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Holderhof Produkte, a leading Swiss food company specialising in fruit juice production, continues to invest in cutting-edge technologies.
Three years after launching its aseptic juice line in Henau, the company has renewed its partnership with SMI. As part of the collaboration, Holderhof has purchased an LWP 30 ERGON case packer and an APS 620 Ergon palletiser for its new fruit processing centre in Sulgen, as well as a second APS 620 Ergon palletiser for its Henau plant.
A modern fruit processing centre has been established in Sulgen
The fruit processing centre in Sulgen, Switzerland, supports Holderhof Produkte’s apple juice production, enabling the company to process up to 15,000 tonnes of cider apples each year.
The apples are sourced from Holderhof’s own plantation and from regional fruit growers.
From elderberry to apples: Business success comes from continual investments
Over 20 years ago, Christof Schenk planted the first elderberry trees on his parents' farm in Ufhofen, thus giving rise to the company Holderhof Produkte.
Today, the company employs around 100 people and produces syrups, beverages and fruit juices at its three locations in Henau, Ufhofen and Sulgen. It remains true to the founder's initial vision of transforming its own high-quality, natural raw materials into special beverages without preservatives.
Every year, the company markets more than 70 million bottles of over a hundred varieties of beverages and continues to launch innovative products. Nowadays, Holderhof beverages can be found on shelves all over Switzerland and abroad.
Furthermore, a growing number of customers (including the Coop and REWE supermarkets) rely on the professionalism and expertise of this brand, to have their products produced and bottled benefiting from the continual investments made by the company within their bottling and packaging plants.
SMI solutions for Holderhof Produkte
At the new fruit processing centre in Sulgen, fresh apple sauce is packaged in jars and glass bottles on a newly installed line that can fill up to 2,000 jars per hour, depending on the size of the product.
The increase in demand has led Holderhof to equip its production plant with extremely flexible and eco-friendly, high-tech secondary and tertiary packaging facilities which are able to quickly switch from one bottle format to another and from one type of packaging to another.
Thanks to the LWP 30 Ergon wrap-around case packer supplied by SMI, the 0.36-litre, 0.72-litre, 0.75-litre and 1-litre glass bottles are packed in wrap-around trays in a 2x3 format, the 0.25-litre and 1-litre glass bottles are packed in wrap-around cases in a 2x3 format and the 0.37-litre jars are packed in wrap-around trays in a 3x4 format.
Downstream of the packer, the APS 620 Ergon palletiser creates 800x1200mm europallets. This palletising system, installed at the production facilities in Sulgen and Henau, is a versatile solution that simplifies package handling, reduces changeover times, increases performance and reduces the footprint within the production line.
Read the article and find out the benefits of SMI solutions here.
For more information on the SMI latest innovations for circular packaging and sustainable development, please contact the sales department or visit SMI website.
