Capacity and flexibility

Crantock Bakery, a UK Cornish pasty and turnover manufacturer, has been able to increase productivity and win major new customer contracts with the help of its KernPack flow wrapper. The capacity and flexibility of the machine has allowed Crantock to fulfil new orders, wrapping any type of product at speeds of up to 80 units per minute.

The last six months have seen Crantock’s production peak to an all time high after winning new contracts in a variety of sectors including travel, major multiples and convenience retailing, as Helen Chudleigh, Crantock’s head of packaging explains: “The KernPack machine is helping us win new contracts due to its capacity and the ease with which it can wrap new products. Production has increased from 70,000 units per week to in excess of 400,000 – without the machine we just couldn’t do it.”

Previously the machine was operating two days a week for around 12 hours a day. Now it’s running up to 24 hours, six days a week. Products are hand fed onto a conveyor belt, individually flow wrapped and packed into boxes by hand.

“Our customers offer an increasingly wide range of individual bakery items to consumers and change their menus regularly, but the KernPack machine has been meeting demands perfectly,” comments Helen. “We haven’t come across anything we can’t produce and wrap yet. From mini cakes and tiny brownies to pork pies, sausage rolls and our giant size pasties, the KernPack machine is easily modified to deal with our growing range of 40 different wrapped products.”

“The KernPack machine has opened up new sales avenues and we aim to build on this and continue to expand our product lines in these sectors. Looking to the future, the machine has allowed the business to grow to a point where it’s almost time to open a second site in Cornwall,” concluded Helen.

Pete Jolley, Kern’s general manager, comments: “Kern provides flow wrappers specifically designed for bakery and food products and we’re delighted our machine is helping Crantock maximise new business opportunities and achieve such impressive growth. Entry level flow wrappers are perfect for a growing business like Crantock due to their blend of speed and flexibility and ability to introduce new levels of efficiency.”

Related content

Leave a reply

Confectionery Production