Gerhard Schubert set to showcase Comfort Feeder packaging system at ProSweets
Germany’s Gerhard Schubert will use the fast-approaching ProSweets event to showcase its latest packaging equipment innovation in the form of its TLM Comfort Feeder, writes Neill Barston.
The company has enjoyed an exceptionally busy period during the past year, with the company delivering a strong presence at this year’s Interpack event in Dusseldorf, where it unveiled several key solutions for the sector, including lines for the confectionery sector.
For the next edition of ProSweets, between 28-31 January, it will be showcasing its expertise in snacks and sweets packaging systems including its latest comfort feeder, designed as a resource saving solution for feeding carton blanks.
The Schubert experts will also be providing advice on their comprehensive portfolio for the automated and sustainable packaging of snacks and confectionery at several thematic islands, and offering information on their wide-ranging service programme.
This year’s ProSweets will be once again staged alongside its sister ISM finished product event, attracting the entire value chain of the industry, with the event reverting to its traditional January date, after a one-off repositioning this April due to major supply chain challenges that had impacted across numerous industries.
Schubert will be offering demonstrations of its lines on several themed islands within its stand. Its TLM comfort feeder answers the problem of processing delays arriving if packaging line’s blank magazine runs empty – as machine operators then have to act quickly to avoid unnecessary stops.
With its latest system, this issue is now a thing of the past, as can be experienced live on a bar packer at the trade fair. All that is needed is to place the entire pallet of blanks, which are still in the cutting sheet, into the machine.
An F4 robot then pulls the individual blanks directly from the sheet and feeds them into the erecting process at a rate of 60 cycles per minute. This ingenious procedure also offers another key advantage: the cut sheet can often be further optimised to maximise the use of the packaging material. This saves material and, in turn, resources and costs. The combination of innovative sheet feeding, high erecting performance as well as loading and sealing offers Schubert customers an exceptionally advantageous machine concept: The bar packer is part of Schubert’s TLM Power Compact machine category, which refers to TLM machines that deliver a high performance density in a small space.
Its other demonstrations include pick & place robots in the pickerline to flowrappers and casepackers all the way through to complete packaging lines, Schubert offers all the machine technologies that manufacturers need to produce high-quality packaging.
Of particular interest to snack and confectionery manufacturers are the packaging lines developed by Schubert, in which products are fed via several side conveyor belts so that different product variants can enter the packaging process at the same time. This enables a wide range of assortment configurations to be achieved, such as mixed biscuit packs or selections of savoury snacks. The flexible “HERBIE” driverless transport system from the Carrybots manufacturer is ideal to take on a variety of transport tasks in the production or logistics process. HERBIE will also be on display at the Schubert stand at ProSweets, where it will be shown in operation on a short track.
As a manufacturer of packaging machines and lines, Schubert prioritises supporting its customers in the increasingly key area of sustainability. With its Mission Blue Sustainability Initiative, the Crailsheim-based company has formalised its own goals, values and specific measures to ensure sustainability. Visitors to ProSweets will also be able to see the initiative’s very tangible results. For example, the Schubert experts from Packaging Perspectives will be presenting two innovative sustainable packaging concepts: Dotlock, a technology that enables carton packaging to be produced entirely without glue, as well as a carton-monofilm hybrid solution – also without glue – that greatly minimises the use of plastic.
Furthermore, the business also provides additional services including its Schubert Packaging Perspectives supporting customers in their search for the most suitable sustainable packaging. Beyond that, Schubert Consulting provides advice on complete packaging processes and optimisation potential, and Schubert’s 4YOU Digital Services enable customers to record and evaluate their line data – to better understand processes and to increase efficiency.
Martin Sauter, Sales Director at Gerhard Schubert, explains: “The snack and confectionery industry is in a very challenging situation due to huge cost pressures, such as increased raw material and energy prices as well as inflation. We are delighted that, with our innovative packaging machines and our wide range of services, we can provide manufacturers with solutions that make their processes leaner, more efficient and more cost-effective.”