160 PACKAGING WORLD | January 2014

Easy integration of new flow wrappers for cookiesGuatamalan plant adds two new flow wrappers required to integrate easily with existing cookie creamers and provide product configuration and packaging material flexibility.

Perched in the scenic mountains overlooking Guatemala City,

the Molinos Modernos facility in San Jose Pinula is the largest

cookie and cracker plant in Guatemala. Its bakery products

supply the local market and are exported throughout Central America

and the Caribbean. In operation for more than 30 years, the company

has built strong brands such as Can Can cookies on a reputation of high

quality and fine taste.

Molinos Modernos is a division of Corporacion Multi Inversiones

and is dedicated to the production of products derived from wheat and

cereals. As one of the largest milling groups in Latin America, it also pro-

duces the flour used in its cookies and crackers. This vertical integration

from flour production to cookie baking helps ensure that its high-quality

standards are met. Equally important to top-quality ingredients is a con-

sistent baking and packaging operation.

Both Plant Manager Mario Antonio Ivic and Maintenance Manager

Alejandro Cordon attribute their plant’s long-term success to the high

performance of their machinery and a commitment to preventive

maintenance. Termed “Gesman” in Spanish, their philosophy is simple:

Maintenance should be preventive and performed on a set schedule.

This practice has allowed much of their machinery to consistently oper-

ate at a high level for more than 20 years.

However, their diligent maintenance and long machine life recently

created an unforeseen challenge with one of their cookie lines. The

p. 162

COOKIE POUCH. The new flow wrappers can accommodate various sandwich cookie counts in either polypropylene or metallized film.

www.packworld.com

Reprinted from the January 2014 issue of Packaging World

162 PACKAGING WORLD | January 2014

horizontal flow-wrapping machines that package their four- and six-

count sandwich cookies, such as the popular Can Can brand, had out-

lived the manufacturer that originally built them. Because the wrapper

manufacturer had gone out of business, Ivic and Cordon wanted to

avoid a future situation where needed parts would not be available and

thus decided to replace the wrappers.

INTEGRATION IS KEYDuring sandwich cookie production and packaging at the Molinos

Modernos plant, a Peters Equipment creamer from Peerless Food

Equipment (www.peerlessfood.com) places the cream filling between

two cookie halves, then stacks and places the cookies into the flow-

wrapper infeed chain. When the company began looking for new flow-

wrapping machines, its creamers still functioned efficiently, in large part

due to its strict maintenance program, but Ivic knew that integrating

the machines into new state-of-the-art flow wrappers would pose a

challenge.

As a result, the search for new flow wrappers to package the cook-

ies came with specific requirements. “The most important part of this

project was seamless integration with the existing Peters creamers,”

states Ivic. “We were worried because we previously had bad experi-

ences integrating new equipment with our existing machines.”

In looking for new equipment, Ivic and Cordon narrowed down the

number of suppliers they thought could handle the job to three con-

tenders. In the end, they selected Bosch Packaging Technology

(www.boschpackaging.com) and their Pack 201 flow wrapper for a

variety of reasons, including their

successful previous experience

with Bosch wrappers, Bosch’s

long-term stability, and the wrap-

per’s robust design and state-of-

the-art technology. “Bosch was

the best choice for us,” says Ivic.

Molinos Modernos has been

working with Bosch for more than

13 years, including using Sigpack

and Doboy flow wrappers—both

Bosch brands—in their plant.

“Not only does Bosch provide

top-quality machines, but its service is terrific,” states Alejandro. “When

we need spare parts, the response from Bosch in the U.S. and Mexico

is very fast. This is critical because we need the lines to run 24 hours a

day, six days a week.”

FAST AND FLEXIBLEDespite the challenging integration, Bosch’s experience integrating

flow wrappers into creamers of all types facilitated installation of the two

Pack 201s in little more than a week. Each flow-wrapper leg has achieved

speeds up to 310 packs/min—faster than the required rate of 280/min.

Explains Rebeca Long, Bosch’s Latin America Sales Manager,

“Whenever integrating new technology into existing equipment, where

the creamer needs to take signals from the wrapper, there also needs

to be significant controls programming completed. Though most of the

programming is completed at the factory, the technician needs to be

able to troubleshoot during installation. Bosch knows how important it

is to reduce delays during the installation process.”

The model Pack 201 has the flexibility to handle multiple pack con-

figurations, allowing it to accommodate two Can Can cookie formats:

four cookies (two stacks of two), and six cookies (three stacks of two).

Another benefit is the machine’s self-centering film reel holders that

quicken changeovers. This is important because some of the brands

packaged on the line utilize a metallized film, while others use poly-

propylene film.

Given Molinos Modernos’ maintenance practices, the Bosch flow

wrappers will be around for quite some time. “We value a long relation-

ship with our machine providers,” says Ivic. Partnering

with a major supplier such as Bosch will allow the

company to avoid the situation that caused it to pur-

chase new flow wrappers in the first place.

“Our experience with Bosch makes them first on

our list of providers, and we expect to be partners for

a long time.” —Anne Marie Mohan

Share this story

pwgo.to/489

EASY INTEGRATION. Two horizontal flow wrappers were installed and integrated with existing creamer machines in little more than a week, with each flow-wrapper leg achieving speeds up to 310 packs/min.

“Whenever integrating new technology into existing equipment, there also needs to be

significant controls programming completed.”

www.packworld.com

Reprinted from the January 2014 issue of Packaging World

Horizontal Flow Wrapping Experience the Bosch Advantage

Application experience is critical to successful flow wrappingWhat is the difference between a flow wrapper that efficiently packages products 24/7, year after year, and one that frequently jams and requires maintenance downtime? Often times it is a result of the flow wrapper manufacture’s experience with your application.

The manufacturer’s optimization of their standard machine to your application is critical to your success. That optimization is based on their experience wrapping products with similar characteristics to yours and testing with your actual product. No company has more flow wrapping experience across a broad range of industries to draw upon than Bosch.Our associates work with you to understand your operation and run tests using your product. They combine this with our unrivaled experience to deliver the most cost-effective wrapping solution, ideally suited to your product and environment.

Bosch technology minimizes downtime, speeding changeovers and cleaningBosch’s flow wrappers incorporate industry leading technology built on decades of ex-perience. Many changeover adjustments are accomplished simply by selecting a stored recipe, triggering independent servo motors to make the needed changes. Changeover parts are replaced or adjusted within minutes without tools. Outstanding accessibility and a streamlined and sanitary design make the machine easy to clean.

Hand fed to fully automated wrappers and feeding solutionsBosch flow wrappers extend from the entry level Pack 101, typically purchased by first time manufacturers looking for easy and flex-ible automation, to fully automated high speed wrappers. Feeding solutions range from hand fed infeeds to completely automated product handling systems including robotic pick and place solutions. Whether you’re looking to produce standard pillow packs, shrink packs, multi-packs with support boards, or anything in between, Bosch’s extensive flow wrapper and feeding portfolio ensures you receive the best solution for your operation.

Pillow Packs

Multi-Packs

Carrying Inserts

Stacked Products

Opening Aids

U-Boards

Shrink Packaging

Cartoning of Flow Wrapped Products

Download our free educational “Guide to Flow Wrapping” at www.boschpackaging.com/nrd/guide

Guide to Flow Wrapping

www.boschpackaging.com

Tel: 715-249-6511

sales.packaging-nrd@bosch.com

www.boschpackaging.com

Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc.

PAUD_FlowWrapper_SF&WB_66_update.indd 1 28.01.14 08:46