The world is changing fast and so is the way we do business. Today’s business concerns, such as the drive to expand business across borders, growing demand for exportation and increasing labor costs, are forcing manufacturers to adapt quickly by seeking new ways to secure and sustain their businesses. In Asia, for example, manufacturers are seeking packaging equipment that offers them the competitive advantage of automatic, high-speed production.
PACKAGING SOLUTIONS BOOST AGRO-INDUSTRIAL FOOD CONGLOMERATE
“Almost all of our Aquaculture Feed Processing factories are equipped with Premier Tech packaging machines, from semi-automatic systems to full automation. Overall, we have around 40 packaging machines in CPF’s Aquaculture Feed Business line.” (Udon Duksukkaew, Assistant Vice President, Aquaculture Feed Business, CPF)
Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Public Company Limited is not only Thailand’s top marine animal feed producer; it’s the leading agro-industrial and food conglomerate in Thailand and Asia Pacific. Its food processing factories across the region produce a wide range of marine animal products including concentrated feed as well as complete feed in both powder and pellet form. All 13 of CPF’s factories that process aquaculture feed are armed with PT’s packaging equipment.
This evidence of CPF’s trust in Premier Tech equipment and technical support is the result of the two companies’ ongoing collaboration for more than 30 years. And for most of those three-plus decades, this partnership has been observed by Udon Duksukkaew, the assistant Vice President of CPF’s main engineering division of the company’s aquaculture feed business. In his opinion, there are two fundamental reasons that CPF continues to rely on PT for packaging solutions:
Reliability: The accuracy of PT weighing scales and the sturdiness of its equipment. Despite 24/7 operation, PT weighing scales provide absolute accuracy.
After-sales support and equipment warranty: PT guarantees customer satisfaction. Period. PT’s after-sales support covers client services from PT’s engineering and technical support team, which schedules follow-up visits after installation and commissioning and offers regularly scheduled preventive maintenance that keeps CPF’s equipment functioning at peak capacity.
FULL AUTOMATION INCREASES CAPACITY 120%+
After CPF replaced one of its semi-automatic filling systems at its Banpru Aquaculture Feed Processing factory in Hatyai, Songkla province with PTC’s model OML-1140 fully automatic high-speed open-mouth bagging machine, packaging capacity there rose more than 120%. Output jumped from nine tons per hour to 24 tons per hour. Switching to full automation also decreased labor costs by freeing more than half the filling line employees for relocation to other production lines, thereby relieving the company of its concern about recruiting employees.
DIFFERENT MATERIALS, ALL EXPERTLY HANDLED
The model OML-1140 fully automated high-speed open-mouth bagging system installed at CPF’s Banpru factory is designed to bag free-flowing materials at weights of 5 kg to 50 kg per bag. Bags, both pillow and gusseted open-mouth, can be placed on the bagger’s filling spout at a rate of up to 20 bags per minute, and can be made of paper, polyethylene, laminated woven polypropylene or non-laminated woven polypropylene.
The model OML-1140 bagger is well-suited to handle the powder and pellets CPF produces as well as the flakes and granular material encountered in many other industries: chemicals such as fertilizer and plastic pellets, and foods such as grain, rice, salt, seed, sugar and animal feed. The bagger’s double-walled, dust-tight spout means virtually no material is lost to fugitive dust, which simultaneously decreases the risk of dust explosion.
OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE: FAST AND ACCURATE
The OML-1140 bagger is technologically advanced, fast and versatile. Its advanced design is PLC-controlled, with a user-friendly human-machine interface (HMI). It’s one of the fastest bagging machines in its category, capable of filling up to 1,200 bags per hour. Versatile, too, thanks to a modular platform that can be configured to suit various applications and its ability to be fitted with up to three filling spouts. It has a total weighing system and variable frequency drives (VFD) on key movements for fast, precise, smooth operation.
DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED PRODUCTION TO EXPAND
The 120%+ increase in productivity at CPF’s Banpru factory has led company executives to consider the benefits of full automation for other CPF plants, says Mr. Duksukkaew. “Our top executives plan to apply new technology and full automation systems to enhance operational efficiency in our factories,” he reports. “Some [CPF] factories still use semi-automatic lines so we will develop them with fully automated systems, for example, in Malaysia and the Philippines. We are coordinating with Premier Tech to upgrade overall bagging machine systems.”
ABOUT CHAROEN POKPHAND FOODS
- Founded in 1921
- Operations and investment in 14 countries
- Exports to 40 countries across 5 continents
- Caters to over 3 billion citizens of the world
