Case story Zentis GmbH, Germany

Zentis invests in a fully automatic Octopus stretch wrapping machine

Building up a packaging line is challenging. To upgrade one is more challenging. When some or even one of the equipment needs to be upgraded, for instance due to a significant capacity increase, the project requires several aspects to be taken into account. There might be lack of space, how to fulfill all safety requirements, and yet provide a solution that meets the customer’s requirements.

Zentis GmbH is one of the leading fruit processors in Europe with several production sites on two continents. The idea of mixing dried apricots and sugar into a jam laid the foundation for an economic success. Main products are fruit preparations, jams and sweets. The company supplies products to the end user as well as for further use in other food sector companies, particularly for the milk processing industry. The company has subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary, Russia and the USA. In 2018 Zentis celebrates its 125th anniversary. Zentis jams and sweets are produced exclusively in Germany at their headquarters in Aachen.

A pallet load packaging system had been in use at the Zentis factory but was out of date. In 2016, Zentis decided to renew its entire palletizing and final packaging lines in Aachen to meet the new capacity requirements. The capacity had increased over the years and now it was time to replace the existing turntable machines. As a result, Zentis decided to rebuild the end-of-line packaging lines to pack more efficiently the jar into containers.

After extensive study of the market, the technical team headed by Achim Minten decided in favor of Haloila’s fully automatic stretch wrapping machine (Octopus) for their pallet loads. In 2016, the first Octopus (model 1845S) was successfully installed, followed by another similar machine installed in 2017.

As a part of the modernization, the entire palletizing and pallet transport were also renewed. Both systems are parallel to each other and packing the palletized products with stretch film around the clock, 365 days a year. A decisive criteria for Octopus was the small footprint and a very reliable machine technology, both in terms of durability and efficiency of the film consumption.

At the Aachen plant, up to 80 pallets per hour per packaging line are automatically fed to an Octopus via a conveyor system. When the pallet is in wrapping position, it will be wrapped according to the pre-set wrapping program. A great advantage of the Octopus is that the starting and ending points of the wrapping can be freely determined in the program, so there are no limits based on the application. Single, double or only banderol wrapping programs are available at any time.

“A big plus of the Octopus stretch wrapper is the controlled film pre-stretch. Once set, it works like a Swiss clock.” says Achim Minten. “The pre-set pre-stretch value can be checked at any time and is consistently high, ensuring a very good utilization of the film properties and extremely low film consumption.”

“Our service technicians adjust the machine during commissioning according to the customer requirements. After technical training the employees learn to adjust the machine by themselves.” says Markus Dell, Sales Haloila. “If service or maintenance is needed, our customers are provided with highly trained technicians; If required, the service staff located throughout Germany can be deployed quickly and locally.”

The fully automatic Octopus stretch wrapping machines for pallet loads have been built by Haloila in Finland since the early 1980s. The company was able to establish itself very quickly in the market, especially in Germany, where the awareness of the Octopus stretch wrapping machines grew steadily. Today, more than 6,000 fully automatic machines are in use worldwide in a wide variety of industries with stretch film so that products reach their destination safely and undamaged.

The customer specifications were extensive and demanding, especially with regard to cleanliness and hygiene. Therefore, understanding the requirements was a key issue when looking for a suitable packaging machine for Zentis, together with an ability and willingness to meet the requirements. Collaboration with the customer went smoothly and Haloila could suggest a solution that met Zentis’ stringent requirements for their Aachen plant.

Zentis GmbH & Co. KG is an internationally active family company with a proud tradition and one of Europe’s leading fruit processors. For 125 years, Zentis has stood for unparalleled expertise in the processing of fruit and other natural raw materials. Zentis keeps its energy costs at a permanently low level, which allows the company to play a role in ensuring a sustainable economy. (https:// www.zentis.de/en).