,800 cubic feet per hour. They can also be delivered in powder-coated carbon-steel, or stainless-steel for wet environments.
All Ryson equipment is modular and built to order. No matter the application, the Ryson team is up to the challenge of finding solutions for your conveying needs. For application assistance or more information, give us a call or visit www.ryson.com
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robotic solution, a Pickerline equipped with 16 vision-guided F4 robots, enabled the Sweet Candy Company to achieve its planned increase in production throughput.
SHORT AND SWEET
Candy manufacturer expands production with a high-speed robotic pick-and-place system to meet growing market demand
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, often regarded as the “sweet tooth capital” of the United States, Sweet Candy Company is wellknown for its high-quality candy and world-class customer service.
To accommodate the growing demand for its signature product Chocolate Sticks, Sweet Candy Company has recently commissioned Schubert Pickerline—enabling the company to add an additional shift to its production and better meet customer needs.
Actively managed by the third, fourth and fifth generation, the family-owned American confectioner has been supplying its customers with their favorite sweets since 1892.
Even back in those early days, Utah
was known for its love of sugar, so Leon Sweet, who first sold licorice root candies from a horse-drawn wagon in Portland, decided to move to Utah for closer access to the sugar mills.
Today, Sweet Candy Company is the largest national distributor of salt-water taffies, jelly-filled chocolate sticks, sour candy, and chocolate-covered cinnamon bears.
Sweet Candy Company has survived several pandemics, the Great Depression, and two World Wars.
“The famous Candy Bomber, Gail Halvorsen dropped Sweet’s chocolates from his C-54 cargo plane for children in post-war Germany, while during Prohibition, the liquor once used in the flavorings had to be locked in a vault with every drop being accounted for,” reveals Sweet Candy president and owner Rick Kay.
Schubert’s
Sweet Candy Company is renowned for its quality candy and exceptional customer service.
“Whatever happens, folks need their candy. During a pandemic, you may not be buying a jet ski, but you’ll probably keep buying your orange sticks,” says Kay.
So it was no surprise that during the recent global COVID-18 pandemic, Sweet’s ran their plant as usual, without furloughing any of its employees.
The demand for the chocolate stick products even kept increasing, and the confectioner needed to increase the throughput of the line to be able to add another shift.
As Sweet’s existing equipment was semi-automated, they turned to Schubert for a robotic solution that addressed labor challenges, handled increased production volumes, and provided quick changeovers to adjust product quantities per box.
“Our previous equipment did a great job of getting us to where we are today, but it wasn’t the right fit for our next phase,” explains Sweet Candy Company’s vice-president of operations Geoff Dzuida.
“It required a lot of human intervention and manipulation, and it was only able to package about 50 per cent of the upstream product, leaving the other 50 per cent to be packed by hand,” continues Dzuida.
Today, Sweet Candy’s new Schubert Pickerline packages the company’s high-quality chocolate sticks into pre-erected trays with effortless ease.
“By choosing to automate their packaging processes, the confectioner has achieved a new level of flexibility and product availability.”
A unique aspect of this system is the insertion of a wax paper layer between two product layers. Additionally, the Pickerline features “on-the-fly” product count adjustment that can be done via the machine’s HMI (human-machine interface) during production.
While the bottom layer contains a fixed number of products, the top layer can be adjusted by adding or subtracting one product during production. This flexibility is essential, since the candy is sold by weight rather than by count.
After the 1,920 chocolate sticks enter into Sweet Candy’s new packaging equipment from an 860-mm-wide cooling tunnel belt, the products are then pre-grouped in a multi-pick formation in layers of 15 to17 sticks by 16 vision-guided F4 four-axis SCARA-type robots.
The pre-erected carton bases are indexed into a transport chain, and an F4 robot loads the carton trays with the first pre-grouped layer. In the next step, a sheet of wax paper is placed on top of the first layer, executed by an F4 robot, and the second product layer is loaded onto the wax paper. Finally, the box is closed
by another F4 robot, placing the pre-erected lid onto the filled carton bottom.
Reflecting on the new machine project, Rick Kay fondly recalls the times spent at Schubert’s global headquarters in Crailsheim, Germany.
