THE installation of an Integrated Total Packaging Solution (iTPS) from Ishida Europe has reportedly given Maltese manufacturer Sunshine Snacks a boost in the speed and accuracy of its weighing and bagmaking operation.
The flexibility of the new system has also enabled the company to introduce a new pack size for the airline market.
Part of Consolidated Biscuits, Sunshine Snacks manufactures a variety of crisps, popcorns and other snacks under its own brands and for private label. The firm exports to regions such as Europe, Africa and the Far East.
The need to replace an aging packaging system led Sunshine Snacks to search for a modern upgrade. “While we didn’t have an Ishida weigher or bagmaker in our factory, we are familiar with the brand because we already had an Ishida checkweigher,” said general manager Robert Ellul. “Also, our sister factories in Trinidad and Tobago have several Ishida multihead weighers in use.”
Ishida proposed the Inspira iTPS, which consists of two machines in tandem: an Ishida RV series multihead weigher mounted over an Inspira rotary bagmaker, creating a ‘streamlined’ system that is said to increase speeds, minimise giveaway and eliminate issues such as product trapped in seals.
The system was installed in June 2020 and, according to Ishida, the impact was immediate.
Two extrusion lines – one for fried products, the other for baked snacks – feed into the weigher, which operates at 140 packs per minute, nine hours per day, five days a week. This speed exceeds what was possible with Sunshine Snacks’ previous solution. Weighing accuracy has also been increased by as much as 3.5-5% depending on product.
“Our old weighing system either gave away too much, affecting profits, or too little, which meant more time was lost to rework,” explained operations manager John Bartolo. “We’d often had to slow down our previous solution to try and improve accuracy. With the Ishida multihead weigher, the accuracy of the algorithm is astonishing. The machine calculates variables automatically and we’ve seen a significant improvement.”
Ishida added that accuracy is further improved because the faster throughout reduces the chance of snacks flavourings sticking to the weigher’s contact parts and affecting weight calculations. Similarly, the multihead weigher is better at detecting and removing product residue in the hoppers than the previous system used to be.
Benfits of the Inspira bagmaker include the reduction of film waste and better seal integrity. “The bagmaker is incredibly simple to use, with minimal set-up,” said plant manager Anton Bugeja. “The operator presses a button on the touchscreen and automated features ensure that the film for the new bag size is fully aligned, saving time and reducing film waste close to zero.”
installing the iTPS, Sunshine Snacks has been impressed at the ease and simplicity with which changeovers can take place.
“No tools are required and switching between SKUs via the control unit is fully automated,” said maintenance production manager Paul Scicluna. “It now takes no more than five minutes per changeover, whereas before it typically took more than 10 minutes.”
Several pack formats are used at the plant to suit size, product type and private label requirements. After seeing the Inspira bagmaker in action, the company realised it could now introduce a new pack format – a 15g pack aimed at the airline market.
“We expected to see benefits in speed and accuracy, but we hadn’t foreseen that these improvements would also lead to new commercial opportunities, only possible because of the decision to invest in the Ishida iTPS,” added Robert Ellul.
