Living like ‘God in France’ – of course this has to include fine baked goods. Before connoisseurs can enjoy biscuits, waffles and other specialities, however, the goods must be securely packaged. An Alsatian manufacturer with over a hundred years of heritage relies on a modern flow-wrapping machine from Schubert to package its baked goods. The flexibility of the robot-assisted flowpacker ensures that the producer will be able to switch to more sustainable packaging in the future.
Dominique Spitz
Area Sales Manager
Schubert
Today, the variations in material and shape of packaging are practically endless. After all, providers have to satisfy an increasing variety of customer requirements and wishes. The sustainability aspect is becoming increasingly important. Especially in the B2C-dominated food sector, the share of paper-based packaging elements is steadily increasing – for example, for sweet baked goods. This change is not only driven by industry giants. Small and medium-sized confectionery manufacturers, many of them with a long heritage, are also closely examining the possibilities of packaging their popular products sustainably in the future or perhaps already today. One of them is a producer of traditional baked goods from Alsace: A new packaging machine is required to satisfy the customers’ desire for packaging that is as natural in origin as the delicious contents.
Baking heritage with a hundred years of experience
This small bakery in Alsace has been making biscuits for over 100 years. As you would expect from a traditional operation, it is not the quantity that counts, but the variety. A wide range of fine pastries are produced here, including many products in organic quality. Wafers and biscuits with and without chocolate, in layers or fully coated, and all in a wide variety of sizes – every biscuit lover will find what they are looking for at the Alsatian bakery.
As a result, the production managers placed great importance on the flexibility offered when looking for a new packaging machine. For medium-sized companies in particular, the switch to new types of packaging cannot be made overnight, and client needs can evolve differently depending on the sales market. What was needed, therefore, was a real multitasker that could keep up with the wide range of products and packaging, including sustainable solutions.
Packaging as diverse as the contents
Specifically, the bakery wanted to be able to handle plastic and paper-based films, trays made of cardboard and plastic, and U-boards. Also in demand was the gentle processing of a wide variety of biscuit shapes, from directly after the production process, through quality control and packaging into flowpacks bags, both with and without trays. There was no question that the changeover of packaging forms and products had to be carried out quickly and efficiently. And finally, there was another requirement: The packaging machine would have to be as compact as possible, because the available space at the site is limited.