“The FAT (factory acceptance test) in Germany was perfect, and the SAT onsite in Salt Lake City was expedited and went remarkably well,” he says.
“From the initial project planning to the ongoing operator training at their North American headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., Schubert has provided everything we’ve expected,” says Kay.
“Sweet Candy Company is an excellent customer with tremendous potential for growth, says Armin Klotz, sales account manager at Schubert North America . “By choosing to automate their packaging processes, the confectioner has achieved a new level of flexibility and product availability, enabling them to succeed in fulfilling the demands of their fast-growing customer base.”
As Klotz sums up, “The company’s culture, along with the friendliness and openness of the owner-family and management, is truly remarkable and is reflected throughout the entire workforce, always making our teams feel warmly welcomed on-site.
“You can see the similarities to Schubert’s own company culture.”
“It really `must be a family-owned company thing.”
AS FAR AS YOUR EYES CAN SEE: INFINITE OPTIONS FOR PACKAGING FOOD. BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH SCHUBERT.
Being flexible is good, being fast and flexible is even better. Schubert packaging machines are leading the way. Intelligent control and precise robotics can now replace complex mechanics to ensure maximum flexibility in all packaging processes. In fact, 80% of the leading FMCG companies count on us and our flawless packaging combined with the lowest possible consumption. In line with our Mission Blue Sustainability Initiative: A winning proposition – for our planet and for you. www.schubert.group/en/food.html
Time to rethink end of line palletizing
The RI20 palletizing cell with an industrial robot arm is compact, mobile and adapts easily to production changes, whether for a new recipe or a different line location. The unit is suitable for palletizing closed, up to 15 kg and 12 cycles/min.
The RI20 is easy-to-use with unique hardware and software interfaces for trouble-free operations.
Come visit FlexLink at Pack Expo and see live demonstrations of the RI20 the palletizing cell.
Visit us at Coesia Booth S-2501
SWEET HOME CHICAGO
PACK EXPO International 2024 promises to deliver a wealth of learning opportunities during the year’s biggest packaging showcase at McCormick Place
Taking place at Chicago’s beautiful McCormick Place fairgrounds next month, Nov. 3-6, 2024, PACK EXPO
International 2024 is set to offer unmatched educational opportunities designed to empower industry professionals from around the world. With over 150 free educational sessions available, the most expansive packaging and processing event of the year will provide attendees with ready access to a wealth of knowledge, insights, and resources essential for navigating today’s rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape.
This year, two exciting new show features— Emerging Brands Central and Sustainability Central—will take center stage, offering attendees cutting-edge insights and strategies to propel their businesses forward.
Located in the West Hall at Booth W-20049, Emerging Brands Central is a must-visit destination for rising brands looking to scale their operations and expand their reach. This educational hub, an evolution of the Emerging Brands Summit, will host 30-minute sessions led by industry experts.
These sessions will cover a range of topics— including packaging machinery and innovation and scaling strategies— providing actionable advice for brands eager to grow.
Attendees will be uniquely able to engage with thought leaders and gain the practical knowledge needed to overcome growth challenges, while brands can also take advantage of an opportunity to meet industry expert advisors in private one-on-one private consultations to obtain personalized advice for each brand’s specific need.
Making its debut this year, Sustainability Central is set to become the epicenter of sustainable packaging innovation. Located in the West Hall at Booth W-21020, this new feature will provide a comprehensive look at what sustainability means for brands today. Industry experts will lead discussions on a wide array of topics, including sustainable packaging, design, EPR, and circularity.
Attendees will walk away with actionable insights on enhancing their sustainability initiatives, making their brands eco-friendlier and more competitive in an increasingly environmentally conscious marketplace. In addition, the latest research and best practices
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in sustainable packaging from leading colleges and universities, PMMI Business Intelligence, and AMERIPEN will be on display.
“PACK EXPO International 2024 is not just an exhibition: it’s a global hub for innovation and education,” says Laura Thompson, vice-president of trade shows at PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. “With the introduction of Emerging Brands Central and Sustainability Central, were providing attendees with unparallelled access to cutting-edge strategies and solutions that are shaping the future of our industry.”
