Tropical Snacks Manufacturer Installs High-Performance Packaging System
ARA Food Corporation has increased capacity, improved efficiency and reduced overheads with the installation of the third packaging system.
The answer was a new line featuring tna’s high performance robag® FX 3ci vertical form, fill and seal (VFFS) system, complete with a tna intelli-weigh® 0314 omega multi-head weigher, tna metal detector, tna intelli-date® date coder and labeller. Used to pack ARA’s range of snack chips, the system is designed with flexibility in mind, in order to handle different bag sizes – ranging from 2 to 16 oz (60 to 450g) net weight – as well as work with the various polypropylene BOPP bag film finishes required for each product brand.
“Reducing waste, cutting downtime and preventing overweighing were key requirements from the new packaging system. With two tna robag® systems already installed and performing consistently well in our plant, we knew another tna machine was our best option for the additional line. The whole project ran smoothly and we have been particularly impressed with tna’s technical support and knowledge sharing – an important service which will continue with tna’s regular maintenance visits to ensure the machines are always running at 100 per cent capacity,” explains Oscar Tanaka, manufacturing co-ordinator at ARA Food Corporation.
“ARA's new system is fully integrated, customised and built to maximise uptime as well as bring waste down to a minimum. This system sets new standards in OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) including ground breaking output speeds. We were also able to meet ARA's request to simplify operations with our integrated design - making changeovers and running the system quick, easy and standardised. The net result is what everyone strives for - greater output with less waste,” adds Jack Newman, tna project manager and regional sales manager.
Source: tna