FDBusiness.com

Tetra Pak has launched a new high-capacity extrusion line, which is the most efficient solution currently available on the market for the large scale production of ice cream sticks and sandwiches. The new line has the highest capacity in the industry, delivering up to 43,200 pieces per hour against an industry average of 36,000 for this segment.

The efficient freezer and high-precision cutting equipment guarantee a uniform product with high stability – due to effective temperature control at every stage – as well as identical thickness. Further along the process, the newly developed dip and transfer unit allows a gentle and precise dipping as well as a careful and error-free lay-off to the wrapper, resulting in minimal product waste.

When the line is running at full capacity, operational costs and environmental impact are the lowest in the industry: a 60% increase in production is achieved without extra manpower and with only 44% more energy.

This innovation responds to growing global demand for ice cream. Last year, 17.2 billion litres of ice cream were consumed. Compound Annual Growth Rate forecast 2014-2019 is 1.8% and is led by Pacific Asia, North America and Western Europe.

“For 70 years we’ve been helping our customers deliver quality ice cream products with outstanding taste and texture,” says Peter Lindstrom, Ice Cream Category Director at Tetra Pak. “This new solution allows them to increase production volumes, while delivering the same high quality at a significantly reduced cost per product.”

The line allows greater flexibility in switching between ice cream sticks and sandwiches, as well as handling up to 4 flavours and 12 different coatings without changing equipment.