Proseal Seals Soft Fruit Success
Tags: Proseal / Proseal GT2
Three GT2 tray sealers from heat sealing specialists Proseal are helping leading soft fruit grower Hall Hunter Partnership minimise its packaging and reduce its carbon footprint in order to meet the environmental requirements of UK retailers.
Hall Hunter Partnership is a major supplier of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries to UK supermarkets, many of whom are seeking to reduce their packaging of soft fruits by switching from rigid clip-on to film lids for the punnets. Hall Hunter says the change helps to reduce plastics usage by around 25%.
While Hall Hunter was fully committed to this initiative, it was vital that the new packing system continued to deliver the speed, consistency and efficiencies necessary to enable the company to maintain its high standards of customer service and ensure regular deliveries of quality products to the supermarkets.
“We looked at a number of different tray sealer manufacturers, but the Proseal machines were not only competitive on price but equally important offered the best performance along with the most comprehensive sales and service support,” explains Hall Hunter’s Packhouse Manager Richard Woodcock. “Given the intense nature of our business throughout the busy summer period, where we can pack around 400 tonnes of product each week, and the necessity of ensuring prompt and reliable deliveries, we had to know that we could rely on the equipment come what may.”
Three GT2 tray sealers from heat sealing specialists Proseal are helping leading soft fruit grower Hall Hunter Partnership minimise its packaging and reduce its carbon footprint in order to meet the environmental requirements of UK retailers.
The Proseal GT2 is capable of sealing up to 96 packs per minute and was therefore more than capable of handling Hall Hunter’s requirements for packing around 2.5 tonnes of product per hour per line. Servo-controlled pack transfer creates a smooth movement for the punnets throughout the sealing process to ensure gentle handling of the product, while self-centring pack guides ensure the trays are accurately positioned for sealing.
The three tray sealers were integrated into Hall Hunter’s existing packing line. A touch screen display provides step-by-step guidance for operators to ensure ease of use. Pre-programmable menus enable the machine to be set up automatically for each different pack and the display also provides fault diagnosis and production information.
The GT2 is manufactured to food industry approved hygiene standards with full wash down protection. Polymer bearings are used in water contact areas to avoid the risk of corrosion and maintain long-term reliable performance.
“The GT2s are fast and reliable and have done a fantastic job this summer, and we have enjoyed excellent support and training from Proseal,” concludes Mr Woodcock.
As a result, Hall Hunter is planning to add at least one further GT2 to its packing operation for the 2010 season.
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