According to data compiled by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry’s trade group, a total of 5,833 robots valued at $341.2 million were ordered from N.A robotics companies through March 2013, an increase of 14.5 per cent in units over the same period in 2012 and 10 per cent above the previous Q1 record set in 2005.

RIA says Q1 shipments to North American customers totaled 5,736 robots valued at $369.5 million, breaking the previous records for an opening quarter set in 2012 by 24.6 per cent in units and 23.3 per cent in dollars.

The activity was especially strong in automotive components, food & consumer goods, semiconductor & electronics, life sciences & pharmaceuticals, and plastics & rubber, all of which posted double digit growth year over year.

“It is great to see the record demand for robots continuing into 2013, following our record-breaking year in 2012,” says IRA president Jeff Burnstein. “While activity continues to be strong with automotive OEMs and tier suppliers, the real story is the resurgence of other industries. Non-automotive orders grew 15 per cent over 2012.”

The biggest unit growth in applications came from arc welding (46.2%) and material handling (25.1%), both of which have historically been two of the strongest applications for robotics.

The RIA estimates that some 228,000 robots are now at use in U.S., placing it second only to Japan in robot use.

“Many observers believe that only about 10 per cent of the U.S. companies that could benefit from robots have installed any so far,” Burnstein notes, “and among those that have the most to gain from robots are small- and medium-sized companies.”

Founded in 1974, RIA represents some 300 companies, including leading robot manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms.

The RIA’s quarterly statistics report is based on data supplied by member companies representing an estimated 90 per cent of the North American market.

For more information on RIA and the robotics industry, visit Robotics Online, or call RIA headquarters at 734-994-6088.

The educational events will commemorate the fourth annual National Robotics Week and focus on building interest in robotics engineering for students of all ages.

Intelligrated will host college students from Washington University and Missouri University of Science and Technology. Visits will include tours of the company’s Alvey Robotics Lab, a 5,050-square-foot research and development facility that focuses on concepting and applying new robotic innovations. Following the tour, students will join Intelligrated engineers for a luncheon, presentation and Q&A session.

Local elementary school students from the Rockwood school district who are currently learning STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) principles will also tour the robotics lab, view live demonstrations and interact with Intelligrated engineers.

“We are looking forward to welcoming bright young minds to our facility,” says Intelligrated senior vice-president of systems operations Ted Clucas. “The demand for robotics engineers is growing and we hope students emerge from this event with a better understanding of the role robotics play in the material handling industry.”

National Robotics Week, designated in 2010 by the U.S. House of Representatives, is a week-long series of events and activities to highlight the growing importance of robotics and their role enabling students to learn important science, technology, engineering and math concepts.

Intelligrated, headquartered in Mason, OH, provides automated material handling solutions with operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

For more information, visit www.intelligrated.com.

A total of 22,598 robots valued at US/Cdn $1.48 billion were sold to companies in North America in 2012, beating the previous record of 19,337 robots sold in 2011.

When sales by North American robot suppliers to companies outside North America are included, the totals are 25,557 robots valued at $1.66 billion.

Compared to 2011, North American orders were up 17 per cent in units and 27 per cent in dollars.

“The Automotive industry has continued to be the strongest driver of the North American robotics market,” says Alex Shikany, director of market analysis for RIA. “Robots sold to automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in North America jumped 47 per cent over a then record-setting 2011, while robots sold to automotive component suppliers increased 21 per cent,” he notes.

Sales were also up in:

• metalworking industries: – +12 per cent;
• life sciences/pharmaceuticals: +3 per cent);

For applications:

• assembly: +40 per cent;
• spot welding: +37 per cent;
• arc welding: +24 per cent;
• coating & dispensing: +13 per cent;
• material handling +3 per cent.

The fourth quarter of 2012 was the strongest quarter ever recorded by RIA (it first reported data in 1984) in terms of units ordered, with 6,235 robots sold to North American companies. The fourth quarter was up nine percent in units and 21 per cent in dollars over the same period in 2011.

“It is promising to see such positive growth in robotics despite the tumultuous manufacturing environment throughout 2012,” says RIA president Jeff Burnstein. “This growth is an indication that more North American companies are looking to automate in order to reduce costs and increase productivity, and that is a good sign for robotics.”

RIA estimates that some 225,000 robots are now at use in U.S. factories, placing the country second only to Japan in robot use.

“Many observers believe that only about 10 per cent of the U.S. that could benefit from robots have installed any so far,” notes Burnstein, “and among those that have the most to gain from robots are small- and medium-sized companies.”

Founded in 1974, RIA represents some 300 companies, including leading robot manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms. RIA’s quarterly statistics report is based on data supplied by member companies representing an estimated 90 per cent of the North American market.

What will 2013 hold? Burnstein said RIA does not make robotics sales forecasts but he believes that if the economy remains strong, it should be another good year for the robotics industry.

“The increased demand for robotics was evident at this year’s Automate show in Chicago, which had record setting attendance levels,” offers Burnstein. “It is clear that people are excited about automation and the benefits it provides.”

For more information on RIA and the robotics industry, visit www.robotics.org or call its headquarters at 734-994-6088.

And over the years, the London, Ont.-based family business has come a long way from being exclusively a niche smoked-meats processor specializing in pork to diversify into various turkey, chicken, beef and veal products to keep up with the constant shifts in consumers tastes in timely fashion.

But while this naturally involved many changes to the way the 29-year-old company manufactured its products with continuous investment in the latest-generation processing and packaging technologies—it remained faithfully committed to maintaining the same traditional, authentic Old World cooking recipes that have made it such a well-respected brand name in the first place.

Sikorski Sausages purchased a new Multivac R535 thermoformer to perform MAP and vacuum-packing of the company’s diverse bacons, hams and sausages.

In fact, it didn’t take the company all that long to quickly find its business niche by supplying its flavorful and smoky deli meats and sausages to the well-established Polish and other central and eastern European communities in the region, faithfully replicating many beloved old-school recipes of long and short sausages, wieners, deli meats, cold-cuts, patés and head cheeses, along with a healthy range of muscled hams, loins, roasts and bacon.

The warm marketplace response to its products so soon after startup prompted it to form a sister retail company under the Starsky Foods banner—today operating three strategic retail locations in the nearby densely-populated Ontario cities of Hamilton, Mississauga and Oakville.

Along with shipping its meats to Starsky Foods and about 400 smaller mom-and-pop retailers catering to the European ethnic communities, Sikorski Sausages today also supplies the deli counters of large grocery retail chains like Loblaws, Fortinos, Zehrs, Longo’s, Highland Farms, Commisso’s Fresh Foods and Sobeys—capping off three years of rapid growth that has its chief executive officer Peter Sikorski highly upbeat about the company’s growth potential.

Leading Edge

“Although the Sikorski family was comfortable with the success and growth of the company, I looked at it and thought that if we don’t modernize our facility and food safety procedures, the company would lose its competitive edge in a year or two,” recalls Peter, the eldest son of company founder Marek Sikorski who joined the family business five years ago after completing his business degree at the University of Toronto.

“I really wanted to apply my energy and the business acumen I had acquired in school to take my family business up to the next level,” Sikorski told Canadian Packaging on a recent visit to the company’s modern, ultra-clean London facility.

