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Best Brands to Consider for Combination Scales

Combination scales are an essential machine for many companies’ packaging lines. These scales are able to weigh out different components of product and package them into the same container or bag. Combination weighers facilitate the process of packaging a combined assortment of goods into the same package, so it’s important to use one that does so efficiently. In the packaging machinery industry, there are a number of companies that manufacture these machines. Learn more about some of the leading manufacturers before you make your decision on which to buy.

Bilwinco

Bilwinco offers a range of scales that cover portion sizes from 10 grams up to 500 kilograms, for a total output of up to 300 kilograms per minute. Ideal for dry foods, these weighers are known for being some of the best in the business. Bilwinco has been a market leader in weighing and packaging industries since 1955 and is headquartered in Denmark. The company also develops and builds custom-made solutions for its clients.

Combi

Combi is another company known for its high-quality scales and weighers. They are behind the PrimoCombi, the first open frame combination scale with an electronic control panel that can be conveniently placed anywhere. Typically, other brands’ scales have the scale located at the base of the scale, which can make cleaning the machinery more difficult. Combi was founded in 1991 and has since delivered packaging systems to more than 30 countries. It has facilities in Las Vegas, Montreal, Toronto and Miami.

Ishida

With a network extending to 70 countries, Ishida is a leading manufacturer of weighing and packaging machinery. The company is currently celebrating its 120th anniversary, so they’re a company you can rely on to be here when you need them. In addition to manufacturing high-quality combination scales and multihead weighers, they also make conveyors, snack food bag makers, automatic wrappers, platform scales, and a number of other machines.

Multipond

At Multipond, the focus is on producing some of the best known multihead weighers out there. Serving both food and non-food companies, these machines are designed to deliver individual computer combination weigher abilities that companies can trust for accuracy. Multipond has been in business since 1987, and is positioned as one of the market leading innovators in the industry.

Parsons Eagle

With more than 90 years of experience, Parsons Eagle serves specific markets including pet food, pet treats, fresh fruit, cereals, confections and more. Parsons Eagle Packaging Systems is a division of Campbell Wrapper Corporation of De Pere, WI, and is also a leading supplier of horizontal flow wrapping and form/fill/seal packaging solutions. They offer dependable, high performance packaging equipment for a variety of industries.

Yamato

Another leader in this business is Yamato. With roots dating back to 1922, this company is here to stay. Yamato offers an array of different packaging machines, and their combination scales and weighers are available in more than 100 different models with varying features. The company is headquartered in Mequon, Wisconsin, and the line of products address virtually any packaging needs.

Want to learn more about any of these brands? Contact High Performance Packaging today!

 

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Finding the Right Packaging Material for Your Product

Outsourcing your packaging material provider and used packaging equipment company may cause finger pointing if there is a problem on the line. To eliminate that problem and create a more streamlined experience for clients, High Performance Packaging provides packaging materials and used equipment for food and non-food packaging clients. We have a long history of finding the right kind of material to work well with many brands of machinery, and can help you find the right solution for your product.

Whether you need to package coffee, snacks, meat, pet food, soap, or another product, we offer support, products and used equipment to improve your return on investment with every order.

Packaging Materials

Think about these packaging material considerations the next time you have a product going to market:

  1. Review regulations. Depending on where your product will be marketed, you may need to check on the regulations of selling in different states and countries. You may need to package your product in a different way to account for different placement regions or have multiple packaging materials to cover regulation needs.
  1. Consider transportation. However you decide to package your product, it will need to withstand travel. Make sure your packaging material will protect your product from the environment, physical handling, and re-handling. Shrink wrapping pallets is a advisable option to reduce damage to goods in transit.
  1. Think about the product. Food may have refrigeration needs or need to be at room temperature and away from extreme heat to remain viable. Pharmaceuticals may also require special packaging. Think about all of the environmental factors that might affect the quality of your product. If it is sensitive to light, you may need a packaging material that is opaque rather than translucent.
  1. Consider the design. Having a design that is classic and evergreen will save you money in the long run. Reusable and recyclable packaging is even better, as it is a sustainable and environmentally friendly choice.
  1. Prevent diversion. Diversion is when a product ends up in an unauthorized store. Implementing bar codes and tracking devices into your packaging design can help your company keep track of your products as they reach the market.

Contact High Performance Packaging today for more information about the packaging materials we provide and our solutions for your used packaging equipment needs.

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Comparing Cartoning Equipment Brands

Cartoning machines are a vital part of packaging operations that fold cartons out of cardboard and other materials and fill them with a product before it is brought to market. Cartoners are used for dairy and milk-substitutes, cosmetics, medicine and more.

