A cereal producer has reportedly doubled the throughput of its shrink-wrapping operation, halved associated labour cost, and widened its product range after investing in a new Minipack Pratika 80T side sealer supplied by YPS.
The firm’s previous packaging line had been supplied by YPS some eight years ago. Since then, the business’s needs had broadened and capacity requirements increased.
As a result, the company required a process that would offer greater flexibility to cope with a wider pack range. Higher speeds were desired to increase production and reduce labour costs, which had significantly increased. With a wish to reduce plastics and use recycled content where possible, the focus was also to reduce the environmental impact of the packaging process.
YPS supplied a Minipack Pratika 80-T MPS, an 800mm wide side sealer, with a double chamber tunnel.
The previous line was restricted to a maximum pack size of 200mm high x 500mm long. The new side sealer can handle individual products as well as multipacks up to 320mm high and of unrestricted length. Over 250 customisable programmes can be saved to the user interface.
Replacing the existing single chamber shrink tunnel with a double chamber is said to have both contributed to increased processing speeds, and also improved pack appearance as the packaging is heat shrunk at a reduced temperature.
The lower temperature also allows the use of 30%+ recycled content films and the option to reduce film thickness, while reducing energy consumption and running costs.
The new line can wrap 14-15 packs per minute, compared with previous throughput of 6-8. In reducing the time needed to fulfil orders, YPS explained that the equivalent of two line operatives were removed from the process.
“YPS supported our team throughout the trials, commissioning and initial production, including returning for extra training and support the following week. The service they offered was exemplary, ensuring a seamless changeover to the new system,” stated the cereal manufacturer’s operations manager.
