Accurate efficiency

Recommendations

Info

26 MACHINERY UPDATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 www.machineryupdate.co.uk Feature: Snacks New bag styles offer premium margin gains Machinery Update talks to Chris Bolton, sales and operations director at Italian manufacturer PFM about the increasing pressure on new product development to lift brand sales in the snacks market and what new and non-traditional bag styles offer As the snacks market matures and the search for new products and packs continues, particularly in the premium sector, Italian manufacturer PFM has seen interest quicken in two ways. Sales and operations director Chris Bolton senses a well-above average growth in pouches and other stand up packs as well as growing demand for modified atmosphere. “Stand up pouches are among the fastest growing pack types at the moment and in the snack market one can see a particular niche for reclosable and/ or sharing bags of relatively high value products such as nuts. High on shelf visibility and added value is always a key demand in more mature markets, so all styles of stand up bag will be an improvement on the traditional pillow pack. “As far as MAP is concerned we sense growing demand,” he says. “The market for nuts as snacks has been increasing for some time and now, with new extruded snack products coming along that rely on perhaps as much as 90 per cent meat, MAP is becoming increasingly important. Up to quite recently, the problem has been speed.” But one pressing issue is how to maintain a tight hold on the capital cost of new packaging styles as Bolton explains. “One of our customers has launched a new product in what appears to be a conventional stand up pouch. But it’s not. The pack is gusseted to resemble a pouch yet is actually made on a PFM Vetta vertical form, fill and seal machine, which costs far less than a pouch line.” Should sales justify higher volumes, then the product could be moved up to a pouch machine with speeds up to 160 or so a minute but with no perceptible change in pack style. MAP IS NOW IMPORTANT The same arguments apply equally to other stand up bag styles, particularly the four-side seal format. PFM’s Vetta, which is actually a multi format bagging machine, can be equipped to make this style of pack which, when larger volumes are required, can be transferred to a high speed machine, such as the new PFM Solaris. “MAP is becoming increasingly important in so many areas, but up until recently the problem has again been speed,” notes Bolton. “That is why PFM developed the Supernova bagger capable SUMMARY BAGS OF BRANDS As the snacks market matures, the search is on for new products and packs which include… ■■More stand up pouches/bags ■■More modified atmosphere options ■■More innovation including pockets for cutlery or condiments ■■More product groups coming into snacking like proteins, cheese and fruits of up to 250 MAP bags a minute, the fastest in the world we reckon. It means a really useful uplift in production speed from maybe as low as 70 bags a minute on previously available machinery,” he asserts. For machinery makers an important trend, but not always demanding new styles of machinery, is all day snacking with consumers opting for items traditionally associated with set meal times, but presented in smaller, snack
www.machineryupdate.co.uk JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 MACHINERY UPDATE 27 Feature: Name here PFM’s Chris Bolton says that key demands are added value and on shelf visibility Stand up DuoBag pack provides an additional pocket for giveaways such as cutlery Stand up Steelo display bags for premium snacks can be produced at high speeds The new PFM Solaris is a high speed option formats. Cheese portions and dried fruit are two examples. However, the principal machinery change could be pack reclosability, Mr Bolton notes. “In some cases there may well be a choice to be made between reclosability and individually wrapped items.” Two recent examples from PFM’s experience are a modified version of its ZC1 combined weigher and bagger to provide stand up bags of cherry tomatoes, and the DuoBag format. This provides a pack with a pocket for additional items such as cutlery and condiments, but using a single web of film. “The DuoBag is the first stand up two chamber bag, offering high on shelf visibility and a whole range of merchandising opportunities,” points out Bolton. “The single web keeps cost to a minimum.” Two European supermarket chains are currently involved in studies around these formats. The bag is based on PFM’s established four corner seal Steelo bag but with a fifth panel created from the single web of film and sealed into place at the rear to form the pocket. The corner seals provide pack stability and also allow uninterrupted graphics on all faces of the bag. T 0113 239 3401 W www.pfmuk.com
Page 1: Issue 1, Volume XXVI, January/Febru
Page 4 and 5: 4 MACHINERY UPDATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Page 6 and 7: CEIA The latest technology in Metal
Page 8 and 9: 8 MACHINERY UPDATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Page 10 and 11: 10 MACHINERY UPDATE JANUARY/FEBRUAR
Page 36 and 37: SUPPORTING UK BUSINESS HELPING YOU

Accurate efficiency

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?