To fulfil growing demand from the food and nutraceuticals industries, the contract manufacturer and copacker SternMaid America has installed a modern double-head system to increase the capacity of its can filling line.
Including further peripheral plant components, the company has invested some $300,000 in this capacity extension.
The double head auger filler dispenses powders into as many as 50 cans per minute per head.
Thus, up to 6000 cans per hour can be filled with a broad range of powdered products — from instant cocoa to dietary supplements.
Changeover for different pack sizes is easy, and the machine is able to fill cans of up to 6 inches in diameter and 3–10 inches in height.
Filling weight depends on the can size and the product’s bulk volume. Can filling and sealing is now fully automated, but there is potential for future investment as packing and palletising is still done by hand.
Aside from increasing the capacity of its composite can line, SternMaid America’s investment has delivered additional benefits: the single head auger 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.
Jan Thoele, Executive Vice President of SternMaid America, 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 copacking sector; they also make us much more flexible. We can now fulfil even large orders in a short time.”
Besides copacking, SternMaid America offers further customised services, ranging from raw material purchasing and warehousing to blending and delivery of finished goods.
On a product-by-product basis, the company can also offer non-GMO, gluten-free and/or vegan certified foods.
