https://library.myebook.com/SnacksMagazine/snacks-summer-2021/3355/#page/26
Advertorial in Summer edition of Snacks Magazine
As a company in the snack industry, you know exactly how important it is to be and remain flexible regarding the choices you make for your product packaging. Nowadays new consumer trends, types of packaging and supermarket demands require increasing flexibility when it comes to primary and secondary packaging. BPA is developing flexible and reliable end-of-line automation solutions for packing your snack products.
Compact design
More and more, we’re seeing that manufacturers have an increasing need for flexible, integrated packaging solutions. Space in production facilities is scarce and expensive, so packing more volume per square metre is the objective. According to BPA’s Sales Director, Jos van Oekel, combining multiple functions in one machine is extremely appealing to snack manufacturers. BPA’s Spider 200Q, better known as the Snack Quest, is the ultimate example of such a machine.
Flexible, versatile and fast
The Snack Quest is a compact monoblock packaging machine for packing bags of snacks in cases and trays. Multiple functions, such as forming the tray, inspection of the bags (weighing, metal detection, seal integrity), filling, coding, closing and weighing the tray are combined in a very compact configuration.
“The installation was quick thanks to the monoblock concept. The fact that our full range of products can be packed in all required display trays used in the snack industry make the Snack Quest the perfect solution for us.” Oliver Kuhls, Lorenz Snack-World
What’s more, the installation time at the customer site is greatly reduced because the machine is fully tested and commissioned (FAT) at BPA and transported as a monoblock to the final destination. All functions have already been tested in the assembled state, and the OEM equipment has been integrated and adjusted at the BPA factory. Because of the fully integrated OEM components, such as labelling and printing equipment, interfaces are drastically reduced during installation at the customer site so the customer only needs to deal with a single supplier.
Customer experience
Long-time loyal BPA customer Lorenz Snack-World was facing the challenge of transitioning the manual packaging department to full automation at an existing production facility. The main challenge was getting this done in the limited space available. Oliver Kuhls, Manager Engineering East Cluster at Lorenz Snack-World, says: “In addition to the space issue, for logistical and hygiene reasons we needed the product side and the carton side to be clearly separated from each other. Furthermore, this automation process needed to be executed without interruption of the production. BPA’s Snack Quest is the perfect solution for this. Quick installation because of the monoblock concept and our full range of products can be packed in all required display trays used in the snack industry. The packing capacity is around 130 bags and maximum 18 trays per minute. The machine is fully auto-adjust, so the change-overs are very quick and toolless and recipe-controlled by the operator through the central HMI.”
Maximum efficiency
Every aspect of the Snack Quest aims to maximise efficiency during the secondary packaging process in the smallest space possible. Van Oekel says: ‘Our challenge is to continue leading the way when it comes to technology driven developments and innovative and flexible solutions, responding to ever-changing customer requirements. We will come up with the right “into the box” solution for packing your primary product in the most efficient way possible!’