Machinery Update

Machinery Update

Dave Martin |

Entry level filling machines made a splash at the PPMA Total Show

Proving that the PPMA Total Show has something for everyone, a range of weighing, filling and sealing equipment with price tags starting at under £1000 were demonstrated on the Scayl stand.

This new company, who now partner with established PPMA member PFM Packaging Machinery, initially developed its packaging machines to meet its own needs. As owners of a tea club, it was hand packing thousands of sachets of loose tea every month and wanted to improve efficiency and cut down on waste.

Unfortunately, says company founder Scott, entry level solutions were tailored for much bigger companies (and budgets), so it decided to develop its own cost-effective solution.

“The machines were so good that I started to call a few of our competitors to see if they had the same problem and we immediately had a handful of orders and a new business to develop,” says founder Anneka.

Since inception earlier this year, the range has grown to five machines, including a sealing machine, and has found customers around the world with exports now making up 30% of sales.

In operation, dry ingredients are loaded into the top of the hopper, the weight required is entered and the machine automatically weighs the ingredients and dispenses the exact amount into a pack. For instance, the Phil 300 delivers up to 300g of product at 20 a minute while the Phil 5000 can work at up to 40 a minute with larger quantities.

“Once you load products into our machine it will weigh and fill ingredients to within 0.2g of accuracy until you tell it to stop,” says Scott.

Ingredients that can be handled include tea, coffee, spices, herbs, powders, grains and nuts to dog treats, cinnamon sticks, seaweed, boiled sweets, craft items and even electronic components. All machines are CE approved and are typically 35% faster than hand packing.

The machines are available from UK stock and can be delivered in two weeks, or even next day if needed. “We are filling a gap in the market for fast delivery,” says Scott.

www.scayl.co.uk