CFS bags Cadbury

CFS, the packaging and processing systems provider, has supplied new bagging system to international candy manufacturer Cadbury Trebor Allan.

CFS, the packaging and processing systems provider, has supplied new bagging system to international candy manufacturer Cadbury Trebor Allan.

The SmartPacker C180 is designed to bag difficult to handle products at high speeds in an effort to increase productivity and efficiency, CFS claims.

Cadbury Trebor Allan, part of the UK-based Cadbury Schweppes Group, is one of Canada's main manufacturers of chocolate and candy confectionery products. Cadbury's factory in Stoney Creek mainly produces jelly sweets such as Swedish Fish and Water Melon Slices. Since these sugar coated products are extremely difficult to pack in mono or double OPP film bags, CFS had to fully customise its packing system in order to meet Cadbury's demands.

Brett Thorne, project engineering manager for Cadbury Trebor Allan, said: "The six new SmartPacker C180 packaging lines replaced the old system that had a bagging rate of approximately 70 to 80 bags per minute. Taking efficiency into account, we have doubled the output on all bags. The SmartPacker has been in production now for well over seven months and it hardly requires any maintenance. It's a matter of set and forget, which is what I was looking for."

The system is one of few machines worldwide capable of doing speeds up to 180 bags a minute, CFS claims. The front of the machine is open and there is a minimum amount of moving parts, which is ideal in a high sugar debris environment. Furthermore, the servo jaw protection works well for candy products, or as Thorne states: "It's so sensitive that even a single piece of Swedish Fish can be detected."

Among the adjustments CFS has made to the SmartPacker is the special filling tube end to in order to keep the seals clear of sugar. The company has also customised the control boxes to high sugar dust environment by sealing it off and using specialised cooling units. A weighing system from Multipond is integrated with the SmartPacker. The system executed with combined operation screen for the bag maker as well as the weigher; even product memory is joined together.

Cadbury Trebor Allan has close to 2500 employees across Canada. The company produces and markets well-known brands as Caramilk, Crispy Crunch, Crunchie, Maynards Wine Gums, Gummies and Sour Patch Kids.

CFS is a world-leading supplier of preparation, marinating, further processing and packaging solutions, primarily for the meat, poultry, fish, seafood, cheese and confectionery industries. The company is headquartered in Bakel, the Netherlands, and employs over 2,500 professionals worldwide.