BAKPAC at Bakers has invested over £500,000 in two new TOTANI automatic spout inserters.
The move adds significant capability for custom printed spouted pouches and strengthens BakPac’s position in the growing refill and liquid pouch market.
The two machines arrived at Bakers’ Brentwood site earlier this month. TOTANI engineers were on site for four days to complete the installation and commissioning followed by a week for team training. Both machines are now running live customer work, with further trials, testing and operator training continuing as production ramps up.
For BakPac customers, the new machines are tipped to provide greater access to high-quality digitally printed spouted pouches, with more capacity, more flexibility and faster production options for medium and longer runs.
The automatic spout inserters support both top and corner spouts, with BakPac initially offering 10mm, 17.5mm and 21.5mm spout sizes across pouch formats from 50ml to 5 litres.
Steve Baker, MD at Bakers, said, “Spouted pouches are a really exciting area for BakPac. The refill market in the UK is still at an early stage, but we believe it is a question of when, not if, demand grows. We wanted to invest now, get really good at the process and make sure we have the capacity and capability in place before the market really accelerates.
“There is also a strong trade supply opportunity here. We know there are other UK pouch producers and trade customers who may not have dedicated spout insertion capability, or the capacity to take on higher-volume spouted pouch work. By investing in two TOTANI machines from the start, we are putting BakPac in a position to support brands directly, but also to offer a high-quality trade solution as demand for spouted formats grows.
“The TOTANI machines are already proving themselves. The installation was extremely positive, the results we are seeing are excellent, and we are already seeing more spouted pouch work coming through. This investment gives us a major step forward in speed, consistency and quality for customers looking at refill and liquid pouch formats.”
Spouted pouches are said to be an increasingly important format for brands looking at refill packaging, lighter weight alternatives to rigid containers, and packaging that is easier to store, use and transport.
BakPac revealed that it sees particular growth opportunities in beauty and wellness, alcohol and ready mixed cocktails, food and condiments, health supplements, household products, and automotive applications.
The new equipment sits within BakPac’s existing digital print and pouch converting workflow. Pouches are digitally printed and converted in the same way as BakPac’s standard stand-up pouches, with the added value of spout insertion at speed.
BakPac added that its recyclable MONO material has also run ‘extremely well’ through the new machines, supporting the company’s ability to offer recyclable spouted pouch options for customers exploring refill packaging and more flexible alternatives to bottles, tubs and jars.
The investment also helps remove a bottleneck in spouted pouch production. Spout insertion comes towards the end of the process, after printing, laminating and pouch conversion, so adding capacity at this stage offers more control over quality, planning and delivery.
