Product category:
General packaging materials, equipment and services
News Release from: Packaging Automation
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 July 2006
Packaging Automation win new business
Packaging Automation (PA) is enjoying success throughout the UK with recent orders being won with many leading food companies.
As the UK's leading designer and manufacturer of tray sealing equipment, PA is at the forefront of innovative design and is constantly responding to demands to faster, more flexible equipment Amongst the company's long list of successful recent installations is Farmhouse Fare based in Lancashire, which is using two Vision 182 tray sealing machines to seal a range of traditionally made puddings
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 12 Jan 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Farmhouse Fare upgraded to the Vision machines after originally hiring two semiautomatic PA182 machines, but with sales increasing quickly needed to upgrade to deal with increased throughputs.
The company is now benefiting from the Vision's quick tool changes, easy to use touch screen, plc control and stainless steel construction.
As an added benefit in this case, the existing tooling from the original PA182's could be modified for use on the Vision machines thus reducing the level of investment needed to automate.
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The PA182 is one of the company's most popular machines and is used throughout the food industry sealing millions of ready meals every week.
Amongst those recently impressed by the PA182 is Ken Lam who established Wok Express in 1999 to produce chilled ready meals for the supermarkets and food service sectors.
Mr Lam has been impressed by the machine's robust design and ease of operation, which is ideal for the chilled Chinese ready meals the company supplies to a number of UK supermarkets Another company impressed with the PA182 is Bighams Global Gastronomy based in London, who are using four of the machines to seal a growing range of chilled and frozen gourmet ready meals and which has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with PA.
Like Wok Express, Bighams is growing quickly and needs sealing equipment it can rely on - which is just what it gets from PA.
Being able to manufacture and supply tooling in just two weeks has helped PA win an order with Sharrocks Fresh Produce Limited.
When Sharrocks secured an order from a leading retailer for a new prepared vegetable range they needed the packs to hit the shelves within weeks, and despite its existing equipment supplier indicating that there would be a 12 week turnaround on the order, PA was able to supply a bespoke machine and tooling within two weeks.
PA's Vision 400, one of its latest tray sealing machines, is also proving popular after a recent redesign.
Amongst the most recent orders the company has won for this machine are those from Katsouris Fresh Foods based in London and North Yorkshire based Marlow Foods .
The redesigned machine is being used by Katsouris to pack a range of pasta ready meals with sauces as well as a line of cauliflower cheese ready meals.
At Marlow Foods the machine has been installed with a specially designed carousel auto loading denester at the end of a continuous production line for Marlow's first venture into tray sealing.
As well as being used by Marlow for its popular range of Quorn mince and Quorn pieces, the Vision 400 is also suitable for sealing a wide range of products in trays including ready meals, meat, poultry, fish, and fresh produce.
Its maximum speed, depending on the viscosity of the product, is an impressive 21 cycles per minute.
And it is not just with the tray sealing side of the business that PA is enjoying success.
The company has just completed phase one of a five year business strategy with the launch of a high speed filling, pot sealing and over capping machine - the Fastfill100.
This is the third machine in the new generation Fastfill range and follows earlier launches of the Fastfill40 and Fastfill60 machines.
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