Page 25 - Packaging News Magazine May-June 2018
P. 25

May-June 2018
www.packagingnews.com.au
FMCG PACKAGING
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hot, cold and aseptic filling, and pro- cesses a variety of products, from whole tomatoes, to diced, crushed, paste and value-add variants packed in cans, tubs, industrial packs and importantly, in aseptic bulk [1.4 tonne] tote packs for later repackag- ing. It’s the latter that catches my in- terest, as it’s central to SPCs new de- seasonalisation strategy.
Taylor explains: “De-seasonalisa- tion enables us to process fruit all year round by using leading-edge aseptic technology to sterilise the farm-fresh fruit so that it’s shelf stable in storage. The induction-heating process we use requires minimal heat treatment while delivering a product of superior quality with fruit pieces intact.
“This allows us to then re-pack into an end product that is aligned to our customers’ and consumers’ re- quirements. Previously we would produce into a can in season and hold the brite (unlabelled can) as in- ventory and hope that the customer wants that size and type.
“This progresses us from purely a canning facility to a food manufac- turing facility that applies best prac- tice FMCG methodologies to bring to
FAST FACT
■ SPC has 29 production lines and produces more than 100 million cans of fruit and vegetable products each year, and 50 million plastic tubs and cups.
life fruit all year round in a finished product and packaging format that the consumer wants.”
And what the consumer wants, most often is convenience, which has triggered SPC’s investment in two oth- er major technology areas over the last three years for retort processed prod- ucts – snack cup and pouch filling.
The high speed snack cup filling line is capable of packing 300 cups per minute and processes 50 million cups per annum. This line is used for various snack cups, including its multiple award-winning ProVital probiotic dysphagia product (with easy-open packaging), as well as a new twin-pack bean snackpot.
The pouch filling line, currently in the commissioning phase, is housed in a purpose-built high care zone within the plant. The new Gualapack pouch filling machine will fill SPC’s soon-to-launch fruit snack product into Amcor’s Cheer- pack pouches at a speed of up to 80 units per minute.
ABOVE: The packaging line includes equipment from local OEMs like HMPS.
ABOVE RIGHT: Simon Taylor, GM Manufacturing, in front of the high speed snack cup filling line, which produces 50 million units
per year.
The products will roll out in the local market first, with a launch planned for China in July as the first in a series of NPD roll-outs, prompt- ed by high demand for the pouch format from the Chinese market.
Earlier this year SPC forged a sig- nificant partnership with Shanghai company China State Farm Agri- business that will see the company’s packaged fruit brands tap into the world’s largest consumer market.
Off the back of its $100m invest- ment program, SPC will be investing additional capital (around $22m) in 2018, to further upgrade the Shep- parton facility and in new process- ing, packaging and end-of-line auto- mation technology.
Weine concludes: “Despite poten- tial roadblocks – the competitive landscape, or rapidly changing con- sumer preferences – you can be sure that SPC will continue to meet these challenges head on, and we will continue to innovate like we have for a century.” ■


































































































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