Acma set for major ProSweets showcase in Cologne next month
Acma's showcase at this year's Interpack event. Pic: Neill Barston
Industry equipment group ACMA will be celebrating its centenary in some style in 2024, showcasing its latest series of machinery at the ProSweets event in Cologne,Germany, reports Neill Barston.
The company will be joining more than 200 other exhibitors at the event next month between 28-31 January, returning to the Koelnmesse venue, with a core focus on line automation and sustainability, across its portfolio which includes confectionery packaging systems within its wider food and drink sector interests.
As the Spanish-based business, which is part of the Coesia group, noted, Greenmation (pictured in our main photo as part of its Interpack showcase), represents its response to consumer demand for reusable and recyclable packaging, as manufacturers face labor shortages and production cost increases.
For its part, the company’s CW 600 is the main machine selected as its core confectionery portfolio focus at ProSweets. It is a unit for packaging flat-based chocolates, capable of working with various packaging materials, including monomaterials such as aluminium, PP, PVC, cellophane, and paper. The machine can handle up to eight different packaging formats, addressing market demands for product diversification and making it one of the most versatile platforms in the industry. The model on display in Cologne will be configured to produce the new protected double twist packaging, a particular style of double twist sealed with cold welding. This design has two major advantages: firstly, it better preserves the product’s aroma, and secondly, it protects it from external factors such as water, heat, humidity, dust, and pests.
“In this complex situation, Coesia believes that the answer to this profitability-threatening challenge lies in supporting a revolution in production which is capable of combining the principles of automation and sustainability in the industries of Food & Beverage, Pharma & Personal Care, and Cross Industry Automation,” says Alessandro Parimbelli, Coesia Chief Executive Officer.
Notably, Acma will showcase three technological innovations at the fair: a robotic distribution system, the CW 600 multi-style packer with the new double-protected bow packaging, and Material Gate, a testing unit for paper-based materials. The Cologne fair will also be the ideal stage to introduce the new “Acma Cares Programme” service.
Significantly, the business has developed three “smart handling” systems for Confectionery, designed considering the type of chocolate pralines to be handled, how they need to reach the machine, and the production line’s speed. ProSweets will show a demo of a single-pick up and multi-pick-up robotic distribution system for flat-based products, capable of orienting and arranging chocolates in rows. The system is available in two configurations and is aimed at picking up random products, sorting them and finally feeding them correctly oriented into the machine. It is a modular solution characterised by space-saving design, thanks to features such as the integration of electrical components directly into the machine, eliminating the need for additional electrical cabinets.
Material Gate system
One of its key showcases will be the Material Gate will also be on display – a testing unit born within Acma’s Sustainability Lab and dedicated to experimenting with new wrapping materials with twist. Material Gate can conduct tests with sustainable wraps, an essential part of developing new packaging materials. Specifically, it can test materials for flat or spherical products with double twist style, verifying machinability and behavior in terms of resistance to mechanical stress. Through Material Gate, Acma not only collaborates with primary packaging producers in developing new sustainable materials but also precisely identifies adjustments to introduce on customers’ machinery so they can handle the new materials with the same efficiency as the previous ones, ensuring excellent packaging quality.
ProSweets will also be an opportunity to present Acma CARES, a program designed to consistently support customers in improving productivity and reducing maintenance costs for their installed base. Leveraging extensive field experience and a strong commitment from the research and development department, the company can offer various solutions to extend the lifecycle of its machines, innovate its models – expanding also equipment capabilities, for example, by adding new accessories – and keep updated the electronics of models that require alignment with new production needs, a natural consequence of technological evolution. Key aspect of the program is alignment with the latest safety standards and a focus on sustainability, promoting environmentally responsible solutions. Another important focus of Acma Cares is to develop active synergies with customers, forming partnerships to support technological progress, a fundamental basis for the development of future machines.