SWITZERLAND – All new SIG filling line systems and downstream units will from now onwards be equipped with built-in bidirectional digital recipe management, the company has revealed.
The Swiss-based equipment supplier noted that the new development is part of its digital transformation drive for food and beverage manufacturers.
Digital recipe management enables automatic recipe synchronization across all relevant parts of the filling line including the downstream.
Its incorporation into production lines has a number of benefits to manufacturers including a faster change to the next lot or product, more flexibility in the production process, and ultimately a smarter and more connected filling plant.
Stefan Mergel, senior product manager equipment at SIG, said, “In today’s food and beverage plants, production lines need to be more flexible, agile and intelligent to handle new challenges and demands.”
“This can only be achieved by securing greater asset optimisation, which means configuring the optimal long-term infrastructure to flexibly handle any operational demand. And by ensuring intelligent recipe and job handling throughout production.”
SIG’s new built-in capability also means the latest downstream equipment for SIG filling lines can now make automatic format and volume changes. Integration ensures manufacturers can utilize the full flexibility potential of their filling machines.
SIG’s digital recipe management is enabled through the PLANT 360 Connector: a monitoring and control solution designed to optimize food and beverage production by gradually integrating all plant processes and systems into one platform, no matter the equipment, supplier, or PLC used.
The solution is also available as an automation upgrade which can be retrofitted to installed and existing SIG filling lines.
“With SIG PLANT 360 Connector you can integrate the complete filling line into the customers’ digital platforms, ensuring full bi-directional connectivity from shop floor to the top floor,” Mergel added.
SEALPAC’s new FlatMap packaging
SEALPAC, a German-based Tray-sealing and thermoforming technology specialist, has released its new FlatMap packaging system, which it says offers a sustainable solution for sliced products under a modified atmosphere.
The new FlatMap packaging system built in cooperation with Van Genechten Packaging (cardboard) and Buergofol (layer and lidding film) puts sliced dairy and other products on a flat cardboard carrier made from bleached or unbleached fiber.
The carrier is coated with a thin protective layer, which provides stability, as well as a reliable barrier against fat, moisture and oxygen.
The products are securely sealed under modified atmosphere through a thin lidding film, which prolongs shelf life.
The new product’s higher sustainability credentials come from the fact that both the protective layer and lidding film are polyolefinbased, making them fully recyclable.
The company says the resource-saving alternative not only relies on a high proportion of renewable raw materials, but also offers space for communication.
Additionally, the packaging’s flat design offers a new level of reclosability which ensures optimal freshness until the last slice and enables storage in the consumer’s refrigerator without the need for re-packing.
The company said another benefit of the FlatMap system is the resource-saving use of materials. Compared to common modified atmosphere packaging, up to 75% of plastic can be saved.
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