Automation and advanced technology can ensure that cookie manufacturers are running the most productive, waste-free packaging departments.

“If I go back to my first years in the packaging industry, there were a lot of mechanical changes and you had to change a lot of things,” said Luis Pilonieta, sales director, Paxiom. “It was very hands-on when you got into the equipment. Nowadays, it’s a lot of electronics. The technology has evolved, and we’ve applied that technology to the equipment, helping clients to make it easier. We use servo motors. We have touchscreens that allow them to go back to a certain setting, alarms and codes that will help them understand where they’re out of sequence.”

He said data collection along with connectivity across several platforms can smooth operations. For example, if a manufacturer has three shifts and one is outperforming the others, data can point to the reason and improve other shifts.

“PLCs have the ability to be remotely connected or connected to an ERP system, so for clients who are willing and able to collect the data [from the machines], it will help them become more efficient and productive,” Pilonieta said.

Fully assessing the packaging department and finding the best opportunities for automation can optimize labor in a facility.

“Invest in packaging machinery that automates repetitive tasks such as filling, sealing and labeling,” said Mark Evangelista, director of sales, Plan It Packaging. “This can significantly reduce manual labor and speed up the process.”

Sebastian Clemens, director of sales, North America, SACMI Packaging & Chocolate, said SACMI is working to make systems more intuitive. For instance, if there’s a problem with the infeed, instead of the machine only generating an error code, that section of the machine will be illuminated by red lights.

“You don’t need to decipher an error on the HMI anymore,” he explained.

Machines can track HMI changes, so if an operator makes a change, say a worker increases or decreases the sealing temperature, the equipment will remember that.

“If I’m starting to run into a sealing problem, and there are packs that are not closed, I can identify relatively quickly if someone changed the temperature by 3 degrees,” Clemens said.

To avoid problems, bakers must ensure their packaging capacity is greater than production capacity, said Josh Becker, bakery and confections segment manager, Harpak-Ulma.   

“This can be accomplished with redundant machines, inline buffers or refeed systems,” he said. “Minimize the amount of conveyor transfers from production to packaging. The better the consistency of product delivery to the packaging line, the higher the line efficiency will be.”

Bill Kehrli, vice president of sales and marketing, Cavanna Packaging, said he’s seeing a growth in first-in, first-out accumulators as many lines don’t have backup packaging or an escape path.

“If one of the tray loaders stops, what do you do with all those cookies coming at you?” he said. “You can either divert them to an idle or redundant tray loader wrapper leg or start accumulating, so we’re seeing more interest in first-in, first-out accumulators on the biscuit and cracker side.”

An automated end-to-end system reduces manual intervention and ensures a smooth flow to final packaging. 

“Most importantly, proper sizing of the system and the intelligent application of product buffering ensures that the system can accommodate packaging machine stoppages with minimal waste and keep the oven running at full capacity,” said Brad Baker, senior sales director, North America, Syntegon. 

Precise pick-and-place robots can lead to greater efficiency on packaging lines in bakeries.

“Using special solutions, such as the vision system developed by Schubert, the robots are able to place biscuits in packaging with pinpoint accuracy and effectively reduce waste through quality control,” explained Bärbel Beyhl, marketing manager, Gerhard Schubert GmbH.

Bakeries with every level of automation can benefit from common-sense scheduling, pointed out Dennis Gunnell, president, Formost Fuji.

“Work with production to make sure your production schedule gives you the most efficiency so you’re not running a 2-oz chocolate chip cookie, then go do something else, then a 2.5-oz chocolate chip cookie,” he said. “Look at your production so it optimizes time.”

The increasing pressure to use eco-friendly packaging can add costs and headaches, but they can be avoided with the right materials and planning, said Scott Williams, Northwest sales manager, BluePrint Automation (BPA).

“Opt for recyclable or biodegradable materials that still offer good protection,” he pointed out. “Compostable plastics and paper-based packaging are great alternatives.”

Cookie producers have several factors to consider to optimize their packaging departments. Finding the right machinery, operating it properly and keeping it maintained will bring success.

This article is an excerpt from the November 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Cookie Packaging, click here.