Jason Hogue
Southeast Sales Manager
BluePrint Automation (BPA)
From a trends perspective, what new developments do you see happening in secondary packaging equipment? Are more bakery and snack producers automating this part of the packaging process? Are you seeing more orders over the past few years?
End of line automation has trended upward over the last 5 years. Recently we have seen a high demand in robotic stacking applications. At high speeds they can require lots of labor which is hard during a shortage.
What secondary packaging equipment has your company introduced over the past year? What product features has your company upgraded?
The Spider 100v robotic stacking system has recently been used in different ways such as product accumulation, nesting, and de-nesting.
What types of bakery and snack products is this equipment used for?
Any flat product can be stacked using a Spider 100v. Waffles, flat breads, pizza crust, etc.
What are some challenges in designing this equipment and why?
Industrial freezer belts seem to be getting wider and wider as production speeds increase. Building vision guiding systems large enough to accommodate these freezers has been a fun challenge to concur.
What new equipment is your company designing that may accommodate new food safety regulations or sustainability initiatives going forward?
Our new tubeless frame option on the Spider 100v leads the industry in hygiene.
What equipment advances/improvements to you see happening in the near future?
As end of line automation becomes more common, systems will become more user friendly from both operator and maintenance perspectives.