Page 5 - Packaging News Magazine July-August 2018

July-August 2018 www.packagingnews.com.au
NEWS
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Beerenberg expands capacity with Recopak
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FROM THE PKN WEBSITE
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JAM and sauce producer Beer- enberg has partnered with Vic- toria-based packaging machin- ery company Recopak to build an expanded factory expected to double its capacity.
The 6500 square-metre Ade- laide Hills factory was opened in June by Beerenberg manag- ing director Anthony Paech, who said new equipment would allow it to increase production capacity past 15 tonnes of prod- uct in an eight-hour shift.
Paech said the new line will handle 60,000 bottles in a shift andisamixofoldandnew equipment.
It was designed and built by a team from Beerenberg in partnership with packaging equipment manufacturer Re- copak, which is based in Co- bram, Victoria.
MD of Recopak Bill Dopper told PKN: “After offering several layout solutions for Beerenberg’s new factory, Recopak won the project in May 2017, and with one of our partners in Italy (Fbl Food Machinery), we set about manufacturing the complete end of line packaging solution.”
Recopak manufactured sev- en of the new machines and all conveyors at its Cobram factory.
Recopak’s involvement com- prised the supply of 12 new
items of machinery, four relo- cated machines, more than 150 metres of conveyor and a line control system comprising three zones, with colour-touch panels for operator interface.
“The control system enables one operator to change the width of all conveyor guide rails by selecting the required format on the HMI screen. Fast changeover was also an impor- tant part of the project scope, and this is working well. We are able to monitor the complete line control system from our Cobram office and make any necessary changes online,” Dopper said.
“Monday 21 May was the first day of production produc- ing Beerenberg’s tomato sauce at 9000 bottles per hour with very few problems,” he said.
LEFT: The dry end packaging area at the new Beeerenberg facility, with machinery designed and supplied by Recopak.
BELOW: Beerenberg MD Anthony Paech at his expanded production line.
Other additions to the up- graded plant include two DC Norris cooking kettles, manu- factured in England, which al- low control of batch tempera- ture and weight, and faster turnaround time between batches, according to Paech.
The Beerenberg Family Farm is making inroads, not just in South Australia, but interstate and overseas.
Beerenberg’s 75 products are available in 24 countries, in- cluding Singapore, China and Japan, and can be found on ma- jor airlines and in more than 300 hotels worldwide.
The company has invested in a $14 million-plus transforma- tion over three years, including a new factory, offices and ware- house on land that the Paech family has farmed since 1839. ■
JAM MAKER
EXPANDS FACILITY
Jam and sauce producer Beerenberg partnered with packaging machinery
company Recopak to build an expanded factory expected to increase production capacity past 15 tonnes of product in an eight-hour shift (see full story this page).
2PRO-PAC’S ACQUISITION STREAK CONTINUES Pro-Pac Packaging Group (PPG) will raise $59.8 million to buy Victoria- based Perfection Packag-
ing and NZ company Polypak. Pro-Pac has agreed to pay $49.8 million for flexible packaging manufacturer Perfection and $NZ8.8 million for Polypak, a soft flexible packaging manufacturer and distributor based in Auckland (see p28).
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the plastic bag ban. Many have taken to social media to criticise chains such as Woolworths of
4hypocrisy (see p7).
V ENERGY LOSES COLOUR BATTLE
Frucor, the maker of
V energy drinks has lost a six-year legal battle to
trademark the shade of green used on its cans after a swatch of the wrong shade of green was mistakenly attached to the original application (see p6).
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the first solar farm in Sydney designed for industrial use. The installation at its tube manufacturing plant in Smithfield was launched on
1 June (see p8).
BAG BAN FURY RISES
Consumers have continued to speak out against over-packaging in supermarkets in the wake of
TUBE MAKER INVESTS IN SOLAR FARM
Australian family-owned packaging company Impact International has opened