After placing links of smoked sausages into a deep film tray, a line worker prepares the Multivac 535 thermoformer to package bulk sausages in MAP packs.

After receiving due guidance and advice from his father, Sikorski launched a five-year plan that would not only ensure the company’s survival, he explains, but help propel it to the very forefront of European-style meat processing in Ontario—a plan that involved taking the small, family-owned business into a new state-of-the-art facility where food safety would be of the utmost importance.

Size Matters

When the company doors had first opened in 1983, it was a mere 1,500-square-foot shop located in one of four units of a multi-use business complex, but between 1985 and 1995 it acquired and equipped the three remaining units to expand production.

In 1995, Sikorski Sausages coordinated a major expansion and retrofit of the 10,000-square-foot plant to facilitate higher food safety standards and production levels, enabling it to finally become a player of note in the Ontario meat-processing world.

By 2008, Sikorski says that although the brand had developed great customer loyalty by effectively differentiating itself from the competition, he felt that future product demand was still being constrained by limited and aging production space, along with increasing sanitation and food safety regulations.

“The goal was to retrofit the existing facility and to build a 15,000-square-foot addition that would update Sikorski Sausages with the latest in food safety systems, while also creating a space that would allow us to triple our production capacity,” states Sikorski.

Sikorski recalls he spent a year designing the new facility with the help of plant managers, to ensure that rooms were built to meet their specific purpose, a modular design that would allow for future expansion at the lowest possible future costs.

Along with Krzysztof Doniec, the company’s chief mechanic, Sikorski opted to manage the construction personally, rather than hire a general contractor.

Breaking ground in 2009, the project was completed by the end of 2011, with the company continuing its day-to-day business while the expansion went on around it.

“Although the old 10,000-square-foot facility was nothing to sneeze at, nowadays we process some 140 SKUs (stock-keeping units) of smoked meats in a state-of-the-art, 25,000-square-foot plant with 48 dedicated employees,” relates Sikorski, recalling the comprehensive $4.5-million modernization project.

Using MAP gas-mix supplied by Air Liquide, the R535 thermoformer from Multivac provides a clean and clear high-barrier film package.

Sikorski says that upon completion of the upgrade, the company was only running four days of production a week.

“But that didn’t last too long,” he notes. “To facilitate growth, we knew we would need a larger sales force, new marketing strategies, and a plan to introduce our products to whole new market segments.”

Along with capacity expansion, Sikorski Sausages also had to make the necessary capital investments in top-of-the-line packaging equipment in order to protect its products from contamination after they leave the processing facility.

Packed in plastic film supplied by Winpack, smoked meats await order-picking inside the ShuttleBin 330 folding containers manufactured by Macro Plastics.

One of those investments was a brand new Multivac R535 thermoformer capable of performing both MAP (modified-atmosphere packaging) and vacuum-packing for bulkier products as bacon, hams and sausages.

Along with being a high-speed, high-output machine, Sikorski is keen to point out that the R535 helps ensure a consistent hygiene cycle as this packaging solution exceeds international safety requirements.

“And it also provides us with a very smooth packaging process,” mentions Sikorski, “with greater efficiency that helps us save time and resources.”

According to Multivac, the R535 is designed for easy comprehensive cleaning—both inside and out—with modifications to the film transport chain guide, chain design, lifting mechanisms, motors, valves and mechanical elements, and an easy-to-open frame profile for cleaning and maintenance.

The Multivac R535 thermoformer incorporates an SEW-Eurodrive Movitrac frequency inverter inside the control panel for smooth power distribution.

Sikorski says he really appreciates the R535 system’s smooth slanted surfaces—without a single edge or corner—so drainage after cleaning ensures that no residual dirt remains on the surface of the machine. “We also like the fact that we can quickly and easily change tooling on the R535, thanks to its side extraction mechanism,” admits Sikorski. “It has a simple drawer action that we can use without having to take apart the hot tool surface.”

Sikorski says the plant’s R535 uses a large 660-millimeter die that helps form deep drawn packages to seal in the freshness of bulk meats.

Aside from the obvious benefit that MAP process provides to meat processors, Sikorski says that ultimately he chose to use the system to better protect the product during the rigors of the shipping process.

The plant’s second packaging line employs a VC999 07P vacuum-packer and a 85.47i hot-water shrink tank.

“At this point, shelf-life becomes a non-issue for us,” he explains. “Part of our philosophy is that we treat our product like fresh bread.

“We deliver fresh product to each of our 400-plus stores at least once per week and impress on the deli manager to order only as much product as they feel they will sell before the next shipment,” he explains.

In essence, Sikorski says he prefers to think of the R535 machine “like a dust cover: to protect it from airborne pathogens and to get it safely from our facility to the customer’s meat counter.”

For MAP sealing, Sikorski Sausages utilizes a gas mix of 25-per-cent carbon-dioxide and 75-per-cent nitrogen supplied by Air Liquide, a leading global manufacturer in the supply of industrial gases.

Sikorski recalls: “I had been familiar with Multivac and their wide range of products for quite some time before we purchased one. For me, I really like the fact that Multivac was known for their superior level of construction and quality.

“No processor wants downtime, and with Multivac, we knew the robustness of the R535 was exactly what we required as our company continues to grow,” he states.

Along with a Beckhoff 12-inch touchscreen HMI (human-machine interface) ELO Accutouch terminal, the machine utilizes the high-performance Busch R5 pumps and Norgren pneumatics, while its control panel incorporates Siemens Sitop power supplies, ABB circuit-breakers, and a SEW-Eurodrive Movitrac frequency inverter.

On another production line, after manually loading a temperature sensitive film vacuum bag with a meat portion, workers place the packs into a VC999 07P vacuum-packing machine, which seals the meat within the bags by applying pressure and heat.

A sampling of many Sikorski Sausages smoked meat products packaged by the the VC999 07P vacuum-packer.

The sealed bags are then placed onto a conveyor and moved into a VC999 85.47i shrink-tank, which uses hot water to further shrink the bag film around the meat product to produce a perfect-looking final package.

After the packaging is done, Sikorski Sausages stores the product within collapsible, reusable polypropylene plastic ShuttleBin 330 folding containers manufactured by Macro Plastics Inc.

The product is then picked and hand-packed into corrugated cartons supplied by Rock-Tenn, which are then weighed and have an adhesive label printed by an Ishida pre-pack scale printer.

A product-filled corrugated carton from Rock-Tenn makes a stop to be weighed and have a shipping label, made by an Ishida pre-pack scale printer, applied to the top panel.

With the company currently in the process of achieving federal certification, Sikorski says he is pleased with his new facility and its new high levels of hygiene and food safety.

“I am very proud to have a state-of-the-art facility where our food safety is paramount,” extols Sikorski.

“We placed all conduits away from the walls to make them easier to clean behind; we created curved edges along all wall corners; the floors are at a two-percent slope to accommodate better drainage, and are coated with a polyurethane epoxy finish for better cleanability; and we utilize a rack-type refrigeration system that sends me an email if the temperature of any room deviates from set thresholds.”

States Sikorski: “The upgraded facility, the fantastic new thermoformer, and all of the safety protocols we have initiated have all helped Sikorski Sausages grow these past three years, but more importantly, they have also helped us prepare for the future as well.”

