Baking & Snack - December 2019 - 69

EQUIPMENT
Packaging Innovations

Packaging advances over the past year prepare bakers and snack makers for the next decade of change.
by Nico Roesler

The end of 2019 brings the end of a decade of massive
transition in packaging. Sustainable, sanitary and automated technologies have advanced and multiplied, and
the next 10 years will look very different.
While consumers demand more portion-appropriate serving sizes and convenient reclosable packages,
they are also cognizant of the damage plastic increasingly has on the environment ... so much so that new
forms of packaging are being created. First announced
in January, Loop, a circular shopping system emulating
the traditional milkman model, enables consumers to
use products from partnered consumer brands in customized, brand-specific durable packaging delivered
in a specially designed reusable shipping tote. When
finished with the product, the packaging is collected,
cleaned and reused, creating the circular system and
eliminating packaging waste.
These types of alternative packaging systems are not yet
widely accepted, but by the end of the 2020s, they could be.
Online shopping, food subscription services and click-andcollect models are all changing the packaging landscape.
So how can bakers and snack producers keep up? The past
year offered some solutions.

Scouten, vice-president, sales and marketing, Middleby
Bakery, provides a bulk-pack format for quick-service
restaurant (QSR) buns in a modified atmosphere package. This allows bakers to produce buns not only for retail but also the growing QSR and foodservice market.
Additionally, Stewart Systems rolled out a P1200 model of
its Pillo Pack automated sealer that can increase throughput without expanding the footprint on a packaging line.
Recent advances in automation and robotics have made
the technologies easier to install on lines because of their
shrinking footprint. Suppliers are also offering new entrylevel robotics to ease bakers into the idea of automating
packaging. Five years ago, robotic solutions for small to
medium size wholesale bakers wasn't cost effective. Today,
thanks to a difficult workforce environment, they can be.
"It's all about labor availability and reliability," said Kelly
Meer, product manager, Bosch Packaging. "If our customers can find the people, they'll pay them. But if they find
them and train them, then two weeks later they get another

Advances in soft-grip
technologies allow
robotic pick-and-place
machines to handle
increasingly delicate
baked goods.
BluePrint Automation

Flexible automation
At the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) and
Pack Expo in September, several companies showcased
flexible packaging systems designed to handle multiple
products and pack various styles of cartons and bags. Josua
Schwab, product manager, Bosch Packaging Systems, said
versatility is critical when feeding flowwrappers and toploading cartons. "Flexibility means short changeover times,
short cleaning times and the ability to run several products
in several packaging configurations," he said.
To increase efficiency and reduce rejected products,
Bosch automated the splicing process. At high speed,
the film roll is spliced during production. Mr. Schwab
said this reduces downtime and makes it easy to switch
to more sustainable materials and be ready for the future.
Stewart Systems, a Middleby Bakery company, introduced the Stewart MAP-Pak20 which, according to Mike

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