Baking & Snack - August 2016 - 97

EQUIPMENT

Packaging Lines

Conquering the Final Frontier
The search continues for creative solutions to streamline the packaging department
yet maintain its flexibility to meet customers' ever-changing demands.
by Dan Malovany
In the packaging area, the problem isn't about getting
10 lb of products into a 5-lb bag. It's all about figuring out
how to be all things to all people.
"The biggest challenge everyone faces today is the multiple formats that they are trying to use to package their
products," noted Vince Tamborello, vice-president and
general manager, Benchmark Automation, a division of
Pro Mach, Inc. "Most products were sold in fairly specific
formats in the past, but today we have products for convenience stores, for retail and for club stores."
While bakeries have become pretty efficient at automating production, their packaging departments -
especially those in cookie, cracker, bar and other snack
operations - often find themselves struggling with how
to automate to serve an increasingly diverse customer
base anchored in multiple channels.
"You might make one product, but it may be individually wrapped or placed in a two-pack, four-pack or
six pack - or even stacked," observed Dennis Gunnell,
vice-president of sales and marketing, Formost Fuji Corp.
"You have no changes in production, but you get down
to packaging where you're having the product packed 10
different ways. You're adding such complexity, and it's
creating such a bottleneck. Everybody wants flexibility.
Everybody is looking to package their products in different configurations to stand out on the shelf."
For a co-manufacturer like Hearthside Food Solutions,
Downers Grove, IL, which operates 23 plants in the US and
Europe, "fast, flexibility and adding more value" provides
the guiding force for the company, according to Dwayne
Hughes, senior vice-president, supply chain. To accomplish
those objectives, Hearthside - which produces and packages everything from cookies, crackers and other snacks
to more than 3 billion bars a year - relies on two key
principles: standardization and duplication. "It starts with
a clear understanding of what the customer's needs and desires are for the finished package," Mr. Hughes said. "Then
there's collaboration between engineering and operations."
That cooperation determines everything from the foot-

print needed for the packaging systems to safety and sanitation requirements before designing and standardizing the
equipment. In many cases, Hearthside relies on lean manufacturing techniques, continuous improvement processes
and training to maximize labor. That's especially true in its
1.1 million-sq-ft facility in McComb, OH, where it houses
In addition to helping discover the root cause of downtime, real-time data management systems
allow bakers to focus on improving quality control and maximizing overall throughput.
BluePrint Automation

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