Having this capacity will allow the producer to ramp up its output to keep pace with demand .
Belvoir invited T . Freemantle to its facility to discuss whether the packaging machinery manufacturer could meet its brief for a format-flexible cartoning machine that could be delivered within a six month timeframe .
A tall order ?
“ T . Freemantle confirmed everything we were hoping to hear - that their machine could handle all of the can formats we were hoping to run as well as those we might want to introduce in the future , such as 10 or 24 can multipacks for export markets ,” says Martin .
“ We did look at other machinery manufacturers but they couldn ’ t compete on timeframe , price , format flexibility , fast and simple cleandown or parts / service
availability . We were quoted lead times of up to 12 months and the quotes were much higher as they said they would need to build bespoke systems to accommodate the different formats we wanted to run . T . Freemantle were very confident that a six month lead time from order to delivery was possible ,” he adds .
Open or closed carton ?
At this stage in the project , Belvoir hadn ’ t quite finalised what form the multipacks would take . Therefore , it tapped into T . Freemantle ’ s design studio service , which marries engineering expertise with knowledge of pack styles , materials , glues etc to come up with a design that would be line-compatible , practical and aesthetically appealing .
“ Initially we were thinking we wanted an open-sided pack , but T . Freemantle ’ s advice was that a FEC ( Fully Enclosed Carton ) would be more viable . They gave us a good steer on what cartonboard would be suitable and pointed us in the direction of Graphic Packaging for designing and printing the cartons . They also recommended a really good glue supplier ,” says Martin .
Performing under pressure Belvoir placed its order in January and - true to its word - T . Freemantle installed the Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine six months later .
“ Time was of the essence as we had already closed the contract with our co-packer so there was massive pressure on the factory to get can production moving again ,” recalls Martin .
To ensure the project was delivered within the timescales , T . Freemantle took the unusual step of carrying out the FAT ( Factory Acceptance Testing ) as part of the installation - demonstrating not only its commitment to the customer but also complete confidence in its technology .
“ T . Freemantle were fully aware of the importance of starting can production on the specified date and they pulled out all the stops to make that happen ,” says Martin .
Rising to the challenge High speed packing of beverage cans into smaller cartons is an application that few engineering firms have mastered . It is possible to run four-packs on a machine designed for producing 12 or 24 can multipacks from thicker corrugated board , but the line speeds tend to be unfeasibly slow , which is why many beverage manufacturers resort to handpacking smaller cartons .
T . Freemantle has come at this challenge from a different angle , drawing on its expertise in high speed food production lines . Instead of wrapping a blank around a collation of cans and then gluing it , the Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine uses pre-glued cartons , which are picked one at a time from a magazine holder , erected and presented to the can collation . This continuous motion process speeds up the cartoning process considerably .
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