Product category:
Packaging, Conveyors and Materials Transfer
News Release from: Sigpack Systems | Subject: Simmers oat cakes
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 September 2007
For Sigpack, Scottish biscuits are a
piece of cake
When Simmers of Edinburgh, a leading biscuit manufacturer and exporter, invested in an expansion at its manufacturing facility in Scotland, Sigpack Systems was the packaging partner of choice
An advanced, damage minimising, biscuit packaging line dedicated to the traditional Simmers 'Nairn's Oat Cake' range has been successfully installed Simmers of Edinburgh has been in business since 1888
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 28 Mar 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Today the Scottish biscuit manufacturer exports their savoury 'Nairn's Oat Cakes' all over the world.
The versatility of this traditional snack has seen its popularity rise steadily over the years.
To cope with rising production requirements, Simmers decided to invest in a factory extension to support a new manufacturing line dedicated to the Nairn range of oat cakes.
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Oat cakes are particularly delicate and brittle, placing high demands on a system which must transfer the biscuits from an oven, into an airtight, pillow-pack wrap and then into secondary packaging.
Sigpack Systems experience in the field of baked goods packaging meant it was ideally suited to provide the system design and machinery for this advanced packaging line, which must minimise damage to the fragile product.
The oat cakes arrive from the oven 16 across and are gently reduced on a 2:1 reduction system which transfers them to two downstream packaging machinery legs, each of which have four lanes.
The oat cakes are then gently stacked into a vibratory system which provides a small buffer for any downstream machine stoppages - and in addition, provides individual pressure control on the stacked columns of biscuits - ensuring product integrity is maintained.
From here, the oat cakes enter the ZZP4 magazine feeders and are then transferred to HBM pillow pack wrappers.
The biscuits are very carefully stripped from a vertical stack by way of a flexible, programmable counting system.
The intelligent lane balancing system gently brakes and holds the columns of oat cakes during the stripping operation.
The HBM pillow pack wrapper then groups each individual stack in the chain, providing an airtight pack every time - crucial to the packaging of oat cakes, which are easily damaged by moisture.
A key benefit of the system installed by Sigpack Systems is the high level of flexibility it offers.
No part changes are necessary, with format changes for varying biscuit counts easily actioned by means of an intuitive touchscreen.
Mark Laing, Managing Director of Simmers of Edinburgh, says, "Here at Simmers, our chief concern is with product quality.
We ensure that the quality of our products is second to none, and to do this, we must ensure that our product handling equipment is up to the task.
In Sigpack Systems, we see a company that is proud of its equipment and its performance, and this is reflected in the build and quality of the machinery on our site".
A key factor to be considered when investing in capital equipment from overseas suppliers is the availability, level and quality of local support.
For Simmers of Edinburgh, this concern was no problem - the UK boasts the largest installed base of equipment in this industry sector in the world - and, from its UK base in Derby, Sigpack Systems supports all the Bosch Packaging Machinery in the country.
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