Continuous-motion tray packer/ shrink wrapper matches Citrus World's non-stop production schedule

Food & Drug Packaging, March, 1998 by William Makely

Citrus World, a grower-owned cooperative, produces dozens of different fruit juices and blends--to the tune of $450 million in annual sales. To handle customer demand, the company's facility, manned by almost 1,000 employees, runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and swallows up as many as 200 large truckloads of fruit per day in season.

When Citrus World needed a new tray packer and shrink-wrapping system, it needed one that could go and go and go. Kayat Engineering answered the call by redesigning one of its most successful shrink wrapping systems and linking it with a flexible, high-speed tray packer to meet Citrus World's specific needs.

The juice company began looking for a newer shrink wrap system late in 1996, as part of the company's ongoing modernization and expansion program. Although it considered several manufacturers, the company's successful experience with an older Kayat system on its aluminum can line led it to approach the machinery maker with its requirements. Kayat recommended designing a new continuous-motion shrink system to meet Citrus World's 60-tray-per-minute production goal and, at the same time, eliminate traditional seal bar problems by eliminating the seal bar.

Keep Changeover Simple

The machinery maker's engineers began by redesigning its existing Model 801 high-speed shrink wrapper, modifying the technology to achieve the necessary 60-tray speed. The new system (Model 601-T) was deliberately designed for consistent performance and simplicity of operation to ensure it would run reliably in the non-stop Citrus World production environment.

The 601-T was linked to a Kayak Model TP-50 tray packer, a model specifically designed to handle a variety of package types and sizes as well as tray patterns and sizes. It offers the quick changeover capability essential to Citrus World as it maximizes the flexibility of its line to accommodate present and future demands. Currently, for instance, the TP-50 will changeover to handle either loose pack or Hi-Cone tray packing 10 to 15 times in a week.

"Operators simply remove or install lane guides and adjust the width of the grouper feed sections," says Citrus World's manager of can packaging Mike Buckland. "Changes are made with quick release handles and quick release change parts--no tools are necessary.

The new system is also designed to handle stacked trays, a configuration more and more customers are asking for. A Kayat two-tier stacker is located down-stream from the tray turner, between the tray packer and the shrink wrap system. A few key strokes on the stacker's control panel starts the operation, which automatically synchronizes shrink wrap functions to accommodate the changeover--including adjusting film feed to the needed longer length.

Better Looking Display Pack

One operator is responsible for the system, from tray packer infeed to shrink wrap discharge. Automation lets this operator devote more time to supervising the line: checking quality, productivity and machine performance. The operator loads tray blanks (the tray feeder holds about twice as many blanks as most systems), but lubrication of the entire system is semi-automatic. Even film replacement is virtually automatic, since the 601-T offers a double film mandrel and a quick splice feature that minimizes downtime for film changes.

Eliminating the seal bar mechanism on the 601-T further simplifies operation by reducing parts and the maintenance downtime that go with them. The 601-T's overlap seal uses a single sheet of film which is cut by a rotary knife. The overlapping edges are fused in the heat tunnel and produce seals that are more consistent than those made by seal bars with varying temperatures, the company reports. The single finished seal on the bottom of the package is also extremely smooth. Shrink wrapping also displays the product well. Since 30% of Citrus World product goes to club stores where it is displayed still shrink wrapped, the product's visibility becomes a marketing advantage.

Packing product in trays instead of full cartons has helped Citrus World cut corrugated use by 60%. That savings may continue, as the company plans to continue this cost saving by eliminating even the trays, supporting product with pads, or even shrink-bundling unsupported product. Until that time, tray costs are minimized by using standard trays, which are identified by an in-line ink jet printer which marks time, date, product flavor and bar code. Trays are preprinted only with the Citrus World logo.

Citrus World has been pleased with the results of installing the new system. In addition to reducing material cost (especially corrugated) and delivering a better-displayed product, production is on the rise.

"In the first six months the new system was in operation, line production efficiency increased by 5%," reports Buckland. "As operators become more familiar with the system, we expect that to improve even more."

In fact, Citrus World has been so pleased with the new system that it has decided to make Kayat Engineering a standard supplier. In addition to the advantage of having a supplier with proven capability, a dedicated relationship offers better integration of separate pieces of equipment and conveyors, the opportunity to cross-train operators and a smaller inventory of spare parts.