Increased demand for its range of sausages has led to UK-based producer Graham White & Co Ltd selecting a semiautomatic tray sealer from Packaging Automation (UK) Ltd to keep up with the growth in sales.
The order for the London based company to supply a new line of its popular Porky White brand of sausages into UK leading retailer Tesco stores meant it quickly needed extra packaging capacity. Packaging Automation equipment is distributed by MPI in Australia.
They looked at equipment from Cheshire based Packaging Automation and another supplier, but the PA182 tray sealer came out ahead in terms of its compact size, robust construction and ease of use.
Graham White & Co managing director Chris Price said: “Winning a UK meat industry award last year has really driven demand from the major UK retailers including Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury. We considered packaging equipment from two leading suppliers, focusing on quality and capability. We have a limited work space so the compact PA machine is absolutely ideal for what we need – and the fact it is available on hire is an added bonus for us.”
He explained: “Initially we thought we might need an automatic line, but we’re very impressed by the capacity and the speed of the PA182 which is more than adequate to cope with the quantities we are dealing with – currently around 20,000 packs per week.”
The PA182 is a machine from Packaging Automation’s line up and customers frequently choose to hire it – particularly to cope with increases in demand when new orders are secured. It is also a solution for seasonal products or those where demand fluctuates throughout the year.
It offers a solid construction, reliability and flexibility. It accommodates trays up to 120mm deep as standard and can seal and trim from a reel onto trays of CPET, polypropylene, PVC, board and foil, for example.
Its small footprint makes it suitable for smaller companies or those who need a machine to fit into a small production area. Hygienic design eliminates bug traps, while tool changes take just two minutes. Customers appreciate its ease of use and the fact it is easily portable so can be moved quickly from one production line to another if required.
Packaging Automation’s technical sales engineer Rebecca Chung said: “Our hire deals continue to be popular throughout the food industry. We were able to help Graham White & Co Ltd to choose the best machine for their needs and work with them throughout the process to make sure everything was exactly as they needed it. As with all our customers, we spent time both before and after the machine went on site to make sure the customer was 100 per cent happy.”
Packaging Automation UK Ltd was established in 1963 and manufacturers tray sealing machinery for the food industry. In 2004, the company signed an exclusive distribution agreement with MPI for the distribution of the full Packaging Automation range of equipment in Australia.
MPI, based in Sydney, is one of Australia’s suppliers of packaging systems, with over 40 years experience in the industry.
Packaging Automation’s presence is growing in the Australian market.
A free beginner’s guide to heat sealing is available at: www.pal.co.uk/australia
Packaging Automation Ltd;
Samantha Ashton, commercial manager
info@pal.co.uk