Food Marketing & Technology - India June 2019 | Page 46

Packaging SUCCESSFUL AUTOMATED SORTING AT SWIZZLES CONFECTIONERY Swizzels Matlow, a family business that produces sugar confectionery in the United Kingdom, has chosen TOMRA’s Nimbus optical sorter to automate the sorting process of its ‘Drumstick Squashies’ in order to meet fast-growing demand while ensuring the consistently excellent quality of the product. S wizzels is one of the longest- running sugar confectionery factories in the world, having celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2018. They produce much-loved heritage brands, such as the iconic ‘Love Hearts’, as well as new innovations. The factory, based in Derbyshire, employs more than 500 people and covers over 20,000 square metres. In 2018, it produced 20,000 tonnes of Love Hearts, Refreshers, Drumstick Lollies, Double Lollies, Parma Violets, Rainbow Drops and Drumstick Squashies. Only the best confectionery for the customer Swizzels have chosen TOMRA’s Nimbus optical sorter to handle the delicate sorting operation of their ‘Drumstick Squashies’, whose growing popularity has led to a fast increase in demand: “We used manual labor to remove any imperfect sweets that may have been created during the process. Our desire to provide only product of the highest quality to our consumers drove us to seek an alternative solution to manual sorting in order to improve the effectiveness whilst also delivering cost benefits to the business,” explains Matt Whatcott, Business Unit Manager (Jellies) at Swizzels Matlow. The proof is in the confectionery Nicolas Stein, Director of Stein Solutions, TOMRA’s agent in the UK, knew that the Nimbus optical sorter would be the perfect solution for Swizzels: “We invited them to the TOMRA Demonstration Center in Belgium, so they could try the Nimbus on their product and see first-hand how effective and easy to use it is. The Nimbus is used for a variety of products, but Swizzels were one of the first to test the machine in this specific application.” The events proved him right: “The visit to the demo facility was highly beneficial and allowed us to see the Food Marketing & Technology 46 June 2019 equipment running with our product and to witness the results firsthand. We were able to make observations, ask questions and build a rapport with the team in Belgium. Having invested substantial effort in researching various alternative solutions, the demonstration provided us with confidence that this was the best and most appropriate solution for our process and allowed us to make an informed decision on progressing to purchase.” The machine was delivered very quickly and has been operating at the Swizzels’ facility for a year to their great satisfaction. State-of-the-art technology for reliable detection The Nimbus represents a new generation of sorting solutions that