In addition to these new features, PACK EXPO International 2024 will host a multitude of educational stages and pavilions where attendees can dive into specialized topics and learn from global industry leaders, including:
• Innovation Stage: Three stages located in the North Hall (Booths N-4560, N-4580, N-4585) will present free 30-minute seminars on breakthrough technologies and industry-specific solutions such as AI, robotics, design, and sustainability.
• Processing Innovation Stage: Focused on food and beverage processing advancements, this stage will cover topics such as food safety and sustainability in 30-minute sessions at Lakeside Upper Hall, Booth LU-7147.
• Industry Speaks: Experts from the PACK EXPO International Partner Program, covering multiple industry verticals, will address the latest hot topics and industry trends such as sustainability, safety, AI, automation, design, and robotics. Located at Booth N-4544 in the North Hall.
• Reusable Packaging Learning Center: Sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association , the Reusable Packaging Learning Center (Booth LU-6737 in Lakeside Upper Level) will offer insights into how reusable packaging systems can drive efficiency and sustainability in the supply chain and cover topics such as logistics, improving material handling performance, and value assessment.
Whether you are a seasoned expert or an emerging brand, the opportunities for growth and learning at this year’s event are simply beyond compare.
To register for the big show, please go to: www.packexpo.com
PACK EXPO SHOW-STOPPERS
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RYCHIGER Canada will display a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge end-of-line packaging automation solutions, including the advanced new Tray Packer with a new nesting solution, a smart linear track tray handling system, a compact vertical cartoner, and a collaborative robot palletizer.
The NTP-40 is an exciting new advancement featuring a linear magnetic track at its core—enabling the formation and filling of up to 40 cartons per minute within a remarkably compact footprint. While this model is specifically designed for K-cups, its intelligent linear track system is versatile enough to handle a wide range of other small to medium-sized products with impressive speed and efficiency.
For its part, the VRC-60 is an exceptionally compact cartoner offering significant space savings for applications in the food, beverage, and cosmetic industries. It is available in multiple configurations, including fully automated and semi-automated loading options.
At this year’s show, RYCHIGER Canada we will be showcasing the VRC-60 in action—pack-
aging cosmetic tubes through a fully automated process featuring vision system product identification and robotic top loading.
Completing the showcase line-up is the newly developed collaborative robot palletizer, which has quickly gained popularity for its user-friendly operation, compact size and cost-effectiveness.
The innovative system can be easily upgraded through seamless integration with upstream equipment—offering optional automatic pallet magazines and providing rapid, recipe-driven changeovers via a user-friendly HMI, along with quick-swap, tool-free gripper heads. The result is a versatile and efficient palletizing solution, easily tailored to fit specific product requirements and production environments.
Booth #S-2153
BIGGER & BETTER
End-of-line packaging solutions experts Pacteon Group, which has recently added Descon Conveyor Systems to an already-impressive portfolio that includes Schneider Packaging Equipment, ESS Technologies and Phoenix Stretch Wrappers, plans to unveil a wealth of integrated automation solutions to suit a broad range of packaging applications.
In Booth S-3300, Schneider Packaging Equipment will unveil a unique solution for automating case erecting, taping and palletizing with the Collaborative Case Erector-Palletizer, which integrates an Anubis 3D Industrial Solutions’ Automatic Carton Erector
(ACE) end-of-arm tool with the Schneider system’s FANUC CRX-25iArobot platform.
According to Schneider, Anubis 3D designed and printed the lightweight dual-purpose EOAT to pick and form the case—eliminating a separate forming fixture and enabling a quick one-person changeover in under five minutes.
Also in Booth S-3300, Descon Conveyor Systems will display its integrated Single-Lane Empty Can Vacuum Transfer with laser Coding and code inspection—a unique solution that ensures high-quality, reliable laser coding of empty cans prior to rinsing in a dry location of the production facility.
Nordson Packaging
The empty cans held by their tops by a vacuum conveyor pass over a gap from below to create access to the bottom of the can and laser coding components. With cans traveling in single-lane at up to 1,800 cans per minute, customers have the option of adding empty can quality inspection directly after the vacuum transfer.
