Combining what Smurfit Kappa, Dublin, Ireland, describes as a unique range of expertise in design, mechanization, performance packaging, and shopper marketing, the company announced yesterday (May 25) the commercial launch of the SKMF 146, a state-of-the-art mandrel case former. The SKMF 146 is said to be the next generation of mandrel case formers, providing customers with the most effective and optimized packaging machine solution to date combined with the flexibility to pack multiple design formats.

Using the SKMF 146, cases are formed with precision by shaping them around a mandrel resulting in the highest level of accuracy and consistency. The precision forming improves the efficiency of the entire packing line due to more reliable case filling, perfect case closing, and straight stack palletization. This results in better pack performance, minimizing any supply chain risk.

 

 

The newly designed machine also offers brands owners the flexibility to change the design of their packaging to maximize shopper impact in-store, where 82% of purchase decisions are made.  It can fold cases with 4, 6, or 8 corner designs, in various shapes so brand owners can modify existing packs, such as having extra surface space to communicate brand messages, or develop a complete new pack to disrupt shopper behavior.

The SKMF 146 mandrel case former is a highly versatile machine which can be used by different industries and businesses, and is already being used in trials by the company affiliated Pernod Ricard plant with extremely positive reviews.  

 

"The Ricard plant in Lormont, north of Bordeaux, produces around 18 million liters per year. Innovation is at the heart of our industrial strategy, which is why we did not hesitate to incorporate the first Smurfit Kappa SKMF 146 mandrel case former on our line 1 in early 2016. Its novel design offers a good compromise between ergonomics, ease of access, and simplicity of use, in line with our objectives of efficiency and flexibility of format changes. This new equipment is fully aligned with our pursuit of operational excellence," said Plant Manager Alexandre Defrance of the Pernod plant in Lormont, France

"Smurfit Kappa is relentless in its approach to delivering new, innovative, and unique ways to help our customers achieve optimal packaging performance both across the supply chain and in store. The SKMF 146 mandrel case former is another example of a total packaging solution for our customers from machine, to design, to brand impact and supply chain efficiency," added Arco Berkenbosch, VP of the Innovation & Development division at Smurfit Kappa

Smurfit Kappa supplies approximately 200 machines per year to its customers and has built up an installed base of approximately 8,000 machines. The company offers a wide portfolio of end of line packaging machines, such as tray erectors, case erectors, wrap around machines, and custom-built packing lines. The company strongly believes packaging and machinery must work seamlessly together to maximize efficiency and deliver the lowest total packing cost.