Similar levels of sustainable design were achieved in another Cama project for a confectionery supplier to a global coffee-shop chain. The challenge here was to replace a package a lollipop-shaped ice cream. “At first, the customer approached us simply to automate the packaging process,” says Alessandro. “We suggested using a cardboard alterative to the plastic materials that the client was using.” Cama developing a cardboard carton tray with dedicated cuts, folds and slots that orientated the confectionery in the same way as the original plastic tray. The flow pack replacement was designed for maximum shelf life and the requirements of cold-chain supply. The result of this redesign was a package of higher quality and greater rigidity. This design delivered a better product and removed even more single-use plastic from secondary packaging.
Secondary packaging
manufacturers, evidenced by another project undertaken by Cama for a co- packer working with a large global confectionery brand. This packaging challenge saw a spherical chocolate product that relied on a plastic insert to support the confectionery in transit and present it to the customer. Cama’s solution was to replace the plastic insert with a cardboard design. Once the customer’s Cama, it was possible to neatly package the spherical chocolate using the cardboard insert which was designed to ensure there was no perceived difference to the product presentation in the carton. Cama’s design resulted in more sustainable packaging for the client and removed a single-use piece of plastic from the supply chain.
KennedysConfection.com
Secondary packaging is designed to protect multiple units of products from damage during transport or storage so it needs to be designed to allow for easy handling, stacking, and storage, making transportation and logistics more organised and efficient. Secondary packaging might also be required to offer point-of-sale packaging so it is important that it is not simply an afterthought. Highlighting some of the end-of-line secondary packaging equipment that can be seen in a typical confectionery packaging hall, AutoPack listed the following:
Case erectors: These are used to automatically form corrugated cardboard boxes or cases for packaging products. The before being sealed with tape or glue.
Case packers: A case packer is able to automatically pick products from a conveyor belt or feeding system and pack them into cases or boxes. It can be used to pack a wide range of products, such as bottles, cans, jars or cartons into cases of
Case sealers: Case sealers are employed at the end of the production line to
Automation benefits
Going into more depth on case erectors, Lantech explained what automated case erectors can offer, when compared to a manual operation. The benefits are said to include:
Productivity increases: The average worker can erect three boxes every minute. A basic case erector can produce 10 boxes per minute. That’s a productivity increase of 233%. Faster machines can further increase productivity. To make 2,500 cases, it takes almost 14 hours of time to erect them by hand. With a case erector, your time is reduced to only four hours. Operational cost reductions: Similarly, packing area because they can’t all keep up, you may discover that by having boxes being made quickly and easily, your means you can reduce overtime or reassign the labour pool.
Overcoming health & safety issues: Anyone who performs the same task repeatedly is at risk of repetitive strain injury. Also, multiple cuts and lacerations can result from contact with the edges of the cardboard or exposure to the blade in a hand-held tape dispenser. Using a case erector reduces the risk of workers injuring themselves or suffering repetitive strain injury.
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automatically seal boxes after they have seal large boxes with adhesive tape, gummed paper or hot melt glue. They can be fully automated – requiring little or no operator intervention – or semi- automated, depending on the application requirements.
Palletisers: A useful tool to automatically stack products onto pallets of various sizes by picking products from a conveyor belt or feeding system and arranging them in a predetermined order on a pallet. It can add layers until fully loaded.
Pallet wrapping: For companies that use a palletiser to stack products onto pallets at the end of their production lines, a pallet wrapper is then used to stretch wrap the products to the pallet. This increases load stability during transportation or storage.
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