• Forbes 2012 “The World’s Most Innovative Companies”
• Thomson Reuters 2012 Top 100 Global InnovatorsSM.

In the Forbes 2012 list of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies”, it details who it feels are the world’s leading-edge corporations that are most likely to continue to succeed today and in the future.

The list is based on a study completed by professors and advisors in which they determined that calculating a company’s value plus anticipated growth fueled by new innovative products will identify the most innovative companies. Quantifying their findings lead to developing a specific measure that was used to rank the world’s most innovative companies.

Embedded in each of these companies is a code for innovation discernible in their people, processes and philosophies that drive them to keep innovation alive year after year. The end result is that innovation creates demand for their products now and in the future.

The Thomson Reuters 2012 Top 100 Global InnovatorsSM program is an initiative that recognizes the world’s most innovative organizations as measured by a series of proprietary patent-related metrics. Its methodology is based on four principle criteria: overall patent volume, patent grant success rate, global reach of the portfolio and patent influence as evidenced by citations.

For more information on FANUC, visit www.fanucfa.com.

The award enables the Navy and other Department of Defense agencies to acquire engineered systems and services from Rockwell Automation vital to daily and strategic shipboard operations, domestically and globally.

“Control systems designed for the marine industry need to meet stringent requirements, especially for the U.S. Navy, which operates world-class fleets 24/7 throughout the world,” says Rockwell Automation marine business manager Joe Moffa. “We are proud to meet these requirements and provide the machinery control systems, technical support and engineering services, on-site and through our global network of employees and distributors.”

Rockwell Automation products and software have been installed successfully onboard various Navy and Coast Guard ships since 1997. They are commercially available to navies worldwide in more than 80 countries where Rockwell Automation and its partners conduct business.

For more Rockwell Automation information, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.
To sign on for a tour of duty, US Navy, www.navy.com.

“Robofusion is the forefront of robotics for retail. We have been working with Yaskawa Motoman for months to make the Reis and Irvy’s Frozen Yogurt Factory a reality,” states Robofusion co-founder and chief executive officer Allan Jones. “Utilizing Motoman’s state-of-the-art SDA5 robot allowed us to jointly create one of the most fascinating robotic kiosks ever built.”

Using an SDA5 Motoman robot, Yaskawa's partnership with Robofusion has delivered frozen yogurt factory kiosks.

Introduced at the 2012 Pack Expo in Chicago this past October, users interacted with Reis and Irvy’s Frozen Yogurt Factory by selecting up to two flavors of yogurt and two toppings—from a choice of four yogurt flavors and 10 toppings—choosing a robotic character, and then having a Motoman SDA5 robot, a.k.a. “Cid”, artfully deliver the order in a souvenir cup.

Motoman SDA-series robots provide the reach, payload, speed, performance and flexibility required to perform a myriad of assembly, handling, machine tending packaging and part transfer applications that formerly could only be done by people. SDA robots feature 15 axes of motion (seven axes per arm, plus a single axis for base rotation), and are available with five-, 10- and 20-kg payloads.

Reis & Irvy’s Frozen Yogurt Factory is a brand of robotic kiosks from Robofusion.

About Motoman Robotics Division

Founded in 1989, the Motoman Robotics division of Yaskawa America, Inc. is a leading robotics company in the Americas. With over 250,000 Motoman robots installed globally, Yaskawa provides automation products and solutions for virtually every industry and robotic application; including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal, packaging, palletizing and spot welding. For more information www.motoman.com or call 937-847-6200.

About Robofusion

Robofusion, Inc. is a leader in interactive robotic kiosks. For more information, visit www.robofusion.com or call 1-888-974-4442.

Located just north of Montreal in Blainville, Que., the company is a third-generation, family-owned business that has come a very long way since opening its doors back in 1934—having evolved from a spice distributor to a spice-blend manufacturer in 1963, and nowadays, along with its spices, it finds itself a well-respected condiments and ingredients supplier for eastern Canada’s meat-processing industry, especially in the ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals segments, as well as a highly successful brand-owner in its own right.

“The ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals are anything but a trend,” states company owner and president Marc Montour. “They are a reality.

“Because modern families nowadays often have the two spouses working full-time, there is very little time to cook and present the traditional family dinner,” says Montour, explaining the rapid proliferation of such prepared meal solutions at major grocery chains, supermarkets and other retail food outlets right across Canada in recent years.

New to the packaging business, Montour purchased a complete filling and capping line from Capmatic, including the Accurofill volumetric piston filler capable of handling a broad range of liquid, medium- and high-viscosity products.

Naturally, it’s a very welcome market development for Montour’s company, which employs 50 people at its state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot facility to produce over 2.5 million kilograms of spiced blends product per year from over 300 tasty recipes.

Included in that extensive product portfolio, Montour turns out over 800,000 liters of high-quality grilling sauces, marinades and broths per year for retail customers across Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, relates Montour.

He explains that the company began offering grilling sauces and marinades in 2002 and broths in 2012 but only became involved in the actual manufacturing of its product fairly recently—following its 2001 move to the current Blainville location, which has undergone several expansions in the past five years to add a warehousing facility, a spice packaging room, a new laboratory, and a complete kitchen facility for producing the sauces and broths.

“Up until our most recent expansion, when we added a production line, we did not actually manufacture our own sauces,” Montour told Canadian Packaging in a recent interview.

Third Wheel

“Prior to that, we provided our recipes to a third-party manufacturer who mixed and bottled our products for us,” says Montour, adding that the sudden boom in the prepared-meals segment of the industry prompted the company to rethink the way it went about its business—ultimately deciding to take a much more direct hands-on approach to the manufacturing and packaging of its products.

According to Montour, about 90 per cent of the company’s sauce production output is supplied to grocery store meat departments operated by the company’s high-profile customers such as Sobeys Inc. and Metro Inc. supermarket chains, where it’s used to prepare various ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meat and fish products. As well, Montour supplies customers in the process meat industry, like Olymel L.P.

The remainder of Montour’s sauce production is allocated for the manufacturing of the company’s own flagship Lebon retail brand of high-end sauce products, which are scheduled to hit the Sobeys and Metro’s supermarket shelves in coming months, Montour relates.

A close-up of the Accurofill piston filler Montour uses to dispense precise amounts of sauce and marinade products into 1.89-liter jugs used by its grocery retail customers to prepare ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals on the store premises.

Retailing in highly decorative 350-ml plastic bottles, the Lebon brand launch will be carefully phased-in starting with a pending debut of the Authentic and Red Wine broths for fondue cooking, along with the Honey and Garlic, Dijon, Shanghai, Souvlaki, Three-peppers, and Chicken and Ribs grilling sauces and marinades.

Montour says he’s very pleased with the strategic steps the company has taken to become a fully-integrated business enterprise, with firmer control of its own destiny via pride of ownership that comes only with manufacturing your own creations for the consumer public.

“Nowadays we do not provide any third-party manufacturing services nor do we utilize any for ourselves,” Montour enthuses.

“All the sauces made at Montour are developed by our own R&D department, and all the seasoning bases are also blended in our facility.”

The Blainville plant currently operates two production shifts and one cleaning shift in its spice department, and a single production shift and cleaning shift for its sauces, according to Montour, who says the plant has both the capacity and flexibility to quickly add a second shift if the consumer response to the new products warrant it.

