Their 2005 visit to Pack Expo Las Vegas yielded big dividends, so these two packaging professionals plan a return to Vegas for another look-see.
By Pat Reynolds, VP Editor, Packaging World
A. Duda & Sons increased productivity by 70%. Kona Joe Coffee boosted production even more dramatically. How? By purchasing new equipment seen at Pack Expo Las Vegas 2005. Needless to say, principals from both firms will return to Las Vegas for this year’s edition of Pack Expo Las Vegas, sponsored, as always, by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (www.pmmi.org).
A. Duda & Sons, out of Oviedo, FL, is one of the world’s largest producers of celery products. It also serves both retail and foodservice markets, selling its products under the Dandy brand name. Products in addition to celery include mandarins, red grapefruits, red and white onions, broccoli, and cauliflower.
With operation centers as far-flung as Michigan, South Africa, and Spain, the firm found it increasingly difficult to maintain necessary production speeds while relying on a manual packaging process.
“Having been to Pack Expo on numerous occasions, I knew it would be a good opportunity to investigate ways we could improve efficiency,” says Steve Bocchino, vice president of procurement and packaging at Duda.
After extensive research, Bocchino purchased a linear-motion S-30-DX Heat Seal Machine from [ORICS]. (www.orics.com) to help increase the value of the company’s Dandy Microwaveable Sweet Corn brand. The sweet corn is fully-husked and tray-packed into individual packages that can go right into the microwave. Both three- and four-count packages are available.
Prior to the purchase of the Orics S-30, Duda depended heavily on a smaller table-top steam sealing machine. “Microwavable corn trays were filled by hand and manually steam pressed closed, requiring excess film and increased labor time as well as low productivity,” says Bocchino.
The sleek design of the S-30 proved to be a perfect fit for A. Duda & Sons. Orics customized the system to include an extended frame and registered film slice-cut mechanism to handle the specially vented printed film that adorns the top of each Dandy Microwaveable Sweet Corn pack.
The S-30’s film feeder technology offers additional benefits. Film is cut in between each container, leaving no wasted film and saving the company more than $35,000 a year. The approach also minimizes environmental impact by decreasing the amount of material discarded.
Installation proved to be an easy, hassle-free process. Orics also offered off-site training, which “was invaluable for our employees,” recalls Bocchino. “They were able to learn first hand from trained instructors how to operate the system.”
The S-30 packs two trays per cycle for A. Duda & Sons and has increased productivity by 70%. In addition, by eliminating the manual packing process, the S-30 has also helped free up employees to handle more strategic tasks within the organization.
Original Article: Packaging World, August 9, 2007
