Feature Packaging


Control is in the bag F


Cash and carry operator, Bestway, is improving efficiency and minimising wastage by utilising Pacepacker’s Total Bag Control (TBC) system


or many wholesalers, one of the highest margin activities is buying in bulk sacks of anything from confectionery products to pulses, flour and breakfast cereal, and repacking them into smaller bags for resale to retail customers.


In order to reduce the reliance on manual labour, minimise health and safety risks, provide a more consistent product and boost productivity, a growing number of wholesalers are opting to automate the process of repacking. One such example is cash and carry operator, Bestway, where one tonne bags of rice are repacked into smaller paper sacks. To help the company to automate its repacking operations, Pacepacker’s


Right: Bestway uses Pacepacker’s Total Bag Control (TBC) system to repack one tonne bags of rice into smaller paper sacks


to handle sacks to create consistent looking packs.


“The single most important principle of the TBC system is that it never lets go of the sack after it has been filled,” added Wilkinson. “The second the sack is filled, a pair of motorised grip arms move around the bag and as it drops from the clamp, they close on the top of the bag, holding it in its formed state. The bag is then held shut as it is trans- ported to the sealing device - usually either a stitcher or heat sealer - so at no point is there an opportunity for any- thing to drop into the sack. And because the sack is supported throughout the closing process, there’s no risk of it top- pling over and the contents spilling.” The TBC closes up to 14 bags per


“We chose the TBC system because it offered flexibility in terms of being able to cope with multiple bag sizes, and Pacepacker was able to come up with a line design that allowed us to run both fabric and paper sacks on the same line.” Iqbal Fazaldin, Bestway


Total Bag Control (TBC) system was employed. Highlighting the role TBC can play, Pacepacker’s business devel- opment manager, Paul Wilkinson, stressed that efficiencies gained through automation may be cancelled out if product is wasted - either due to spillages or contamination - and such wastage is not uncommon. He said, “On many systems installed at whole- sale operations, bags are filled whilst on a sack clamp, then dropped onto a moving conveyor and transported to a stitcher. All this time, the mouth of the bag is wide open and the bag is com- pletely unsupported. This not only can result in sacks falling over and spilling, but means that anything from a nut or bolt to an insect could fall in and contaminate the product.” TBC is becoming a popular choice among wholesalers looking to auto- mate their repacking operations, as it addresses both of these issues.


Premium packs every time Designed to handle paper, plastic, woven polypropylene, hessian and even nets, the TBC supports and guides bags throughout the closing process, presents sacks to the stitcher/sealer with precision that eliminates seal integrity issues and accurately seals even the most difficult


Automation MAY 2013


Below: Bestway chose the Pacepacker solution for its flexibility to handle multiple bag sizes and types


minute, can handle a range of bag sizes from 2-50kg and runs indepen- dently or in conjunction with sack placers, most gross and nett weighing systems, and palletising systems also supplied by Pacepacker.


The advantages of the TBC can be seen in action at Bestway, where one tonne bags of rice are repacked into smaller paper sacks, ranging in size


from 5-25kg, at speeds of approxi- mately ten sacks per minute. “We chose the TBC system because it offered flexibility in terms of being able to cope with multiple bag sizes, and Pacepacker was able to come up with a line design that allowed us to run both fabric and paper sacks on the same line,” said Bestway’s Iqbal Fazaldin.


A new packing line


The TBC system forms part of a com- pletely new packing line at the group’s Park Royal site in London, which also includes a bulk hopper mounted on a support frame and an electronic weighing system. One of Bestway’s requirements was that the system could also accommo- date hessian and jute bags, which are notoriously difficult to handle on an automated system. Pacepacker’s answer to this chal- lenge was to design the sack placer so that it could be manoeuvred out of the way to allow bag placing to be carried out manually.


“Normally bags are placed on the sack clamp automatically, but with fabric sacks this can’t be done with a machine, so instead the operator places them by hand,” explained Wilkinson. When running paper bags, the tops need to be trimmed and taped before stitching. Pacepacker built the trimmer and over-taper so it could be moved out of the way when packing fabric bags. The TBC was also designed so that it could both re-form the gussets of paper bags and stretch the tops of fabric bags. The line also features a new type of sack turning device, which takes hold of the bag when it is standing upright, and, via a rotating frame, turns the bag 90° while it is travelling so that it lies flat and ready for palletising.


Pacepacker www.pacepacker.com T: 01371 811 544


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