The company received the honor at Hershey’s annual Supplier Summit in May, recognizing Rovema’s efforts in support of the candy company’s initiative to introduce Doy-type Standup Pouches (SUPs) for a variety of its confectionery products.
Stand-out shelf appeal
The project involved multiple models of Rovema’s BVC Flex Machines, a continuous motion vertical form, fill and seal (VFFS) unit that, in addition to the Doy-style bags can produce pillow, gusseted and quad bags with or without zippers.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by Hershey’s and we’re delighted to have played an important role in their successful product launch,” said John Panaseny, president, Rovema NA.
Rovema’s BVC Flex Machine series, including the BVC260 and BVC400, the units utilized by Hershey’s, were developed with the goal to make a Doy-style bag on a VFFS unit as appealing as those produced by their HFFS counterparts.
Phil Stanley, chief customer officer, Hershey, said its stand-up bags feature larger branding and colors that stand out (ie Reese’s orange and Kit Kat red), and the packs have a wide base so they sit flat on the shelf, making them harder to tip over.
“Our latest packaging is covered in tempting imagery of the candy inside. Take the Reese’s Miniatures, for instance. The package shows a wrapped miniature, it shows a miniature that’s been bitten in half and it shows a full unwrapped miniature,” he said.
“Our smaller brands are no longer hidden on the shelf. Shoppers looking for brands like Heath, Rolo, York, Almond Joy, Mounds will see the product picture, the size and count of the product and that familiar logo without having to search.
“Our new planogram design suggests placing candy-dish items next to on-the-go items. And with the new packaging, the items, together, form vertical blocks of color that really stand out and draw shoppers in.”
BVC Flex machine
Advantages of the BVC Flex machines include: product stripping, in which the seal jaws gently push product further into the bag for a better fill ratio; Sense and Seal detection, which prevents products from getting stuck in the seal jaws and Premium Seal, offering two-stage pressure during the sealing cycle to improve sealing of challenging, multilayer structures.
Hershey said Rovema was able to deliver multiple machines in a short time period, and its commitment to provide onsite support to multiple locations simultaneously. This helped ensure a smooth vertical start-up for Hershey’s product launch across a wide variety of products.
Rovema also relocated a service technician to the Hershey area to provide the tightest-possible response time for any concerns or training requirements.