The Pacteon display will also display Schneider’s fully automated robotic case-packer—a dual robotic system collates product with one robot while a second robot erects and loads cases, with the Anubis 3D end effectors ensuring reliable placement and fast changeover.
To complete the line, Phoenix Stretch Wrappers will present a range of stretch wrapping solutions, including the high-speed model PRRA-2150 rotary ring rapper and the model PHP-2150 semi-automatic stretchwrapper.
Booth S-3300
GLOWING REPUTATION
Schubert North America is looking forward to showcase its broad range of high-performance machinery.
The expansive display will feature the lightline Cartonpacker, which is a pre-configured machine designed to optimize in a compact design that ensures exceptional quality, reliability, and efficiency—helping manufacturers maintain their competitive edge for the future.
“We’re excited to offer our customers two distinct paths to packaging excellence,” says Schubert North America’s chief executive officer Hartmut Siegel.
“For those seeking tailored solutions, our highly customizable machines are designed to meet specific requirements,” he says. “Alternatively, our new lightline series provides cost-effective, pre-configured options with defined product and packaging formats,” Siegel adds.
“This dual approach ensures we can meet the diverse needs of our clients, whatever their packaging challenges may be.” continues Siegel.
During the show, lightline Cartonpacker will demonstrate the packaging of bottles in a variety of sizes with Pine Glo brand cleaning products.
Founded in 1979, Pine Glo turned to Schubert when they were seeking packaging equipment to reduce labor costs and increase throughput to meet the growing demand for their cleaning products.
Additionally, they needed a versatile packaging machine that could be quickly converted to different carton formats using easily interchangeable tools, accommodating the
wide range of bottle sizes and uniquely shaped spray bottles that are often difficult to pack due to their shape.
According to Pine Glo’s operations and engineering manager Steve Williams, “The lightline Cartonpacker was an ideal choice for us because it is a pre-configured, easy-to-operate machine with a shorter lead time.
“We are delighted that Schubert decided to showcase this machine with our products at Pack Expo.”
Booth N-6151
SAFE FORTRESS
The upcoming Pack Expo International 2024 will be the biggest food safety showcase for Fortress Technology in the company’s history, taking food packagers and processors on a personal journey through how to keep pace with HACCP, HARPC and FDA-driven processing regulations and strategies.
In 2024, Fortress Technology marked a significant milestone in its global expansion with manufacturing hubs now in North and South America, Oceania, and Europe.
To celebrate this growth, the Toronto-headquartered food safety specialist will unveil mg its largest exhibition line-up to date. Highlights among the 16 exhibits will include the worldwide introduction of a new Raptor BBK combination metal detector and checkweighing system, featuring an advanced industrial touchscreen display with drag-and-drop functionality for several metal detectors.
Focusing on space savings, the new Raptor BBK combination metal detection and checkweighing system is engineered to accurately and continuously inspect for metal contaminants and verify the weights of large bags and cases—such as sacks of pet food, garden supplies, packaged foods, grains and large case applications weighing up to 55 pounds— featuring an optional roller ball reject conveyor to mitigate workforce lifting and repetitive strain injuries.
In addition, the new high-performance ICON X-ray inspection system—equipped with internal view cameras and an integrated automatic reject device to optimize floor space—will demonstrate the company’s advanced proprietary IA+ detection algorithm, developed to deliver superior processing and detection power for variable-density products. Incorporating networked data capture and reporting options, this X-ray system is so advanced that it can even adapt to future machine learning software, according to the company.
For operations with stringent sanitation requirements, especially meat and poultry processing facilities, the new Vector sanitary conveyor is another important Fortress innovation—featuring a hygienic belt and durable stainless-steel construction engineered with an angled frame and open design to facilitate faster cleaning and quicker drying.
Booth S-1758
ACCORDING TO PLAN
PLAN IT Packaging Systems will unveil a broad range of high-speed, high-performance machinery leveraging collaborative robots designed with human interaction in mind. By working safely alongside human employees, these cobots take on the repetitive or dangerous tasks to free up their human counterparts focus on more complex and creative endeavors.
