PFF Group has announced a further £1 million investment in a bespoke thermoforming system at its Sedgefield site.
The food packaging specialist said the move brings the total invested in new process technology to £5 million.
The KIEFEL GmbH-designed SPEEDFORMER KMD 78.2 power system enables the business to increase production capacity of thermoformed products while reducing its carbon footprint.
The machine is said to offer an ‘agile’ supply solution to an increasing demand for packaging from the soft fruit and stone fruit sector.
PFF explained that the 78.2’s heating system is ready for use in a short amount of time and provides 20% higher heating capacity, while the servo drive has an energy recovery process. Other features include a feed table that guides material to a sheet transport system and tool-change capability which shortens set-up times.
John Conway, general manager at Sedgefield, said, “Our strategy to continually invest in advanced technology demonstrates our commitment to the circular economy. At a time of higher haulage charges, spiralling energy costs and the continuing knock-on effect of Brexit on imported goods, we have seen increased demand for punnets for soft fruit being grown and packed here in the UK.
“The new KMD 78.2 system is three times faster than our previous process enabling us to manufacture our products more sustainably using less energy.”
The investment follows a £2 million spend in thermoforming equipment earlier this year, £200,000 in transformer technology to reduce carbon emissions, and a five-figure sum invested in extrusion measuring systems to enable production of sheets of uniform thickness. A £50,000 hybrid adiabatic cooling system has also been installed to supply chilled water to production processes, cutting carbon emissions and supporting a scale up of production.
