Gebo Cermex meets the complex requirements of the food, homecare and personal care (FHPC) markets with its unique approach to engineering packaging lines, backed by innovative handling and packaging solutions. The company’s integrator model aims to optimize operational expenditure (Opex) and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Its innovative packaging and material handling machinery ensures high-quality end-of-line solutions. Gebo Cermex’s strategic approach to line integration in the FHPC sector and its new equipment was presented at interpack in Duesseldorf in May 2014.
In the food, homecare and personal care industries, global system providers offer pre-engineered, full turnkey packaging line solutions. While such lines are optimized in terms of capital expenditure, they are not always the best option in terms operational expenditure. To keep maintenance cost at a minimum, initial investment also needs to consider the technical reliability of equipment over time, the complexity and quality of the components, and general line engineering issues. Gebo Cermex offers a holistic approach to packaging line engineering that is both tailored to clients’ specific needs and highly economical. It ensures high efficiency throughout the entire plant lifecycle.
Plant optimization, tailor-made lines and best OEE
If a company needs to increase the output of their production lines, they can either invest in new equipment or make their existing equipment work harder. Gebo Cermex’ approach is to offer tailor-made solutions to update and optimize its clients’ existing packaging lines. They include plant and line audits to identify improvement opportunities, operator trainings and line maintenance strategies. While the line is up and running, Gebo ensures that it reaches and maintains its best performance level. “We regularly conduct OEE analyses at our clients’ premises. This way, we can identify reasons for the loss of efficiency that eventually occurs in a machine’s lifetime. Our integrator model guarantees top performance for each line throughout its lifetime through professional asset management and innovative equipment,” says Ludovic Tanchou.
Gebo Cermex’s services also include replacing existing line hardware with up-to-date solutions, integrating new machines into existing networks, and services beyond the packaging line. Such services include the management of production orders and network design for all levels of networking, from single equipment to corporate scale. Gebo Cermex further advises on best-in-class machines for each part of their packaging line – from packing and palletizing equipment to handling machines – and seamlessly integrates each part into the line. By selecting the best-in-class machines, optimizing plant and line layout and aligning the technology, the total cost of ownership (TCO) is kept to a minimum.
Value through innovation: New end-of-line solutions for the FHPC industries
At its interpack booth, Gebo Cermex showcased several new packaging and handling machines for the FHPC markets. All solutions are in line with the company’s integrator approach to optimize equipment and to offer greater efficiency and higher profitability.
Presented as a world premiere, the second version of the proven FlexiCase® top loading case packer combines forming, loading and sealing functions to pack products that are difficult to accumulate into regular slotted cases (RSC). Processing up to 40 cases a minute, the machine offers the best combination of speed and packaging size range with a small footprint.
Optimized product flow is ensured by Gebo Cermex’s ER50 case packer for collating and packing products that cannot be accumulated. Launched in early 2014, the machine now comes with new flow management software. Designed to handle different products of the FHPC markets, the ER50 is equipped with a lighter gripping head and special light-weight tooling.
In line with Gebo Cermex’s overall approach, the modular Pal-Pack 3000 is an economical single-line palletizing solution that was designed to make packaging lines more profitable. It can handle up to 1,400 packages and 100 layers per hour with a broad variety products and formats. Thanks to Cermex’s Pal Designer® programming software, operators can also create new palletizing programs.
Securing profitable production by reducing losses in labelling and coding, Gebo Cermex’s high-end drying solution OptiDry® can handle glass, plastic and metal containers in all shapes and sizes. The machine offers superior drying efficiency of over 99 per cent.