Case Study: Hudson Bread increases productivity, improves packing quality with smart packaging technology
Brand turns to Niverplast's bag-in-box solution for frozen artisan bread packaging line.
For more than 35 years, Hudson Bread has been delivering artisan breads to restaurants, hotels, local cafes, and other foodservice customers in New York City and New Jersey. Since its establishment, Hudson Bread has been growing steadily and in 2005 moved to a new 60,000 square-foot facility to meet the demand for its growing customer base.
Recently, to meet the needs of its growing business, Hudson Bread turned to Niverplast for its expertise in packaging automation for the bakery industry—specifically, a bag-in-box solution for its frozen artisan bread packaging line.
Hudson Bread faced two challenges; first, the need to increase its capacity for automatic case erecting, bag inserting, product sorting, weighing, packing and automatic case/bag closing. The second, having the ability to make sure each box is packed with the correct weight and both the bag and box sealed for to maximize product integrity,
Niverplast recommended a solution that would increase productivity and improve packaging quality for Hudson Bread’s packaging process by designing a packaging line with smart technology and including their CombiPlast and VarioSeal packaging machines.
The CombiPlast is an automatic case erecting and bag inserting solution in one compact machine, which allows 24/7 non-stop production using Niverplast EasyOpen bags. The VarioSeal is a high-quality packaging solution for automatic uncuffing and sealing of lined boxes with the ability to automatic adjust for different sizes boxes on the same production line.
The first step was installing the CombiPlast solution for case erecting and bag inserting. Once the liner is inserted, the empty boxes are transported on automatic box conveyors designed and built by Niverplast. A multi-station semi-automatic packing line was recommended because of the range of different products offered by Hudson Bread. By implementing a semi-automatic packaging line, it gave Hudson Bread the ability to fill by weight at each manual filling position. The Smart Technology weigh scale system assists the operators by displaying the actual box weight when close to the final weight, allowing the operator to manually add the last couple pieces of bread to make sure each box has the correct weight. The operator then slides the box onto the automatic box transport system and to the VarioSeal machine for sealing. The ergonomic box-lift allows the operator to load product easily and at high throughput.
The VarioSeal solution is equipped with a checkweigher to double check the weight of each box before closing. If the weight is okay, the VarioSeal stretches the bag, removes the air, and seals the bag. The advantage of Niverplast smart technology checkweigher inside the VarioSeal is it allows the operator to adjust the under/overweight cases prior to bag sealing. Hudson Bread saves money and time by a reduction in the number of operators required to operate the packaging line in a multi-shift operation.
The entire line was created to be user friendly using the latest smart technology to increase efficiency and ensure every product has the highest quality, flavor, and value for Hudson Bread customers.
About Niverplast
Founded in 1986, Niverplast's U.S. Sales and Service facility is in Gainesville, GA, and its headquarters are in Nijverdal, The Netherlands. Its employees are experts in helping manufacturing companies improve their operations, enhance time to market capabilities, and find ways to reduce overall manufacturing cost. Niverplast develops innovative packaging equipment solutions to protect and transport a wide range of products. Bag-in-box packaging for bread, meat, fish, liquids, and non-food products is its core business. Niverplast’s line of bag-in-box packaging machines include CombiPlast, EasyPlast, and VarioSeal. Niverplast creates, designs, and delivers state of the art custom solutions for all its manufacturing customers. For more information regarding Niverplast food packaging equipment in North America, contact Mark Finneran at 978-580-1085 or its main office at 866-837-7372, or go to niverplastna.com.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