Which may well be a foregone conclusion, given the company’s robust business growth over the past decade to build up a diversified grocery store customer base across all of eastern Canada that cushions it from any major seasonal production peaks and valleys.

“And soon enough, we shall be expanding our products into central and western Canada as well,” says Montour, citing enthusiastic marketplace response and feedback to the company’s diverse product portfolio.

“Over the past three years, we have seen business for our delicious sauces and broths double—and with the addition of our new bottling line, we foresee an 80-percent increase as we expand into more and more markets.”

Open 1.89-liter jugs of Montour sauces pass through an IQ³ model metal detector for Loma Systems for their final quality assurance check prior to capping further downstream the Capmatic bottling line.

Our House

According to Montour, having inhouse manufacturing capabilities has enabled the plant to respond to changing market needs much faster than it was ever possible with its former co-packing business partners.

“We utilized their service a fair bit during the summer months,” he recalls.

“But when our customers in the grocery store business started wanting more sauces from us during the winter months, we knew we would have to do something drastic,” says Montour, explaining that the plant’s new state-of-the-art bottling line—installed as part of a comprehensive $3.5-million facility expansion completed in April of this year—was designed specifically to facilitate such agile manufacturing flexibility, while also enabling the company to launch its own product brand in a fast-growing segment of the food market.

The LabelStar 2/1T single-head labeler from Capmatic neatly applies adhesives labels to the front of 1.89-liter jugs at throughput speeds of up to 24 containers per minute.

Installed as a turnkey system by renowned Montreal-headquartered packaging machinery OME (original equipment manufacturer) Capmatic Ltd., the new bottling line has done wonders for the company’s manufacturing and packaging competence, according to Montour, who says he was initially attracted to Capmatic based on the manufacturer’s well-earned reputation for an extensive product range of top-quality unscrambling, filling, capping and labeling equipment that can work with a wide range of bottles, jars and jugs in a multitude of shapes and sizes.

“One of our big desires was to present a better-packaged product to our grocery store customers,” explains Montour, relating that the sheer weight of the bulky four-liter jug previously used to ship the sauces was not very easy to handle by the stores’ deli and department staff, weighing about five kilograms (11 pounds) each.

“So in an effort to help our customers out, we decided to create a smaller, 1.89-liter bottle that only weighed approximately 2.3 kilograms (five pounds), and which is also more ergonomic,” Montour relates.

“We also wanted to incorporate a jug handle that would be easier for people to manipulate for easier distribution and handling,” says Montour, asserting that the Capmatic equipment delivers the same high-quality output with the 1.89-liter sauce and the one-liter broth jugs—supplied by DeltaPac Packaging Inc.—as it does with the retail-bound 350-ml bottle supplied by the Montreal-based Ampak Inc., with Berry Plastics Corporation supplying all the bottle cap sizes via its local distributor Roda Packaging Inc. of Laval, Que.

A Markem-Imaje 8018i coder applies lot and best-before information to the product labels before they are applied onto the filled plastic containers.

Cooking Skills

Armed with a new Blentech 2,000-liter cooker and a completely automated Capmatic packaging line, the Blainville plant is more than capable of meeting the current customer demand volumes of 800,000 liters of finished sauces, broths and marinades annually.

“We are now able to produce three batches of 1,800 liters of product in a single eight-hour shift,” Montour marvels.

“The improvement in our production capabilities is really a beautiful thing!”

A BeltStar capping and retorquer system on Montour’s bottling line applies consistently tight, leakproof seals onto the 1.89-liter jugs of sauce shipped to the grocery stores.

The main cog of the Capmatic line installed at Montour is the fully-automatic Accurofill volumetric piston filler that works equally well for liquids, semi-viscous and viscous products for all types of plastic, metal and glass containers using a unique combination of volumetric piston technology and rotary valve control to enable extremely fast and accurate filling rates.

“It’s a very good piece of equipment for us,” comments Montour.

“Although we have only had it for a short while, we are quite impressed with its ability to fill our jugs and bottles in an accurate manner.”

While the Accurofill has not yet tested its filling mettle with the 350-ml retail bottles, Montour reports the machine is able to fill 24 1.89-liter jugs, or just over 30 one-liter jugs, per minute.

A Cognex machine vision system checks and verifies the accurate placement of caps on top of each plastic container moving along the starwheel of the SuperJolly capper.

Other components on the production line include Capmatic’s SortStar—a no-change-part bottle unscrambler that Montour has already discovered to be able to handle a diverse range of plastic bottles.

Incorporating centrifugal disks and adjustable guides, the SortStar is equipped with numeric counters to facilitate mechanical adjustments for easy, repeatable changes.

A robust BeltStar stainless-steel capper and retorquer from Capmatic easily handles a wide range of containers and caps to ensure optimal quality and control with innovative magnetic slip-clutch technology.

“The BeltStar provides an HMI (human-machine interface) viewing of the torque application giving us verification of each bottle or jug that passes through it,” says Montour, complimenting the user-friendliness of Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 600 HMI terminal, along with the BeltStar’s optional torque verification and reject features.

The Capmatic SuperJolly single-chuck capper is designed to ensure quick accurate application of a broad range of cap types and sizes onto many different types of containers.

A Capmatic SuperJolly single-chuck capper is used to tighten various cap styles, including the continuous thread (CT) caps, child-resistant (CR) caps, and roll-on pilfer-proof (ROPP) caps. According to Capmatic, the SuperJolly is interchangeable between screw capping and crimping.

The system employs a Cognex machine vision control camera system to provide quick verification that each tightened cap has been perfectly aligned—quickly rejecting any misaligned or otherwise imperfect caps right off the production line

The line also includes the Orientor—a Capmatic-made orientation device that aligns all the container handles in the same direction prior to the filling process.

Product labels are applied to the Montour jugs via the easy-to-set-up and operate Capmatic LabelStar 2/1T single-head system that accurately applies partial-wrap or full-wrap and panel-wrap labels to a wide variety of container types, making optimal use of stepper motor technology that provides long-term accuracy and eliminates the service requirements inherent with the use of clutches and brakes.

An Enercon induction sealer applies a tough hermetic seal to prevent any product leakage as well as providing tamper evident protection.

Other equipment includes a large special cooling conveyor table and an accumulation table on a heavy-duty stainless steel frame, which can be quickly modified with a variety of options per required accumulation time.

“All of the equipment we purchased from Capmatic has been an eye-opening experience for us,” says Montour. “It is all very easy to operate, which is an important factor for us—being new to the whole packaging line process.”

A Markem-Imaje 8018i intermittent thermal-transfer printer applies lot number and best-before information to the adhesive labels before application by the LabelStar.

Other systems added to the line by Montour include a Loma Systems IQ³ metal detection system—said to provide the ‘industry first’ true variable frequency operation that automatically sets up for peak performance in seconds—and an induction sealer from Enercon Industries Corp., which creates tough hermetic seals to prevents containers from leaking to preserve the freshness of the contents as well as provide a helpful tamper-evidence feature.

“Maintaining a quality product is extremely important for us,” asserts Montour. “It’s why, along with working in a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)-certified, CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)-inspected facility that undergoes third-party audits, we wanted to install packaging equipment that would maintain that sense of safety we demand for our customers.”