Some of the more notable systems on display will include:
• The ELITEWEIGH Stick Weigher and RotoBagger combination. Designed to
provide an innovative and efficient solution for precision packaging, the ELITEWEIGH Stick Weigher is equipped with 16 heads, specially designed to handle stick crackers, ensuring they are correctly oriented and stand up in the package.
It boasts high accuracy that meets “e” standards, utilizing a load cell-controlled main vibrator for product level adjustment. The weigher features a stepper motor system and memory cups, along with a uniquely designed collection chute for sticks, air vibrators for set-
tling the sticks, and a three-level clapping system for optimal weighing.
With a weighing range of 20 to 150 grams, this system offers easy changeovers for products like pretzels and ring crackers. Additional features include a digital color touchscreen, tare zeroing and statistical calculations, all secured against electrical failure for maximum reliability.
• The company’s RotoBagger (also known as the EcoBagger ), complements the ELITEWEIGH Stick Weigher by providing an advanced packaging solution that is ideal for
businesses scaling up their operations.
It delivers outstanding performance for mid to highlevel applications, capable of packaging up to 30 to 35 bags per minute in high-production environments, while its robust design and superior efficiency ensure reliable 24/7 operation—making it an excellent fit for production lines seeking excellence and productivity
• The PLAN IT Packaging RotoBagger + RoboPacker system, designed to pick up pouches, open the zipper, open the gusset, fill and seal the pouch, and exit out as finished products at speeds of up to 30 to 35 bags per minute.
It can be easily outfitted with the company’s ELITEWEIGH multi-head weighers, auger fill systems, and liquid fillers, so all your different types of products that you may already be doing manually on your pre-made pouches can be
automated with our system.
The RotoBagger is then paired with our RoboPacker line, where the finished exiting pouches of your products go through a RoboPacker that erects a case, tapes the bottom, and indexes an open box ready to fill with the vision system scanning all these pouches as they pass through.
The three-axis Omron pick-and-place robot then picks these pouches, orients them, and configures them in the pre-selected pattern. After that, it closes and seals the box to be processed by one of PLAN IT’s palletizing systems, making it ready for customer delivery to your customers and distribution partners worldwide.
Booth LU-8735
FOR A CLEANER FUTURE
Inspired by the promise of responsible packaging for a clean and sustainable future, Amcor’s responsible packaging solutions will be on display in an interactive and engaging exhibit at Booth S-3705 at McCormick Place.
The exhibit will feature daily demonstrations of packaging equipment for liquid products and proteins will be featured daily, along with more than 130 on-demand life cycle assessment comparisons for data-driven decision-makers looking to measure carbon impact.
Brands focused on improving their sustainability will find drop-in solutions for over 85 per
cent of Amcor’s product portfolio, ready to run today and meeting the performance needs that customers’ production environments demand. Amcor’s diverse portfolio of packaging solutions is designed to be recycled, to reduce resource waste, and to increase the use of recycled content across packaging formats.
New this year, Amcor will share more examples of fiber-based packaging, including the AmFiber portfolio includes cold-seal bar wrap, dry mix pouches, and home care product sachets. According to Amcor, the curbside-recyclable AmFiber was developed reduces demands on virgin plastic, and meets product needs for barrier and shelf-life.
The exhibit will also feature the company’s award-winning AmPrima portfolio of solutions designed to be recycled, if clean and dry, at existing store drop-off locations, or curbside where available, while meeting or exceeding the performance demands of current non-recyclable alternatives.
Booth S-3705
JUST IN CASE!
ValTara, a Paxiom Group company specializing in robotic packaging equipment is planning to unveil new PKR-Dual Delta Robot pick-anplace case packing cell—a highly innovative system designed to provide fast, accurate and efficient case-packing for a wide range of products.
The high-performance cell features two Delta robots working in tandem to pick and place products into cases at high speeds. The system is capable of handling a wide range of products—including bags, pouches, cartons, and trays—making it a versatile solution for manufacturers in a variety of industries.
According to ValTara, the company has focused on creating a system that is both efficient and versatile, without overcomplicating the design or requiring a sky-high investment.
