A new automated shrink wrapping line has been installed at Little Town Dairy in Lancashire.
The servo-driven side-feed dairy shrink wrapping system was supplied by Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS) to ensure that the packaging of the company’s products could keep pace with other new automated equipment.
“We’ve recently invested in robot milkers, filling lines and automated pallet wrapping, all to keep up with growing demand for our products and to stay up to date with current manufacturing best practice,” explained Alison Moulding, director at Little Town Dairy.
Little Town Dairy was established in the 1960s, originally focusing on the supply of milk. While the dairy has remained a family business and is still managed by three generations of its founding family, the company has diversified into other milk-based products over the years.
The new shrink wrapper is dedicated to the wrapping of trays of yoghurts. The selected machine specification was recommended by the YPS team for a number of reasons including speed, which enables it to match the high output of the dairy’s new filling lines.
YPS added that a side feed shrink wrapper allows for a controlled positive motion at the infeed, pushing the products into the wrapper and keeping the yoghurt pots stable while they are moving. The packaging system can also handle different sized pack collations with no change parts, for fast changeovers between different product types.
Furthermore, the special dairy specification to IP65 rating includes a stainless steel body and low voltage electrics, designed to withstand the thorough washdowns required to maintain a hygienic production environment.
“YPS’ engineering team have been supporting our previous shrink wrapping line even though it was originally supplied by a different company,” Alison added. “They’ve also been supplying us with packaging materials. From this experience, we knew that YPS would not only supply equipment that was ideal for our requirements but also give us excellent support both during installation and in our ongoing use of our new system.”