According to Montour, the key consideration behind the new line was making sure that the quality of the equipment matched the quality of the company’s high-end products, which are made using professionally-developed formulations that meet such targets as having low-sodium levels, as well as products with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

“Our filling and capping systems on our production line are very important to us in providing a clean-looking visual appearance,” notes Montour. “If you see a dirty, sticky label on a product, it could mean that there is a leak in a container, and that is something we will not tolerate.”

Lab employees formulating new spice blend recipes at Montour plant’s new research and development facilities.

The growth of the company, according to Montour, is derived from its ability to provide innovative product development, the introduction of new products to the existing customer base, and greater availability of higher-quality plastic containers.

“We feel that by manufacturing our own sauces and broths—thanks to our new Capmatic production line—we can better ensure product safety and quality from the start of the production through to it being shipped out the door of our facility,” states Montour.

“The bottom line is that we have better control over own products,” says Montour, while admitting to some initial apprehensions at first.

“But we all realized that in order for this company to grow, we had to take this next leap of faith in our abilities,” he sums up, “because it is the best way to distinguish ourselves in this very competitive market.

“By taking on that responsibility ourselves and by caring about the people who handle our products, we show that we are a company willing to take on all challenges in our quest to grow and be a leader in our industry.”

Orders during the first half of 2012 (Q1 and Q2) totaled 10,652 at a value of $747-million which also was an increase over the same period in 2011 by 20 per cent in units and 29 per cent in dollars.

RIA president Jeff Burnstein says his association is excited by these results, but did temper his enthusiasm: “The strong sales reflect increased demand for robotics in industries such as automotive, plastics and rubber, and metals. However, as the economy slows, it’s not clear that these numbers will remain as strong heading forward.”

Statistics for first half 2012 include:

• Spot welding robots (automotive solutions): +68%
• Coating & dispensing: +42%
• Arc welding:  +20%
• Assembly: +19%

Orders for material removing robotics – a smaller application area – increased by 364 per cent while automotive-related orders accounted for 65 per cent of units and 64 per cent of dollars in the first half of 2012, gains of 44 per cent in units and 56 per cent in dollars over the same period in 2011.

“It’s great that the auto-related numbers continue to post huge gains, but as we know, automotive industry purchases are cyclical,” notes Burnstein. “However, we were disappointed to see non-automotive related orders fall eight percent in units and one percent in dollars in the first half of the year, with even sharper declines in the second quarter alone.”

The RIA estimates that some 220,000 robots are now used in the U.S., just behind Japan.

Founded in 1974, RIA represents some 265 member companies including leading robot manufacturers, system integrators, component suppliers, end users, research groups and consulting firms. RIA’s quarterly statistics report is based on confidential data provided by member companies representing an estimated 90 percent of the North American market.

For more information on RIA and the robotics industry, visit Robotics Online www.robotics.org or contact the association headquarters at 734-994-6088.

Attendance at the event featured such royalty as Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Ontario Minister of economic development and innovation Brad Duguid, and Molson Coors Brewing Brewing Company chairman of the board Andrew T. Molson—making one almost expected a bottle of Molson Canadian to be dashed across the bow of the freshly installed bottling line at the Molson facility in west-end Toronto.

It wouldn’t have worked, of course, as the newly inaugurated line fills and packs the exciting new “Widemouth” Alumi-Tek aluminum bottles manufactured by the Ball Corporation—a decidedly robust container that will not shatter if dropped or used to launch a ship.

Depalletized aluminum Coors bottles are conveyed to the new $13.5-million filling and packaging line at the Toronto brewery of Molson Coors.

The 100 per cent recyclable Widemouth bottle, which comes with a reclosable screw cap, is being used at the Toronto brewery to contain the company’s top brands Coors Light and Molson Canadian, and the highly anticipated Coors Light Iced T – a hybridization of beer and iced tea that the company is hoping will resonate with traditional non-beer drinkers.

The Molson Coors alcoholic beverages in the new bottles will be available across Canada in early July.

Nicknamed the “Acrobat”, the new 60,000 bottles per hour filling and packaging line is being called a ‘flexible packaging’ line by Molson Coors. No… the beer is not being packed in bags used for potato chips, rather the beer giant is referring to the flexibility of the line to handle and package different types, shapes and materials of its containers.

Installation of the new packaging line, the only line offering this flexible production capacity for Molson Coors in Canada, was begun in February of 2012 in response to evolving consumer demand for a greater variety of packaging.

Andrew Molson says the new line represents a “culture of innovation and a culture of our global growth strategy” referring to how it will serve as an incubation line for innovative new Molson Coors formats. As Molson touched upon, its key differentiating feature is the option to add capabilities to fill and package a variety of different types of containers, allowing for a range of future packaging innovations.

Filled and capped bottles of Coors beer move quickly along the conveyor line powered by SEW-Eurodrive motors for case packing..

Molson Coors Canada chief supply chain officer Cathy Noonan adds, “We’ll be able to develop new products more effectively, so we can focus on creating industry-leading packaging formats for our Canadian consumers.”

The installation of this new line follows other recent investments in the province, such as the addition of new fermentation tanks to the Molson Coors Toronto brewery in early 2011, translating into capital investments of nearly $90 million in Ontario alone since 2010.

“Innovation is key to creating jobs and strengthening the economy,” states Ontario Minister of economic development and innovation Brad Duguid. “Ontario welcomes Molson Coors Canada’s commitment to bringing new products to customers while growing its manufacturing capability in Toronto.”

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford adds: “Molson Coors’ continued investment in their Toronto operations is great news.

“Today’s opening of the flexible packaging line will help to ensure the Molson Coors Toronto Brewery continues to be a fixture at one of Toronto’s busiest intersections, as it has been for over 50 years.”

Watch a video on the Krones Modulpal single-column palletizer that works at 360 bottles per minute, and able to complete 48 pallets in a single shift. Molson Coors says it is the first robotic arm palletizer in Toronto.

About Molson Coors Brewing Company

Molson Coors is a leading global brewer, operating in Canada through Molson Coors Canada, in the United Sates through Miller Coors, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland through Molson Coors (UK & Ireland). For more information, visit www.molsoncoors.com.

And while it has taken a little time and a couple of strategic focus realignments for the Toronto-based microbrewer Amsterdam Brewing Co. Limited to finally make itself an indispensable part of the local craft beer marketplace, the company’s evolution from a tiny brew-pub into one of Ontario’s most prominent premium microbrewers has been well worth the wait, according to the company’s easy-going brewmaster Jamie Mistry, a life-long beer industry insider who joined Amsterdam Brewing four years ago just as it was starting to diversify its core keg business with new product launches of innovative bottled-beer products that quickly caught the imagination and brand loyalty of discerning local beer-lovers.

Decorated with eye-catching graphics designed by Toronto artist Tony Enns, the upscale packaging of Amsterdam Brewing's bottled and canned products is helping fuel double-digit sales growth for the popular Toronto microbrewer.

Dutch Treat

Bottles of the flagship Amsterdam Natural Blonde Lager filled at the Amsterdam Brewing Co. in Toronto.

Time Change

Amsterdam Brewing uses custom-made glass bottles supplied by United Glass that are permanently decorated by Serigraphie Richford via an applied ceramic labeling process to enhance brand image and provide classy aesthetic elegance for the premium beers.