“We are excited to introduce the PKR-Dual Delta Robot pick and place case packing cell to the market,” says Nicholas Taraborelli, vice president of Paxiom.
“This system represents the latest in packaging technology, and we are confident that it will provide our customers with the speed, accuracy, and efficiency they need to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced manufacturing environments.”
Booth N-5906
Yaskawa Adds 30 kg Payload HC30PL Plug and Play Collaborative Palletizing Robot to HC-Series Line.
eaturing a robust 30 kg payload and 1,700 mm maximum reach, the easy-to-use six-axis HC30PL human-collaborative robot facilitates safe and efficient fenceless palletizing, and can also be deployed in select handling, packaging and logistical applications of demanding production environments.
Joining Yaskawa’s proven HC-series line of collaborative robots, the HC30PL meets established safety standards to enable safe operation with, or in close proximity to human workers. Power and Force Limiting (PFL) technology constantly monitors force to quickly and safely react to contact, and advanced pinchless geometry provides optimal safety.
Hand-guided programming allows users to direct teach points without a pendant for quick implementation of the robot system, and a plug and play tool flange based on EN ISO-9409-1-80-6-MB connects a wide variety of end-of-arm tooling for fast and simple deployment. A thru-arm category 6 Ethernet cable, I/O cable and dual 5 mm ID air lines eliminate external utilities while offering fast, safe
and easy setup for a wide variety of communication and tooling options.
Built with cast aluminum for industrial durability, the HC30PL features an IP67 rating to reliably operate in damp or splash-prone environments. An easy-to-clean surface allows utilization in sanitary settings where wipe or wash is required. NSF H1 certified food-grade grease is included as standard, enabling use in production facilities where there is the possibility of incidental food contact.
Meeting established safety standards, the HC30PL offers four modes of collaborative operation and can easily shift between collaborative speed in PFL mode or full speed in industrial mode, optimizing cycle times based on risk assessment and process requirements.
Installation is quick and efficient. A single cable is all that is needed to connect the manipulator to the controller, resulting in easy setup and reduced expenses for maintenance and spare parts inventory. The HC30PL is controlled by the high-performance YRC1000 controller and is compatible with either the standard teach pendant or innovative Smart Pendant. Housed in a highly compact cabinet (598
x 499 H x
mm), the YRC1000 is built to a global standard and does not require a transformer for input voltages ranging from 380VAC to 480VAC. The HC30PL is also compatible with the YRC1000micro controller.
When using the standard teach pendant, fast and easy creation of palletizing patterns for virtually any mix of SKUs can be accomplished offline using Yaskawa’s PalletSolver® software. Operators using Smart Pendant V2.2 or newer can quickly handle repetitive patterns for common tasks with the Smart Pattern extension.
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About Yaskawa Motoman
Soup brands serve up a packaging smogarsboard / Julie Saunders
IIt’s fall, and that means… the season of viruses circulating through our family. In the first week of school our son came down sick, and not long after so did my husband, resulting in requests for warm, soothing soups and broths. So, I headed off to the grocery store, where I realized that, although soup seems like such a simple thing, you can find it for sale in a surprisingly diverse array of packaging.
The trusty old Knorr Cream of Leek Soup Mix is a classic that I remember from my university days, when I was just starting to learn to cook for myself. It’s got just about everything you need in its paper pouch—just add water, milk, and boil. It’s also a compact, lightweight package, which I appreciated in the days when I was toting all my groceries home by hand from a far-off grocery store to my suburban campus. Although it’s been around for decades, the design looks contemporary, with bright, fresh colors and attractive photography of a bowl of soup and its ingredients.
Ever since my son had a cup of instant noodle soup on a plane ride as a young child, that has been one of his most-requested treats. I’m often reluctant to buy them because I dislike the waste of the plastic-lined cardboard cups that can neither be recycled nor composted. However, I was drawn to Chef Woo Plant-Based Roasted Chicken Flavour Ramen by the prominent call-out on the front of 20 grams of protein, with the added call-out of it being plant-based. I also got a chuckle out of the clever heartshaped graphic made out of ramen noodles being pulled up by chopsticks.
