Current topic – Food packaging

Glass to stick packs page 10 Marketing specialists state that an average customer passes 300 different products in a minute in a store offering 15,000 trade items. Thus, a common foodstuff can hardly convince the customer of its uniqueness. Though some marketers claim that in fact packaging is the fifth „P“ to „Price, Product, Place, and Promotion“, it is mostly thought of as a product strategy feature related to the marking, warranties etc. It is necessary for the packaging to be bringing additional customer values in terms of visual communication beside its basic functions. Although the bottle – either glass or plastic – is the most typical ketchup container, packages of different shape, as well as material (flat sachets, cans and so on), can be seen today.

Knowledge Auction – where industry meets science page 12 The first HighTech Europe Knowledge Auction on food packaging innovations will take place at Interpack in Düsseldorf on May 17. The idea behind this auction is to promote the transfer of scientific knowledge to marketable products. The abstracts and participation guidelines are presented on the Knowledge Auction website www.knowledgeauction.eu. The HighTech Europe project comprises 21 industrial and research partners from all over Europe as well as one research institute from Australia. The project’s aim is to establish a European Institute for Food Processing.

Innovation that distinguishes page 14 Paramount Packaging, distributor for Fuji Packaging Machinery in the UK and Ireland, modernized its packaging line with a horizontal flow wrapper featuring the Zip-Pak RESEAL 360XM resealable closure applicator unit recently. By renewing the line, they have secured a new packaging machine as well as the efficient customer services of the Zip-Pak company.

High quality lids come from Poland page 18 Jaroslav Šimo, managing director of ColorCap Czech, s. r. o., has shown „Svět balení“ round the production plants of Constantia ColorCap Sp. z o. o. in Silesia, Poland. The company manufactures pharmaceutical films, lids for plastic cups, trays (made of PS, PP, PVC above all), paper cups and aluminium jars, producing about 300 million of lids, 15 million of so-called toppers, over 20 million of complete aluminium containers and 25 tonnes of printed films a month at present. A fully-equipped professional graphic studio is working at the site, followed by a printing plant with four 8-color flexo web printing presses. In the second production plant, six packaging machines with a total capacity of 30,000 lids per hour fill toppers varying in shape and volume with a broad portfolio of mixtures. The enterprise’s output is about 3 billion lids a year, aiming for 5 billion a year by 2015.

The number of industrial robots in the food industry is rising page 22 Robots in the food industry can be divided into three groups. For quick handling, so-called picking, the parallel-link robots are designed. They mostly transfer products from one conveyor belt to another or pick the products and place them into packaging machines. So-called packing it the second basic application, this means case loading of products into secondary or tertiary packaging. Here we find somewhat smaller robots, 4-axis above all. Palletizing is the last area, here the packaging weight is crucial. The load capacity must be 100 kg at least but we can see models significantly stronger, too. The robots need to be long-reach (most often over 3 m) at the same time.

Main topic – Industrial packaging automation Robots in the world of packaging page 23 We find palletizing robots as well as parallel-link pick & place robots installed in modern packaging plants. ABB, Kuka, Mitsubishi, Fanuc Robotics, Motoman, Kawasaki etc. range among the major manufacturers of robots of both kinds. Parallel-link robots work well in automated bakery and confectionery packaging for example. Robotic palletizers are versatile devices moving automatically in more axes (for palletizing, the 4-axis robots are preferred nowadays). Their position-controlled movements are either directly programmed or sensor-controlled. The robots feature various types of grippers and can execute multiple handling or processing tasks.

Simulation in robotics page 27 In order for all the robot’s functions to be fully utilized, it is necessary to programme task sequences exactly. The DF (Digital Factory) systems cover all the stages of production planning, from collecting product models from CAD systems downstream to loading the data necessary for production control to ERP systems. The KUKA Robot Group offers a great number of SW applications. RobotStudio by the ABB Group relies on off-line programming using the virtual robot technology. Fanuc Robotics provides ROBOGUIDE simulation SW, enabling to download program to a real system without any conversion. COSIROP is the programming environment for all Mitsubishi robots. MOTOMAN software is known for user-friendly features for simulation, communication and off-line programming. Workspace is the most well-known versatile application compatible with a majority of brands.

Biscuits packed in a different way page 30 The most recent example of innovative solutions by Cermex, supplier of end-of-line packaging machinery, is the design, build and installation in 2010 of four wrap-around case packers at Arnott’s in the Australian biscuit industry. The challenges the supplier faced: controlling product conveying; protecting the product integrity with the capacity to implement gripping systems adapted to 58 different SKU’s packed into 32 different case sizes and formats; changing secondary packaging at the same time as the lines were automated; processing speed; quick format changeovers and the quick integration of the four machines at Arnott’s production site. Cermex installed three multi-function WB45 wrap around case packers and one traditional wrap-around case packer for a slower line.