With current annual production capacity of 24,000 hectoliters, a rough equivalent of 300,000 cases of 24 bottles, Amsterdam Brewing currently ranks as one of the top four biggest microbreweries out of the more than 30 craft brewers operating in Ontario, according to Mistry, with only the Mill St. Brewery and Steam Whistle Brewing of Toronto, along with the Waterloo-based Brick Brewing Co., boasting bigger capacity.

Ready-made pallets of six-packs nestled in corrugated trays, supplied by Norampac, await their turn to be shipped out for quick delivery via the company's own mini-fleet of two trucks and three delivery vans.

“Considering there were over 4,000 entries from 75 countries in the competition, with more than 40 entries in the Fruit Beer category, this was definitely a very nice validation of what we do here at Amsterdam Brewing,” Mistry reflects.

Freshly-filled bottles of beer whisked towards the Admark air-knife drying system.

Paper Cut

Bottls travel along a Sidel GEBO conveying system powered by heavy-duty SEW-Eurodrive motors.

The Amsterdam Brewing conveyor lines are outfitted with a broad range of Festo pneumatic automation devices to ensure smooth-running line operation.

According to Nova Scotia Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Percy Paris, the investment through the Productivity Investment Program (PIP) is expected to increase productivity at the plant by more than 40 per cent through the purchase of leading-edge poultry processing equipment

“The province understands the importance of investing in our businesses and helping them become more productive and globally competitive,” Paris says. “This investment supports good jobs in rural communities, and that’s what jobsHere is all about.”

Eden Valley is creating a $40-million renovation to an existing Berwick facility that was closed in 2011. The new plant will employ up to 200 people, and have the capacity to process 40 million kilograms of poultry annually.

“This is a great program to support increased productivity and innovation in the province,” explains Eden Valley president Greg Gillespie. “Eden Valley Poultry is pleased to receive this contribution towards our total $40 million investment.”

Equipment purchased with support from the province will increase chicken processing capacity by 40 per cent to 12,000 boilers per hour, and double the number of turkeys that can be processed to 2,500 per hour.

“Eden Valley poultry represents the jobs and economic opportunity that the people of Berwick, and Kings County need,” said Mayor John Prall of Berwick which has approximately 2500 residents. “This facility represents a major boost to our municipal bottom line that will provide the services our community depends on.”

The aluminum and stainless steel panels are extremely robust and are designed for use under harsh industrial conditions as “built-in” or mounting arm devices. Widescreen panels in various sizes and resolutions are available in addition to the classic display sizes in 4:3 format. The new panel generation also offers numerous advantages to traditional “single-touch” users, such as an optimized price-to-performance ratio, with savings potential of up to 28 percent compared to previous devices.

As most users of modern electronics are well aware, multi-finger touch screens are becoming increasingly popular thanks to smartphones, tablets and Windows 7. In order to make the benefits of this technology available for industrial applications, Beckhoff has added the CP2000 and CP3000 series to its successful Control Panel series, which were brought to the market in 1995. The completely redesigned panels enable new, innovative visualization concepts with intuitive operation while combining elegance with a durable design.

Flexibility in display size and format

The new Control Panel and Panel PC series are available in various display sizes and formats. All panels are available from Beckhoff in landscape or portrait format (horizontal/vertical). In addition to the classic 4:3 format display sizes, the new widescreen displays are available in: seven-inch with a resolution of 800 x 480; 15.6-inch with 1366 x 768; 18.5-inch with 1366 x 768, and; 24-inch with the full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Elegant design: translated for industry

Due to their low installation depth and narrow housing edges, the CP2000 and CP3000 device series have a truly elegant appearance. The panels are robust and industrially compatible thanks to the use of aluminum and stainless steel. A narrow, circumferential metal impact protector reliably protects the touch screen surface against mechanical damage. In addition, the all-glass surface offers maximum resistance to environmental influences. The new panel series successfully fulfills the well-known Beckhoff quality criteria, such as long-term availability and high temperature stability.

Modern multi-finger operation for industrial applications

In order to ensure industrial compatibility, Beckhoff uses the Projective Capacitive Touchscreen (PCT) technology in its multi-touch panel series. The high touch-point density enables accurate and reliable operation for industrial users. Even a ‘flowing’ touch operation in minute steps is possible without screen jitter. The front of the display is a glass pane with an anti-reflection coating; operation with work gloves (e.g. latex gloves) is also possible. Five-finger touch and automation solutions with two-hand operation are equally possible.

Familiar functions from the world of smartphones and touchpads, such as zooming, scrolling, object turning, flicks, etc. are now also usable for industrial applications with the Beckhoff multi-touch panels. A special touch controller prevents faulty operation, e.g. due to a water droplet or the ball of the hand; these are recognized and eliminated. Single-touch mode can be set via the Windows operating system for applications where multi-touch is not required.

Flexible variants permit arm-mounted or cabinet-mounted panels

The new panel series is conceived both for control cabinet installation and for mounting arm installation. The CP2000 built-in Panel PC series is implemented with IP 65 protection at the front and IP 20 at the rear. The CP3000 Control Panels for mounting arm installation feature all-round IP 65 protection. The CP2900 and CP3900 series use the well-known DVI/USB Extended Technology from Beckhoff and can be operated up to 50 meters away from the Industrial PC. The CP2200 built-in devices are also available as Panel PCs with Intel Celeron Core i3, i5 or i7 processor.

Customer-specific adaptations with regard to design, key extensions or RFID increase the degree of flexibility of the multi-touch series.

Beckhoff Automation designs and manufactures advanced, open automation products for customers looking to implement high performance control systems faster and at a lower overall cost than traditional PLC and motion control systems. Beckhoff’s “New Automation Technology” product range includes PC based control, industrial PCs, automation controllers, operator interface, I/O, servo drives and motors. For more information, visit www.beckhoff.com.

Committed to being the choice for integrated business solutions that drive customers to improved performance, Unisource, which operates from 18 locations across Canada, offers many packaging solutions to customers, including packaging consumables and equipment, package design as well as kitting and fulfillment programs.

Plan Automation, a specialist in providing quality automation, is dedicated to the concept of best practices in all areas of packaging automation.

With specialists in the food, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries, Plan Automation provides a wide range of services, including facility design, line integration, custom engineering and, of course, equipment solutions from many of North America’s and Europe’s most respected manufacturers of automation equipment.
Understanding that providing quality automation equipment is only the first link in the chain, Plan Automation also provides comprehensive after-sales support.

This collaboration brings together Unisource Canada’s material consumable expertise and Plan Automation’s expertise in line automation, promising to deliver new advantages to customers in manufacturing and food processing industries looking for strategic automation solutions.

For more information on the companies, visit www.unisource.ca and www.planautomation.com.

(From left) Wayne Porterfield, president of Reddi Food Solutions Inc., and Kevin Fehr, vice-president of sales and marketing.