A soup is also a popular weekday breakfast option in our household—a little miso broth, chopped tofu, frozen green peas, and a few noodles come together quickly. The Smart Miso Light Sweet Miso makes it easy to cook up any amount of soup, since its contents are packaged in a squeezable, resealable, plastic twist cap pouch. While I appreciated the functionality of the packaging, I
Clockwise from top left Pouch of Knorr Cream of Leak soup mix; Lidded bowl of Chef Woo Plant-based Roasted Chicken Flavour Ramen; Spouted stand-up pouch of Smart Miso broth; The classic Campbell’s brand soup can; Kettle & Fire Classic Chicken Bone Broth in a Tetra Pak carton; Large stand-up bag of Happy Planet soup; A box of the Siip brand of mushroom broth stick packs.
found the product information incorporated into the graphics a bit lacking, especially in terms of shelf-life expectancy and storage recommendations.
The Kettle & Fire Classic Chicken Bone Broth is packaged in an unusually largesized Tetra Pak box containing enough suggested servings to serve a family. The sturdy box features clear instructions to detach and lift the side flaps in order to unfold the top flap, which has a perforated cut line for opening—suggesting that it’s clearly meant to be consumed in a single sitting. That should not be a problem for this perfectly balanced products, with its premium nature regally projected by a chic graphic of a deepgold stylized chicken silhouette perfectly highlighted with the black background.
The cardboard box that Siip Nourishing Vegan Broth (Mushroom) is packaged in has a feature that I found irresistible—a small, peekaboo cut-out that is entirely open (i.e. no clear plastic covering) so that I could both see inside and reach in to touch the four paper “stick packs” of powdered mushroom broth. I don’t know quite why I find that so appealing, but I’m really looking forward to the satisfaction of ripping open one of those paper packets. The graphic design is also a treat: with an earthy color mix of richly textured photographs of mushrooms isolated on a rich golden background.
It would be a sin of omission to write about soup packaging without talking about the iconic, Campbell’s brand. I hadn’t bought a can in a while, but when I recently picked up their Bean With Bacon condensed soup, a close examination of the label led me to notice the golden seal from the Paris International Exposition of 1900—lending the product an air of historic importance and authority. Still leveraging the timeless Campbell’s logo on the front of the wraparound label, the attractive product photography of the soup and its ingredients gently plays up the brand’s appeal as one of the world’s most beloved comfort foods.
The Soup’s On Split Pea & Lentil Soup is packaged in a large glass jar, with a transparent plastic label that maximizes the view of its contents. The beautiful illustration of peas in a pod was what first caught my eye, but I also appreciated that all of the important information on the back (ingredients, cooking instructions, nutrition facts) is black font on an opaque white background for good legibility. Because this soup must be kept refrigerated, even before opening, I imagine that’s why the jar lid was fastened so snugly, but I have to admit found it almost impossible to unscrew.
Another refrigerated product that I picked up from the deli section was Happy Planet Organics ’s Berkeley Butternut Squash Soup, packaged in a stand-up resealable zipper lock pouch. The note to keep it refrigerated is very small and at the bottom of the back of the pouch—not prominent enough for my husband who put it away in our pantry cupboard, where it went unnoticed for several days. But with the rest of the packaging being so boldly daring and innovative, I think there’s a repeat customer eager to give it another try soon enough.
JULIE SAUNDERS is a freelance writer living in Toronto.
Booth #S-2153
As a key player in the packaging industry, RYCHIGER Canada formerly known as Nuspark Inc. is excited to see you at PackExpo in Chicago. We specialize in delivering complete packaging lines, standalone machines, and customized solutions for primary, secondary, and tertiary equipment. To continue setting industry benchmarks, we will be showcasing our new innovative Tray Packer with our new nesting solution, smart linear track tray handling system, our small footprint vertical cartoner, and a collaborative robot palletizer.
Come by our Booth #S-2153 on November 3rd – 6th for a chance to WIN some amazing prizes by participating in our “pronunciation” challenge and discuss firsthand the power of our state-of-the-art packaging automation solutions. We are eager to connect with you and discuss opportunities, share insights and experience in the packaging industry.
