4 minute read
PACKAGING
Global packaging expert, Niverplast, is increasing its presence across a multitude of sectors in the Australian food and beverage industry. Adam McCleery explains why.
European packaging specialist, Niverplast, has built a reputation in the foreign market for its line of packaging machines that can be applied to most sectors of the food and beverage industry.
After initially entering the bakery industry in Australia with the help from Australian-based company, Bakery Combinations, Niverplast is making a splash in different sectors in the Australian market. After finding success in the horticulture industry in New Zealand, the possibilities are endless.
Bart Raaphorst, from Niverplast, said the kiwi fruit sector in New Zealand had proven so successful the company knew it was time to create a stronger presence in the Australian market.
The variety of food and beverage manufacturing sectors in Australia, and its large export markets, were particularly appealing to the company, who only deal in the business-tobusiness packaging space.
“If you look at the role of automation in the food and beverage industry, everything has to be packaged,” said Raaphorst.
“As a result, there is a lot of manual labour required, like unfolding boxes and placing bags and subsequently pushing them down the line.”
This was an area of focus for the company – creating a packaging line technology that would eliminate a large part of the manual labour overheads, which in turn would create a clearer estimation of output.
From the original case-erecting and bag-placing machines, the company diversified its industry offerings after clients came to them with more requests during the early days of the company.
To meet customer demand, Niverplast moved into several other arenas including check-weighing, palletising and quality control.
The company’s offering now exceeds just the bakery area of the food and beverage sector, and it is capitalising on many other industries.
“We do packaging for a whole range of products, from dried fruits and nuts to meats and from poultry to vegetables, anything that is perishable really,” said Raaphorst
Raaphorst said the company hopes to be recognised for its high-quality offerings in Australia as much as it has been in Europe, where the company grew from less than 10 employees to over 250 in a short window of time.
This was achieved through several critical factors, from positive word of mouth to a dedicated team that is available to clients at any time. Most importantly, the quality of the machines is second-to-none and has created a loyal customer base.
The suite of offerings from Niverplast includes packaging machines like the CombiPlast caseerecting and bag-placing unit or the VarioSeal bag-closing unit.
One of the company’s early successes in Australia outside the bakery industry was through its work with Australian Premium Dried Fruits (APDF).
Australian Premium Dried Fruits operations supervisor, Leigh Jones, was full of praise for the results achieved with Niverplast.
“In 2018, our company APDF was looking for an automated packing line that could eliminate the need for manual bag insertion/check weighing and sealing of our dried fruit products,” said Jones.
“Some of the standout features of the Niverplast line for us were the continuous bag insertion in the CombiPlast where bags can be reloaded while the machine is still running, helping to reduce downtime.”
Jones said an easy-to-navigate user-interface that was supplied by Niverplast was another benefit of the relationship.
“We find that having picture diagnostics on screen to help resolve any faults is a very valuable tool to get the line back up and running in the shortest possible time,” he said.
“If this method fails, the service techs at Niverplast are always there to share their expertise to help us find the best solutions.”
Niverplast, through its partnership with Bakery Combinations, has a technical team in Australia who work with any client, in any industry, at any time.
The company provides clients with a service that includes access to critical spare parts in a timely manner.
When it comes to cost, Raaphorst said the return on investment for their machines was rapid and assured.
When replacing several manual labour FTE’s with a machine, or an automated line, clients offset the cost of automation quickly, reduce the obligations of employing personnel, and can dedicate more time on streamlining further aspects of their production process.
A part of the company’s dedication to meet a customers requirements is the guarantee that the final payment will not be due until the customer is fully satisfied with the result.
The company also offers customers the chance to rent a new machine for a trial period. After the trial, the customer can purchase it outright minus the rental cost or return it.
“We have yet to have a single machine returned after a trial,” said Raaphorst, once more indicating how satisfied Niverplast’s clients are.
Camera quality control units, camera counting units and vertical form sealing units are other examples from the company.
Raaphorst said the benefits of Niverplast’s suite of offerings were obvious.
“You look at a manual production line and you have a person assigned to each little task, like opening the box, another inserting the product, another closes it, and another takes it off the line,” said Raaphorst.
“However, all of these things can be done automatically, and for the most part, has a big impact on output and overhead costs.”
Raaphorst said potential clients were encouraged to start small to get a feel for what Niverplast can provide, before diversifying their orders.
“We have a lot of clients who start small, with case erecting and bag placing for example, before moving into other areas like case sealing and closing and palletising,” he said.
Niverplast and MIWE, with their dedicated customer-oriented focus on Australia are helping to bring advanced engineering into the Australian market. F
