IMA and Senoble create proprietary shapes for cups and bottles to rival standard dairy molds
Open Mold can be used by food manufacturers to shape unique-to-brand containers for products, including yogurt, cream spreads, jellies and jams, juices, water, butter, margarine, sauces and fruit salads.
Food manufacturer Senoble
Arnold Lawner, VP, sales, IMA Dairy & Food, told FoodProductionDaily food manufacturer Senoble in Burgundy, France is currently utilizing the Open Mold Technology for a yoghurt produced in France for sale in Mercadona supermarkets in Spain.
The company is active in branded products under the Senoble, Oasis, Disney, Zvolensky and Bonta Viva brands, and private label, in partnership with European retailers including E.Leclerc, Carrefour and Auchan in France, Mercadona in Spain, Sonae in Portugal, Asda and Waitrose in the UK.
Traditionally, thermoformed containers must be straight-walled or tapered out to release them from the production mold but this technology allows a proprietary shape to be formed prior to filling and sealing.
“IMA is the company that owns Erca, rather than a company that would be ordering machinery from it. This is an entirely new technology rather than a replacement for an existing system,” he said.
“The benefits to food manufacturers are an increased ease of placing their products in see-through, thermoformed plastic that can be molded into various, even brand-specific shapes. It's both convenient and customizable - a big plus in the food industry.”
16,800 product-filled bottles, per hour
Manufacturers utilizing the Open Mold technology can produce up to 18,000 product-filled portion cups, or 16,800 product-filled bottles, per hour.
In addition to packaging shaping possibilities, labeling options are available, including wraparound and spotside.
The spokesman added IMA’s technology also serves to reduce waste; via an Erca plastic stretching device that minimizes the bottom thickness in unused thermoforming areas, and by limiting wasted lid material during the die-cutting and pick-and-place processes.
The result is a reduction in overall scrap waste material for cost savings relating to packaging materials, transportation and storage.
IMA Group has approximately 3,700 employees and 24 production plants in Italy, Switzerland, UK, US, India and China.
IMA Dairy & Food USA serves the dairy and food industries with a portfolio covering Filling and sealing machines (FS) for preformed cups and bottles, and forming, filling and sealing machines (FFS) for packaging products in the food, dairy, beverage segment filled up to the aseptic level and wrapping machines for packaging butter and margarine.
It also produces aseptic vertical form, fill and seal machines for stick packs/pouches, FS and FFS machines for packaging single portions of coffee, honey, jam.