Porterfield told Canadian Packaging during a recent interview. “I would say that we have a 50-50 split processing fresh versus frozen meats products, which are distributed evenly between our retail and food service customers.”
Situated in beef country, Reddi Food’s output consists of 70 per cent beef, with the pork, lamb and veal portions making up the remainder.
Housed within a leased 6,000-square-foot refrigerated facility with the capacity to process approximately 30,000 kilograms of value-added products per week, Porterfield says the company’s location traces back to a unique business opportunity.
“The facility was originally conceived of as a research and product development center by the Alberta provincial government,” Porterfield recalls.
“But in 2007, the government decided to increase the facility’s use and expanded the building to create a  business incubation section that allows start-up companies like ourselves to lease refrigerated floorspace and grow for a period of three to four years.”
Known as the Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator (APBI), the facility is more than just a multi-tenant building. While it does provide the infrastructure, the APBI also offers ample support to help new companies grow more rapidly. At the  end of a contract, the APBI hopes to have each company succeed and move out into its own manufacturing facility.
Porterfield says that Reddi Food moved into the APBI in August of 2011 and began its operations in October. “The facility is second-to-none, as far support, cleanliness and design goes. I’ve been in many other facilities over the years and none measure up to this one.

Reddi Food's Multivac R175 CD DARFRESH thermoformer uses clear high-quality film supplied by Curwood to produce highly hygenic vacuum-skin packs.

“It is CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)-registered, which allows us to ship interprovincially as well as internationally,” he says, adding that the facility also has on-site support staff including: meat scientists, quality assurance, business finance, maintenance and much more.
“We are HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)-certified which helps to ensure our products are best-in-class with respect to food safety.”
While acknowledging that Reddi Foods is a newcomer to the processed meats sector, Porterfield and his senior staff possess a combined 140 years-plus experience in the industry, and have already garnered 23 customers.
The meat processor is currently serving customers in the retail and foodservice industry within Western Canada, but Porterfield says it has plans to market its products and services throughout Canada and internationally.
“We are also a Halal-certified company,” he adds. “We are certainly seeing a growing demand for Halal products, and we predict this trend will continue for many years to come.
Porterfield notes. “And, with initial projections of sales approaching $2 million for Year One, in five years time we would like to see our sales pushing $50 million, and operating our own building.”
While some might consider Porterfield’s statement to be a lofty dream, Reddi Food is attempting to position itself to make it reality, as it continues to significantly grow its market share.
“It’s all about the pennies,” says Porterfield. “The meat-procesing and packing segment is a very tough business, and a lot of our measures are to the one-hundreth of a penny based on a per-kilogram of product.
“That’s why we need to do it right the first time to maximize our potential.”

vacuum-sealed pouches of select Reddi Food boneless beef cuts are quickly conveyed through a Bizerba metal detection system to ensure optimal product safety.

Porterfield acknowledges that because it is still a new company, started a mere six months ago, establishing peaks and valleys in terms of its own production is difficult at best, but he says the company experienced a large growth spurt in March, and based on customer orders, sees more of the same in April and May.
With business continuing to look up, customers are increasing their orders for the 100-plus SKUs (stock-keeping units) Reddi Food is currently producing.
“Of course what really helps is that we also have some very capable equipment to help our production line easily handle the requst of our customers,” says Porterfield.
Porterfield says his many years of experience in the industry means he realizes that how a packaged product looks and performs is equally as important to the customer, as well as the consumer.
To that effect, the company looked for a thermoformer meat packaging machine that could perform multiple functions and grow with the company.
“The choice wasn’t too difficult for us,” muses Porterfield. “We chose a Multivac.”
Described as compact and powerful, the Multivac R 175 CD is a thermoformer designed for small- to medium-sized batches, which creates the state-of-the-art DARFRESH vacuum skin packaging (VSP) using special films to envelope the product and seal over the entire surface of the pack like a second skin to preserve its shape, texture and product integrity for a high-quality look on the store shelves.
“Our new Multivac DARFRESH system has been working great for us and our customers,” Porterfield enthuses.
“The DARFRESH packaging machine makes a vacuum-tight retail pack that gives the fresh meat products a longer shelf-life,” he says. “As well, we are able to produce a package that is very appealing to the consumer visually.”

After passing through a metal detection unit, a Reddi Food employee hand-packs product into a corrugated carton manufactured by Norampac, a division of Cascades Inc.

While the actual DARFRESH process is not exactly a new technology—Multivac and Cryovac, a division of Sealed Air Corporation first developed it some 20 years ago, it is still a young concept in North America’s meat business.
The DARFRESH VSP process begins with the chamber being evacuated of air while the top film web is drawn up to the ceiling of the dome, using the heat from there to gently wrap itself over every contour of the product.
The top web is then heat-sealed to the bottom web to create a hygienic and visually appealing pack that  customers like Reddi Food demand.
While the meat processor generally runs the Multivac R 175 CD at around six cycles per minute, he is quite pleased with the results.
“Our customers like it,” exclaims Porterfield. “While the skin provides a leak-free pack, it is also easy for the consumer to open, with an easy-peel corner.
“And with such tight skin surrounding the meat—and the air removed via vacuum—the Multivac gives us a package that guarantees a long shelf-life.”
Along with a hygienically secure pack, the durable Multivac R 175 CD is also a highly hygienic system—built from stainless steel featuring its patented hygienic chain guide design, lift units, motors, valves and cabling. The thermoformer is also constructed with smooth sloping surfaces without the pitfalls of recesses, corners or sharp edges, making daily clean-ups easy to perform properly.
Says Porterfield: “It really is easy to clean. The interior of the Multivac and all of its parts are fully accessible thanks to the easy-open side panels so we can clean all of the parts of the machine thoroughly.”
The Multivac R 175 CD also features: full operator safety systems; a simple-to-use 7.4-inch  color touchscreen control panel; a production data acquisition and storage memory for up to 200 recipes; technologically advanced electric lifting systems; and full flexibility in the use of cutting systems, packaging formats and materials.
“The results we have achieved from the R 175 CD have been fantastic,” says Porterfield. “When we have enough business, and the one we have is at capacity, I could see us purchasing another machine from Multivac.”
Porterfield says that after sampling films from a few companies, Reddi Food is now running with film manufactured by Curwood, a part of the Bemis Company, as it provides what he considers the optimal results for his needs.
Bizerba is another equipment manufacturer Reddi Food has chosen for its reliability, says Porterfield noting that he has a GLS metal detection unit and a GLP box labeler, and is currently looking to purchase a GLMI price labeler.
“The GLP labeler is easy to use,” notes Porterfield saying that Reddi Food uses it to add product data like weight, barcodes, best-before dates, product name and more.
“It takes seconds to add a new roll of labels, and because no tools are required for set-up and maintenance, our overall costs are reduced.
Cryovac has been supplying the bags, trays and Lid 1050 lidstock for the Reddi Food meat products.
“We offer a black tray and a white tray, but really the color is just a customer preference. These barrier trays are used in conjunction with oxygen and carbon-dioxide gases in each package to suppress bacteria growth and maintain the beautiful red color of the product,” explains Porterfield.

Among its many products, Reddi Food packages sewasoned beef patties (left) in a lided tray, and veal cutlets and lamb loin chops in vacuum skin-packs placed in black trays.