Where does the packaging machinery control come from? page 32 B&R, the world’s leading manufacturer of solutions for control, safety and automation of industrial processes and machines, including packaging machinery, held a press conference at the Radisson Blu hotel, Salzburg, on March 22. According to Franz Enhuber, director of B&R’s Automation Academy, the machines are losing their „serial nature“ today. By linking mechanical and electronic parts to the software, they become „mechatronic systems“. Modularity, multitasking and integrability into existing structures are the crucial features. Innovations are driven by the software development above all.

Labeling, identification, traceability On GTIN allocation page 34 The idea behind GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is an unambiguous separation of a new item from an already existing one in order to be incommutable when traded. Basic GTIN allocation rules are binding. The product database owner, i.e. the brand owner, is responsible for allocation. Each item needs a basic pre-defined characteristic. A modification to any of the basic elements leads usually to a change in the GTIN. This also applies to promo variants that affect the net weight or volume or impact the logistic weight or dimension of the item by more than 20 %. A new GTIN is to be assigned in the case of major changes in functionality, packaging content or its type (the number of units). A GTIN which has become obsolete must not be re-used for another item until at least 48 months have elapsed from the date the original item was last supplied. A part of product, pack, safety label as well as seal of approval page 42 At Hannover Messe 2011, 3S Simons Security Systems presented their portfolio for legally binding counterfeit protection based on the micro color-codes SECUTAG^®. The world’s smallest micro color-codes have been forgery-proof for 15 years and are accepted as evidence by international courts. They are made of melamine alkyd polymers, manufactured in different sizes beginning at 8 μm. Seals, labels and closures are secured against counterfeiting with the micro color-codes. SECUPRODUCT^® enables the direct labeling of various kinds of products. SECUDATA^® combines the logistic advantages of different solutions (data matrix, RFID) with the counterfeit protection of micro color-codes. SECUPACK^® protects folded boxes, tubes, cans, blister packaging and closures made of various materials.

Logistics Automation in warehousing page 43 Warehouse automation encompasses not only the warehouse technology but also the complex of after sales services. It oposses a common storage concept where a warehouseman has to go and fetch the goods. In an automated warehouse, the goods usually comes to a warehouseman. Small parts in boxes or cartons (so-called miniload systems) or pallet units can be stored in automated warehouses. Automated warehouses used generally to be equipped with a conveyor system moving objects, a stacker truck stacking and picking the goods and a racking system. All warehousing processes are software-controlled.

New STILL RX 50 debuted page 46 The STILL company held a press conference on the launch of the new electric forklift truck STILL RX 50 in Berlin on March 2. The new RX 50 is the most compact truck of its class with load capacities from 1.0 to 1.6 tonnes. Its great agility by flexibly stacking and transport within narrow aisles is the RX 50 range’s big advantage. It is thus suitable virtually for every site, from the food industry to container loading and unloading.

Warehouse Navigation Now Also Available for Man-down Trucks page 52 In March 2011 Jungheinrich brought a facelift version of its ETX 513/515 man-down trucks to market. These trucks are transverse seat/tri-lateral stackers which can be used in narrow aisles wherever whole pallets are deposited and removed without any order picking taking place. “The facelift puts this generation of narrow aisle trucks at the same high technological level as our ‘Kombi’ stackers,” explains Sebastian Riedmaier, Product Manager for System Trucks at Jungheinrich.

Manufacturers, suppliers Packwell Schwepnitz: in-depth analysis page 54 In March, we were invited to Packwell Schwepnitz production site, belonging to the Palm Packaging Group since 2007. It produces single, double, triple wall as well as single face and open face double wall corrugated board. It supplies not only standard A-, C-, B- and E-flute but also mini-flutes like F- or N- and their combinations. The final shape of products creates an added value. The production range includes not only rolls and sheets of variable formats but also so-called endless board (fanfold). The Group manufactures color single face corrugated or unique stretch corrugated board (Elastowell), suitable for gift packaging. For the purposes of transport packaging, by contrast, heavy multi-wall corrugated board with enhanced moisture barrier properties is produced.

Packaging and…

PCD Awards 2011 page 58 The seventh edition of the PCD congress-exhibition, held on February 8 and 9, 2011 at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Paris, closed with the PCD Awards ceremony. This year, major technological innovations and new forms of handling were highlighted. Seven Prizes were awarded: „Bleu“ Shower Gel, Chanel – Care Category; „Terracotta 4 Seasons“ Powder, Guerlain – Make-up Category; „Wanted Rouge“ Lipstick, Helena Rubinstein – Make-up Category; „Lash Queen Sexy Blacks“ Mascara, Helena Rubinstein – Make-up Category; „Voyage“ Perfume, Hermès – Men’s and Unisex Perfume Category; „Fleur de cristal“ Perfume, Lalique – Women’s Perfume Category; „L’air du Temps“ Perfume, Nina Ricci – Collector Category.