FDBusiness.com

Packaging Automation (PA) recognises the upsurge in innovation within the food industry with many small businesses launching exciting fresh new brands. PA is keen to support and encourage this innovation by allowing these smaller companies to access professional top quality packaging options that open the door to retailer listings.

Sam Ashton Commercial Director explained: “As a growing business ourselves we know how important it is to keep cash within the business and how hard it is to acquire the machines and equipment you need to grow. We want to help businesses to grow, adapt and keep up with what can be frighteningly fast paced growth without tying up cash in machinery.”

PA have launched a scheme that will help customers to automate packing processes from day one with minimal investment. The hire scheme offers entry level machines with a sealing tool for one pack format on hire for a fixed weekly hire rate. At the end of an initial six month hire period, users have the option to return the machine and stop making payments, keep the machine at a reduced weekly rate or upgrade for a small uplift in cost to a quicker machine with a sealing tool to suit the same pack if demand for products is increasing.

Sam continues: “as well as providing support with machinery, we also offer a full support service covering advice and industry contacts when selecting suitable packaging. In addition the preparation of sample packs in our test kitchen to help show off your products to prospective customers is included in the scheme.”

Whitby Seafood’s worked closely with PA’s hire specialist Lesley Wakefield and took advantage of the flexible hire scheme to come up with a packaging solution for their breaded scampi product. Lesley helped source a CPET tray with a film lid and PA provided a small rotary table machine to automate the packing process. Whitby are now able to pack 26 trays of breaded scampi per minute and have their product stocked in three retailers. Barry Harland, Group Technical Manager from Whitby Seafoods commented:

“PA were recommended to us when we were looking to move to a new packaging format.  From the very first communication to ongoing work today, they continue to be proactive and offer solutions by applying their expert friendly knowledge”.

Packaging Automation Ltd was established in 1963 and is a leading UK manufacturer of tray sealing and pot filling and sealing machinery.