There was a very popular viral TikTok early last year that claimed, “Bacon packaging is the worst thing to ever exist.” The point was that most bacon packaging is hard to open and doesn’t have a reclose feature.
“I think those in the know can tell you several good reasons why this is, but the video must have resonated with a lot of people as it ended up with well over a million views,” said Ryan Spencer, product marketing manager for Kansas City, Mo.-based Multivac Inc. “I think this video caused a few bacon suppliers to revisit the concept of easy open and recloseable packs. It’s still not common due to margins and the fact that most bacon gets consumed as soon as the pack is open, but we may see more of this in the future.”
More than just pushing the envelope with new technologies, processors are looking for ways to leverage and repackage existing technologies to provide consumers with fresh and unique solutions in the bacon aisle. Today’s customers are looking for the perfect combination of convenient packaging for consumers and unique packaging designs that help increase the shelf appeal of their products.
Right sizing has been a common trend brought on by inflation to offer consumers more value, and less product waste. Another trend companies are following is the reduction of the amount of material in each package, to support environmental initiatives.
“Manufacturers are not only switching to a more sustainable material, but also making environmental claims on pack,” said Melanie Bandari, senior marketing manager for Oshkosh, Wis.-based Amcor Flexibles North America. “Communication has shifted away from storytelling, educational campaigns, and CEOs’ voices to being on pack for the end user to see.”
She added that Amcor’s AmPrima Plus recycle ready solutions offer a more sustainable choice with no compromise on performance.
“Switching to AmPrima Plus can result in a 60% reduction in non-renewable energy use, 46% reduction in carbon footprint and 18% reduction in water consumption,” Bandari said.
Recent advancements
As one of the leading thermoforming packaging suppliers in the market, Multivac has the capabilities to upgrade an existing bacon packaging line to a new package design or start from scratch in laying out a completely new bacon packaging line.
“Most of the advancements have been in automation and on the software side,” Spencer said. “With automation, the number of people needed to run a bacon line is decreasing significantly. The software advancements have helped operators understand where bottlenecks are occurring and how to address them.”
The labor savings from automation can have a very quick payback, depending on the level of complexity. The software enhancements reduce downtime, which can have a big impact on the OEE of a line.
Michael Newcome, vice president of sales for York, Pa.-based JLS Automation, has continued to see the evolution of automatic draft loading driven by the variety of needs identified by customers — especially space availability, integration of existing assets, special inspection requirements and buffering.
“In the packaging space, we have been hearing from our customers that they want us to remain focused on driving uptime and throughput,” he said. “They are also asking for even faster changeovers and flexibility related to formats. Lines dedicated to a single set up are rare, especially in a contract packaging operation.
“Not only is there a need to automatically load drafts using various L-board die cut/scoring formats,” Newsome added, “but plastic carriers as well as boardless formats.”
Source: Amcor Flexibles North America Amcor’s medium- and high-barrier structures provide exceptional shelf life, product protection and convenience for a premium package that stands out on the shelf. These films run seamlessly on Amcor’s bacon packaging equipment — Curwood FlexVac 6-18 and 2000 HS equipment and all other bacon machinery.
For instance, Bandari noted adding Amcor EZ Peel or SmartTack EZ Peel Reseal to bacon packaging provides an advanced peel and reseal packaging as the tight seal ensures the product stays fresher longer.
“Adding reclose or zipper systems adds the consumer convenience of not having to store it in something else,” she said.
Additionally, because grease is a primary challenge for processors as getting in the seal can cause leaker issues and spoilage, Amcor’s film innovations include premium sealant materials that provide optimal seal-through contamination properties and prevent issues with grease.
“Pairing Amcor’s film solutions with newer equipment advancements can help increase throughput and reduce downtime through increased automation on both ends of the line, and improved packaging efficiency,” Bandari said.
Source: JLS Automation Maintenance matters
While there is no such thing as a “maintenance-free” packaging line, many of the manufacturers design equipment to require as little maintenance as possible.
“With our RX 4.0 packaging machine, the sensor modules can make automatic on-the-fly adjustments to continually optimize the packaging results, reducing the amount of ongoing maintenance steps,” Spencer said. “The sensor systems also recognize when maintenance will be needed and will alert operators prior to failure, which reduces break-fix situations.”
In a world where product quality, plant efficiency and business continuity are fundamental to success, Amcor’s Calibrate field technical service and support team provide packaging systems and solutions expertise at every step of the journey, keeping production lines running smoothly for customers pairing any equipment with Amcor packaging solutions.
“Amcor has the scale of operation, with the breadth and depth of equipment knowledge, to deliver a nationwide service for responsive repair alongside preventative on-site maintenance and planned upgrade programs, all enhanced by dedicated training for your in-house teams,” Bandari said.