While the black-lidded trays are being used by the Multivac thermoformer, Porterfield says that Reddi Meats has begun testing the white-lidded tray packs on a Ross A10 tray sealer from Reiser Canada.
Porterfield says he has been quite impressed with the results from the Resier A10, but as a new company, he is waiting for customer orders to catch up to capacity before adding more jobs to its sked.
He adds that the company is also in the process of purchasing two more pieces of equipment from Reiser: a Vemag HP15 vacuum filler and a GB240 portioner for ground products—equipment that Reiser has allowed Reddi Food to test in its processing plant for the past four months.
Despite being a new player in the meat processing market, Reddi Food already has a very mature outlook in the way it conducts its day-to-day business.
“Yes, we have financial targets to meet, but our daily focus is on quality, food safety and service levels,” he notes naming “zero product defects” as the main target, along with service levels measured by on-time delivery and order fill rates.
“For us, shelf-life and eye appeal are very important aspects of our products,” sums up Porterfield. “But just because we are a young company now, it doesn’t mean we can’t act in a mature manner.
“We have an excellent starting ground to prove ourselves with this government-leased facility, and we have state-of-the-art equipment like the Bizerba, Reiser and Multivac machines.
“And, along with providing high-quality cuts of meats in great packaging, Reddi Food is ready to succeed.”

Not only does it create a mess, requires a clean-up that costs time and labor, it also means loss of product.

In an effort to help steer you right, Stonepak, a Premier Tech brand, has prepared a white paper entitled: How to prevent false starts when automating valve baggers.

To download a free copy of this document, click HERE.

More information on Premier Tech Industrial Group can be found at www.premiertechieg.com. As well, a Premier Tech White Paper to aid on when to purchase a robotic palletizer can be downloaded here: PALLETIZER.

As small startup manufacturing businesses grow and increase production, it will inevitably look for ways to improve their operation. Physical labor has advantages of flexibility, human insight, and a relatively low up-front cost. Mechanical automation also has advantages – ergonomics, repeatability, and stamina to name a few. Each business must weigh the trade-offs between manual and automatic operations.

Many core industries: mineral, food, chemical, petfood, feed, seed, agriculture, and others use bags or sacks as a means of storing and transporting their products. Most operations start out stacking bags manually and then eventually end up with some form of automatic palletizing. When does a company make this shift to automation? What must be considered before making this change? This paper attempts to discuss these questions in light of the recent boom in robotic palletizing.

Click HERE to download the White Paper.

For more information on Premier Tech, visit www.premiertechieg.com. A Premier Tech White Paper describing how to avoid False Starts with an automated valve bagger can be found by clicking here: SOLVING FALSE STARTS

A total of 5,096 robots valued at $343.8 million were ordered from North American robotics companies through March 2012, meaning an increase of 27 per cent in units and 30 per cent in dollars over the same period in 2011.

A total of 4,605 robots valued at $299.6 million were shipped to North American customers in the first quarter, the best opening quarter ever for shipments.

“It’s clear that the strong demand we saw in our record-breaking year of 2011 has continued into 2012,” says RIA president Jeff Burnstein. “The activity is especially strong among automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and tier suppliers, where robot orders jumped 42 per cent in the first quarter over a year ago.

“In fact, automotive-related orders accounted for 65 per cent of the new orders in the first quarter of 2012. Non-automotive orders grew six percent.”

The demand from the automotive sector also led to a change in the leading application area. Material handling robots have accounted for the most sales in recent years, but were overtaken in the first quarter by welding and soldering robots, typically found in automotive related applications.

A strong spot in the non-automotive sector was food and consumer goods, where orders jumped 31 per cent in Q1 of 2012.

“What we’re seeing in North America is consistent with what we’re seeing all over the world,” said John Dulchinos, president and chief executive officer at Adept Technology and chair of RIA’s Statistical Collection Committee. “Robotics and automation is reaching every industry, driven by the need for increased productivity, quality, flexibility and speed.”

The RIA estimates that some 216,000 robots are now used in the U.S., placing it second only to Japan in robot use.

Founded in 1974, the RIA represents some 265 member companies, including leading robot manufacturers, system integrators, end users, research groups, and consulting firms. RIA’s quarterly statistics report is based on data supplied by member companies representing an estimated 90 per cent of the North American market.

For more information on RIA and the robotics industry, visit www.robotics.org or call 734-994-6088.

Tesco plc is a grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, U.K., and is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues after Wal-Mart and Carrefour, with stores in 14 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

The Tesco soup pouch was recognized by the Flexible Packaging Association for its printing achievement.

The pouch, produced in Ampac’s Kirchberg, Switzerland facility, represents a marked departure from standard retort pouches. The pouch was printed flexographically versus rotogravure which provided exceptional graphics with high shelf impact in a difficult printing format. Because the majority of retort pouches are produced with rotogravure printing, the Tesco Finest Soups pouch was deemed having exceptional print graphics rivaling the quality of any rotogravure print.

Ampac‘s flexographic 8- to 10-color process printed design uses a urethane ink system. Through engineering and technical expertise, Ampac was able to overcome the demands of the retort process without sacrificing print quality and provided one of the very few flexo retort pouches to the market. The result was a high definition quality print pouch that was both fit for use and commercially viable.

The Tesco pouch also won an American Package Design Award from Graphic Design USA.

The awards contest rewards packaging, p-o-p (point-of-purchase) and related products that are visually attractive and feature designs that advance the brand and forge an emotional connection with the purchaser. The matte look and style of the pouch has a high shelf impact and replaces the more traditional rigid formats for retort soups.

Hansruedi Häberli, general manager of Ampac Kirchberg, states, “The Tesco Finest Soup pouch is a departure from traditionally produced retort pouches in that it was printed using a flexographic press. This was a high technical achievement and resulted in exceptional graphics that represent the quality of the product and the store brand on the retail shelf to consumers. “

Ampac is a diversified global packaging company with 14 manufacturing centers in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit Ampac’s website at: www.ampaconline.com.

“Conventional vs. Robotic Palletizing” outlines the specific applications that favor robotic, conventional and hybrid palletizing solutions.

Rather than getting immersed in ambiguous statistics and marketing buzz words like “flexible” or “fixed automation,” the paper looks at the specific applications that favor certain palletizing technology to determine if the future of palletizing is exclusively robotic.

Robotic palletizing favors lower-speed operations as well as applications where the product shape demands the precision of an articulated arm. Conventional palletizers are ideal for very high-speed applications and remain flexible in regards to product packaging and stacking patterns. The paper also highlights the recent innovation of conventional and robotic combinations, which yield a solution that combines the flexibility and repeatability of robotic arms with the speed and reliability of conventional palletizers.

Will one type of technology dominate palletizing in the future?  Download “Conventional vs. Robotic Palletizing” to find out what Intelligrated thinks. To download the white paper, visit the Intelligrated Information Center at www.intelligrated.com/information_center.

For sales and marketing information, contact Emily Smith, senior marketing coordinator, Intelligrated, at (513) 881-5239 or via e-mail at emily.smith@intelligrated.com, or visit the company website at www.intelligrated.com.

About Intelligrated

Intelligrated is a leading North American-owned, single-point provider of automated material handling solutions with operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Intelligrated designs, manufactures and installs complete material handling automation solutions, including conveyor systems, IntelliSort sortation systems, Alvey palletizers and robotics, Real Time Solutions order fulfillment systems, warehouse control software and advanced machine controls—all supported by 24×7 customer service and support.
Serving the warehousing, distribution, consumer product manufacturing, postal and parcel markets, Intelligrated collaborates closely with its clients to develop productivity solutions and support their needs throughout the life of their material handling systems.