Contract manufacturer Sternmaid has installed a double-head system to increase the capacity of its can filling line in Aurora, Illinois, as it responds to growing demand from the food industry.
The company has invested $300,000 in the extension, along with peripheral plant components.
The double-head filler dispenses powders into as many as 50 cans per minute per head. Up to 6,000 cans per hour can be filled with a broad range of powdered products – from instant cocoa to dietary supplements.
Sternmaid said the machine is able to fill cans of up to 6 inches in diameter and 3-10 inches in height. Can filling and sealing is now fully automated, but there is potential for future investment as packing and palletising are still done by hand.
Aside from increasing the capacity of its composite can line, Sternmaid claimed the investment has delivered additional benefits: the single-head filler, which is now redundant on this line, can be used for filling items such as screw-capped plastic cans, which enables the company to offer a new type of packaging.
Sternmaid America executive vice president Jan Thoele said: “Customers expect flexibility and reliable, on-time delivery. Even short deadlines have to be met at the right time and with top quality. If a company’s plant breaks down unexpectedly and a contract manufacturer is asked to take over, production must be able to start very quickly.
“Not only do these new investments increase our capacities in the co-packing sector; they also make us much more flexible. We can now carry out even large orders in a short time.”
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