Baking & Snack - December 2020 - 72

PACKAGING INNOVATIONS

Reduced manual
operation of bagging
machines lessens the
chance for human error
and improves sanitation
in packaging.
AMF Bakery Systems

All things automated
Although risk of COVID-19 transmission through food
and contact surfaces remains low, consumers are not
taking any chances. In this environment of hyper caution, automation can provide another level of confidence
in food safety and sanitation.
" One thing about a typical Cavanna line is that no one
ever touches the food, ever, " Mr. Kehrli said. " Since we
offer high-speed automated systems, there are very few
people around our lines. Our European safety standards
require more safety guarding and so a lot of the time the
food is encapsulated from the cooling tunnel all the way
through packaging. "
Mr. Kehrli added that bakers are concerned about the
simple probability of spreading COVID-19 in their facilities when there are 100 people on the production floor.
The risk of exposing a greater number of people drops if
automation can reduce that number by half.
" We try to redeploy people and get them away from
the food, " Mr. Kehrli said.
From a consumer perspective, bakers are also looking
for new ways to protect their food and keep it fresh for
longer. That means more items are packed in resealable
packaging, or in single-serve packs so they can be opened
and eaten in one sitting. Packaging suppliers are taking
several approaches to tackle this consumer demand.
Formost Fuji offers a resealable tray for muffins in
addition to resealable options for cookie trays and
bread bags.
" We're putting a peelable label on the package, and then
we're scoring the material under the label, " said Dennis
Gunnell, president, Formost Fuji. " When you peel the label
back, it exposes the product, and you can reclose it using a
tape-type label. This can be pre-applied, or it can be done in
line on the machine, in real time. "
The need for automation extends beyond primary
packaging. Somic America developed the 424 case packing system for cartons, wraparound cases and retailready two-piece premium packages. It uses a variety of

72 Baking & Snack December 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

compact machine configurations and is being developed
to help automate other parts of primary packaging, said
Peter Fox, vice president of sales for Somic.
" Some of the primary benefits of the new Somic cereal
bar cartoning system include a very compact infeed system, which provides a rate of 800 bars per minute with
positive bar collation, " Mr. Fox said. " The bars will then
be loaded into four trays per cycle, followed by the closing system that will close four cartons simultaneously. "

COVID-19 HAS PUT
SANITATION AND
FOOD SAFETY AT
THE FOREFRONT OF
MANUFACTURERS' MINDS,
ESPECIALLY AT THE END
OF THE PRODUCTION LINE.
Snack manufacturers are also looking to automate
their manual hand-packing lines. A-B-C Packaging offers the Model 19 packer that requires just one operator
to open cases and place them on the case packing funnel.
The entire machine occupies just 75-square-feet of floor
space, including the infeed and takeaway conveyors.
Heat and Control also recognized the importance of
floor space when designing its Ishida Inspira Bag Maker
and the Ishida Case Packer. The bagmaker works at high
speeds and creates consistend seal quality, while the
case packer packs multiple patterns and can be changed
over quickly.
" Both incorporate the latest technology so their impressive performance also comes with reduced energy
and air consumption and operating noise levels and one
of the industry's smallest footprints, " Mr. Barr said.

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Baking & Snack - December 2020

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