The newly developed thermoformed and heat-shrinkable films save the Dutch meat market the labor and material costs for making preformed shrink bags. Convenient foods are as prevalent in Europe as they are in the United States. For example, Brandenburg Vlees en Vleesproducten BV., a meat producer and marketer in Finland, has achieved business growth through the concentration of tasty and easily packaged foods.
“We make delicious convenience foods, such as pre-mixed meat. Consumers just need to put the food in the microwave before eating. We do all the basic work in advance.†Loek Brandenburg said, he and his brother Hans together Running a family business.
Since the summer of 2005, Brandenburg has used the R250 molding shrink packaging machine offered by Multivac. Pre-sliced ​​fillets are packaged in a customized automated shrink packaging system, whereas only one packaging style can be processed using prefabricated shrink bags and vacuum chamber pressure systems. Multivac collaborated with the film manufacturer Krehalon to develop the shrink molding process, and Krehalon was the first to offer a shrinkable film that can be rolled like a shrink bag. Upon completion of the molding shrinkage process, the highly transparent film is tightly attached to the food without any wrinkles or excess film. This close-fitting shrink-wrap package guarantees exceptional food stability, making it stand out from the competition.
Loek Brandenburg expressed great enthusiasm for the new machine. He explained: “We as a supermarket supplier have been under great pressure, especially considering the fact that the market is unwilling to accept price increases, which forces us to take different measures. To increase our efficiency, such as highly automated production, to gain more profits."
He said that this is exactly what the company achieved with its Multivac solution. The molding shrinking machine replaces three room presses used for conventional shrink-wrapped packages. At the same time, it also saves a lot of labor costs and the appearance of the product is also improved.
“We used to need two employees to operate a room press, one to put the meat pieces into the bag and the other to operate the machine. Now, only one person is needed to operate the machine feed end, he put the meat on the machine Another person can operate on the unloading side,†Brandenburg said. Brandenburg retained a room press to solve bottlenecks during peak seasons and special events.
Early adopters
Brandenburg was the earliest person to put molding shrink packaging into commercial use. This technology was introduced by Multivac in 2004. Brandenburg's thermoforming is done in four steps at a rate of seven weeks per minute. The insertion tool allows the film to have a depth of 40mm to 100mm. Thermoformed cave manually filled. The cave is evacuated and sealed under heat to the upper web.
Multivac's MR cross-web pressure-sensitive labeler pastes after sealing and compressing operations before reaching the discharge area. Connected to the labeler is the Markem thermal transfer printer, which prints different information such as date, weight, bar code, etc. onto the film label. The label is affixed to the top web of the package. The package is cut using special tools to remove excess film. It then passes through a steam-shrinking channel to activate the film's unique shrinkage characteristics, resulting in a perfect, close-fitting package that conforms to the product's unique profile.
The transparent shrink film developed by Krehalon is specially used in the molding shrinkage process and brings unique advantages to the handler. Although this film is very thin in construction, it has extremely high puncture resistance and good seam sealing strength. According to procurement and recycling costs, lightweight materials can also be used well for processors. “Our new product line significantly reduces film consumption compared to the shrink bag process,†Brandenburg said. “The total weight of the plastic film needed for each package is much less, which not only reduces material costs but also reduces recycling. cost."
The forming wire and the cover material are all six-layer mixed extrusions, including polyethylene as a protective layer. The molding shrinkage process creates packages that conform to different weights, shapes and sizes of content, and each individual product can be given as much packaging as possible. It can handle products with a weight between 450 and 700g. The size can be changed according to the customer's requested retail price and order.
“The investment in the shrink molding process is fully in line with our company's philosophy of providing high-quality products at a reasonable price,†Brandenburg said. “The packages produced by this machine present our high-quality appearance to our customers with a very strong visual effect. With the additional automation and innovation of the new shrink film, we have been able to ensure a high degree of flexibility in the market while also achieving cost savings. We have found that Multivac will be a reliable partner and he has provided us with We have strong plans to support new production operations, and also provide theoretical and practical advice for the issues that arise in our daily production."
Brandenburg's convenience products have already achieved great success among consumers and have won a prominent position in the Dutch self-service supermarket chain. Soon he plans to start additional sales in Germany and Great Britain.
Reprinted from: International Packaging Offers