FDBusiness.com

When Yorkshire-based E Oldroyd and Sons, a producer and packer of high quality fruit and vegetables, needed to increase capacity to cope with the demand for their strawberries they turned to Packaging Automation (PA) for a new eclipse SL4 tray sealer. Due to the seasonality of the product the machine was hired initially, but it has been such a success they have now decided to purchase the SL4.

The in-line, fully electric SL4 is a small footprint machine capable of sealing up to 75 packs per minute that can reduce an end user’s running costs by up to 90 percent.

The machine incorporates PA’s E-Seal technology which, unlike the pneumatic/electric hybrids currently on the market, requires zero compressed air for full operation. With all systems driven directly by small servomechanisms, the running costs and environmental impact can be as low as eight percent of an equivalent pneumatic system, while still achieving the same high standards of versatility and sealing performance.

James Hulme from Oldroyds says: “We approached PA after a recommendation from Mockbeggar, theKentbased soft fruit group. After meeting with PA we were highly impressed with the support and service they offered so the deal was made. The machine has proved to be reliable, easy to use and we are now in the process of purchasing the machine.”

Packaging Automation was established in 1963 and is a leading UK manufacturer of tray sealing and pot filling machinery. The business employs 90 people and produces a wide range of equipment from simple manual units and semiautomatics through to in-line fully automated systems. The company also manufactures volumetric, filling and sealing machines, conveyors and other ancillary equipment. For further information visit www.pal.co.uk.