Baking & Snack - March 2021 - 84

HFFS PACKAGING

IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK
AT THE ENTIRE OPERATION
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM,
DETERMINE EACH BAKERY'S
NEEDS AND RESOURCES,
AND CONSULT THE
EXPERTS TO FIND THE BEST
PACKAGING OPTIONS.
Automated loading
can help increase
the speed of
product lines.
BluePrint Automation

Choosing an HFFS
system often means
looking at the
product, packaging
materials and other
factors.
Reiser

products into a flow packer, which makes implementation immediate and easy. Also, workers provide flexibility and can adapt quickly to changes in product or for
troubleshooting an issue.
" Depending on the output of your baking line [products/minute] it may be highly possible to manually load
the infeed of flow pack machines to make your individually wrapped products, " said Josh Becker, product manager, bakery/confection, Harpak-Ulma. " From a capital
investment perspective, this would be lower but would
require more labor on the front end. "
Having multiple operators also creates safety concerns
during a pandemic.
" I'm seeing bakers come to me that have manual operations, " said Bill Kehrli, vice president of sales and
marketing, Cavanna Packaging USA. " They're saying
they don't want the manual operators in the food factory
anywhere near their food, breathing onto the food for
fear of contaminating it. "
Automated systems can handle products quickly,

and bakers can choose from a variety of robotic and vision equipment.
" To really get volume, you need some automation,
and you need the equipment, " said Dennis Gunnell,
president, Formost Fuji Corp.
In addition to picking and placing products onto the
HFFS machines, automated systems can provide quality
control by checking size, weight and color as well as running the product through metal detection and counting
the product. Ideally, the equipment should handle a diverse mix of products with as little changeover as possible.
Redundant systems keep production flowing when
problems arise. It's also important to ensure the secondary packaging line keeps up with the primary packaging.
Some machinery can be adjusted quickly. For instance, some of Reiser's HFFS machines used for bulk
foodservice can be converted to individual pack solutions by adding tooling and converting web widths in
the field, Mr. McCann said.
All new customized equipment often takes upward
of several months to build and install. It also may require a sizable investment, although it's an expense on
the minds of decision-makers at many bakeries right
now. In Baking & Snack's 2021 Capital Spending survey
of wholesale bakeries, 85% said packaging was among
their top equipment needs.

Space for equipment and training
Another challenge is having an adequate footprint to install new or upgraded packaging equipment.
" Space in my mind is the biggest obstacle, " Mr. Kehrli said.
He added the faster the line is moving, the
more space is needed. As products come out of the
oven or freezer, the HFFS equipment must keep pace.
When a company decides to install equipment, it is
best to keep the product flowing in the same direction
and minimize transfers.

84 Baking & Snack March 2021 / www.bakingbusiness.com

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Baking & Snack - March 2021

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