"Automation is becoming increasingly important. It's becoming harder and harder to find good employees while labor costs keep rising," begins Pierre Hagenaars of Het Packhuys. In cooperation with his partner J-TS, his Dutch company developed a new casepacker: the Sepia TL3. "We offer total solutions, and when we couldn't find a suitable casepacker, we decided to design our own."
The next step in casepacking
The Sepia TL3 succeeds the Sepia CP01. It was rigorously tested in the workshop before the first machine was installed at Berry Packing Services (BPS), a soft fruit packing plant in the Netherlands. BPS's Harm Valkx: "We needed a fast machine because other casepackers weren't reaching the speeds we wanted." Pierre adds, "BPS needed a high-speed machine, and we listened carefully to their wishes when developing the TL3."
Dual lines designed for higher capacity
The TL3's dual-line design is distinctive. Trays come off the top sealer's single lane and are routed through a divider to two parallel lines in the casepacker. That cuts back on noise and increases output. "The packs are prepared on one line and placed in the boxes on the other. The flexible tunnel has a sensor and keeps the machine running nonstop," explains Pierre.
Automation saves costs
Harm says the TL3 quickly earned its keep. "In four months, it packed four million trays. Before, we needed three to four people packing; now, one suffices." The machine pays for itself within 2.5 years. A new de-nester with buffer capacity was also recently installed, saving even more labor.
Efficiency and market expansion
Its high speed and low error rate make the TL3 attractive to not just BPS but companies across Europe. "Labor costs are rising everywhere while the staff supply is falling. A machine like this pays for itself quickly, especially as packaging companies increasingly specialize," Harm remarks.
Automation has been a priority for BPS for years. "Five years ago, we'd pack 1,500 kilos per line with 11 people. Now we pack 3,000 kilos per line with four or five people." Although automation requires a hefty investment, it has clear long-term benefits. "Rising labor costs don't measure up to the benefits of sophisticated machinery you can pay off over several years," Harm explains. BPS is retaining some manual processes, such as emptying bulk boxes of different types of packaging, though. Well-trained workers do this almost as fast as an automated machine.
Broad perspective for Het Packhuys
Companies will soon be able to use the Sepia TL3 for other kinds of packaging, too, like flowpack and clamshell packaging. Pierre looks forward to this expansion. "The casepackeropens up new markets and can grow into a separate business unit within Het Packhuys. With our machine's quality and price, we can be very competitive in the market," he concludes.
Harm Valckx
Berry Packing Services
Tel: 077-7650000
[email protected]
www.berrypackingservices.eu
Het Packhuys
Vang 19
4661 TX Halsteren
Tel: +31 (0)166 700215
[email protected]
www.het-packhuys.com