MU May / June 2015

48 MACHINERY UPDATE MAY/JUNE 2015 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Name Confectionery here
Multipond’s work
with Swizzels is a
sweet experience
Maker of Love Hearts
Swizzels-Matlow was
founded in 1928 and
as well as investing in
its workforce over the
years, it also seeks out the latest
packaging technology.
Having employed various
brands of combination weighing
technology in the past, the
company now relies on Multipond
as its reliable partner. According
to Swizzels engineering manager
Chris Marshall, having a
partnership with a system supplier
that creates a solution as early as
the planning phase is incredibly
important. “This is precisely the
kind of partnership we are seeing
with Multipond UK,” he says.
The decision to go with
Multipond was down to its
experience in the confectionery
sector as well as the technical
benefits its equipment offers.
Precision, reliability, a clear
performance increase and reduced
maintenance from Multipond
equipment have been key to this
flourishing relationship.
In the North Derbyshire factory,
an MP 28-400/400-C was installed
followed with a MP 22-1000/400-H
to drive the ongoing modernisation
Chris Marshall is engineering manager
at Swizzels-Matlow and he says its
collaboration with Multipond UK is
absolutely seamless
Weighing a
partnership
Up to 180 weighs
per minute are
achieved for the
sticky sweet
products from
the company
of the packaging operation.
Previously, the products had been
packed by hand. During the course
of the automation process, output
has been significantly increased
and the giveaway quota reduced to
an absolute minimum.
Simple operation, precise
weighing results and faster
speeds create the ideal platform
for optimising the company’s
processes, says Multipond.
In operation, the system weighs
and packs sticky sweet products
with a target weight of 160g at a rate
of up to 180 weighs per minute.
Products are fed to the weighing
system over a Multipond vibratory
feeder. Once at the top of the
weigher, they are first conveyed to
the prefeed hoppers via the radially
positioned feed trays and then to
the plastic weigh hoppers below.
The system operates on the
principle of combining partial
portions. A computer uses the
partial portions to determine
the combination that achieves
or approaches the target weight.
Finished portions are finally
delivered to the timing hopper,
from which they are discharged to
the exact centre of the format tube
in the form, fill and seal machine.
All product contact parts can be
removed quickly and without tools,
and have been precisely matched
to the requirements of the products
to be weighed in order to ensure a
perfect product flow.
“One of the most important
criteria for us was a weigher system
that is fast and easy to use,” says
Marshall. “Our employees quickly
become familiar with the handling
and operation of the machines.
“As the company works
towards wider market coverage
and the development of new
product variants, Swizzels will
undoubtedly continue to rely on
Multipond,” he concludes.
T 01494 471580
W www.multipond.com