Bel Group has invested in a high-output thermoforming packaging line from Multivac for production of two thermoformed consumer packs of its Leerdammer cheese.
The packs are designed to be placed upright on the supermarket shelf and have been rolled out across the original and charactere flavours of Leerdammer’s slice and folded packaged cheese. Among the challenges in the development of the new pack format was defining the internal and external pack dimensions and achieving the correct placement of the product in the pack, the cheesemaker said.
The brand has installed a Multivac R 535 packaging line at its facility in the Netherlands, capable of reducing film material by around 8% and leading to significant savings of at least 20% in its energy consumption. The news pack offers consumers another format for Leerdammer cheese and, despite being a last-minute addition, was incorporated into the new line by Bavaria-based Multivac.
In order to label the packs, the R 535 is equipped with a cross web labeller for top and bottom labelling. In addition, the wafer thin cheese slices are packed under modified atmosphere conditions to achieve a shelf life of 90 days.
Bel Leerdammer packaging engineer Theo Dopheide said: “In addition to price and quality, aspects such as environmental awareness and lifestyle play an increasing role in our products. The consumer pack has a decisive part to play in this.
“Since the external measurements of the pack are specified as standard by the supermarkets, we were restricted in its design. In order to ensure that the quality of the cheese slices in their folded state was not impaired, we had to increase the internal measurements of the folded pack without stretching the external dimensions.”
Crucial to the decision to make Multivac its preferred contactor for the project was the environmental and resource-saving e-concept technology, with which the machine manufacturer was able to best fulfil Bel Group’s CSR policy requirements. Multivac’s reputation and the performance of the machines also played a role.
Paul van Heezik, account manager for packaging machines for Multivac Netherlands, added: “When we produced our quotation, we placed particular emphasis on the resource efficiency of our packaging line. It had to consume as few raw materials as possible. This involved the usage of electricity, water, compressed air and inert gas, as well as the consumption of film, labels, printing ink and spare parts.
“We developed two new types of pack insert and tested these within a few days on the new production line at the Leerdammer factory in Schoonrewoerd, allowing a final selection to be made. After the decision was taken, we were able to produce the final inserts within the set deadline. This meant the new products could be launched onto the market in their new pack on time in January 2015.”
Dopheide concluded: “The collaboration with Multivac is a best-practice example of good cooperation between customer and supplier. Together, we were able to eliminate any problems that arose before they became acute. We definitely decided on the right partner. We will also do exactly the same next time.”
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