In general, they work by expanding a folded carton, filling it with a loose or prepackaged item and applying glue to seal flaps over a filled carton. High Performance Packaging technicians are familiar with operating a variety of brands:

ADCO

ADCO cartoners are available in a range of styles, from hand-loaded options to solutions that are automatically driven and feature touch screen controls and onboard diagnostics. The company started its first cartoner option in 1958 and now offers a wide range of horizontal and vertical end load cartoners. The company specializes in equipment for a range of industries, including food, personal care and cosmetics. They offer more horizontal end load cartoners than vertical.

PMI

PMI Cartoning was formed in 1993 by Branko Tisma, a lifelong worker in the packaging machine industry. They carry vertical and horizontal cartoning equipment and also work with food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Companies like Kraft and Hershey and smaller, family owned companies use PMI cartoning equipment in their day-to-day operations.

Clybourn

Clybourn Cartoner Co. equipment is built for industrial and consumer products. The company is focused on providing equipment that is reliable and durable. They also stock replacement parts for vintage equipment dating back to the 1960s. If you’ve got a Clybourn, it’s likely you’ll be able to find replacement parts and keep it working for many years regardless of its age.

Yeaman

Yeaman Machine Technologies has been working with packaging automation for more than 30 years and works primarily in cartoning for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. They offer horizontal and vertical cartoners that are modular to allow for future product changes.

Scandia

Scandia Packaging Equipment creates cartoners for the entertainment, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and cosmetic industries. Its many models are created specifically for certain industry needs. For instance, its Compact Intermittent Motion Cartoner is used for smaller items associated with the tobacco, cosmetics, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries. Their cartoners are available in a range of options, from hand loading to automatic and high speed cartoners.

Contact High Performance Packaging for more information about the used packaging equipment brands we sell, maintain and buy.

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Maintaining Your Packaging Equipment to Reduce Downtime

Owning quality-packaging equipment is only the first step in keeping the performance of your line at industry standards. Maintenance of your equipment is the other part of the equation. Don’t wait until something breaks to fix it. Waiting may cost you time that could have been spent working and wastes money in paying wages for downtime and lost product packaging.

Partner with Your Equipment Provider

Maintaining equipment appropriately means you need someone knowledgeable about the technology on staff. Production personnel will be more focused on keeping the line running than keeping up with routine maintenance tasks. Instead of hiring dedicated maintenance personnel, consider partnering with your packaging equipment provider.

High Performance Packaging doesn’t only sell quality, refurbished machinery for your company; we help you maintain your equipment year round so you get the most out of your investment.

Use a Maintenance Plan

Our Proactive Service Level agreement features preventative, routine maintenance for all the used packaging equipment we sell. Doing so helps you maximize productivity and effectiveness in your day-to-day operations. When you sign up for our maintenance program, we will sit down with you and discuss a custom plan that focuses on your business goals and target efficiency key indicators.

We have more than 25 years of experience working in the refurbishment and maintenance of packaging machinery. We don’t sell anything we don’t know inside and out. You will receive quality assistance in packaging line installation and expertise for the brand and model of machinery you invest in.

Repair Rather than Replace

If you do encounter a problem with your High Performance Packaging equipment, we stock many replacement parts to prevent you from having to invest in new machinery when a system fails. Even with regular maintenance, you will encounter the breakdown of parts over time. Let us help you troubleshoot as soon as a problem arises so we can get you back up and running fast. It’s part of our commitment to quality to ensure that your productivity levels remain high and the packaging equipment maintenance we provide gives you top performance when the equipment leaves our shop.

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Save Money By Replacing Individual Machine Parts

Machine Parts from High Performance Packaging

No matter how much maintenance and preventative measures you perform on machinery, there will most likely come a time when a part fails. If you’re not mechanically savvy to the point of knowing what needs to be replaced, you’re not stuck—particularly if you’ve purchased your machine from a company that refurbishes them. You’ll be able to talk to the professionals there about what your next move should be. They likely know the machines inside and out and can assess what your best course of action would be, and believe it or not, they may not always suggest simply replacing the machine.

Replacement Parts in Used Machinery

Depending on what’s malfunctioning, you might be able to get away with simply replacing the affected part. Over time, regular wear and tear will degrade the quality of the parts, necessitating repairs or replacements, so it’s important to talk to someone who can look at what’s going wrong before you decide to replace the whole machine. At High Performance Packaging, we offer our clients a wide selection of replacement parts that are compatible with the machinery we sell, so whether or not you originally purchased your machine from us, you may be able to upgrade or replace the part you need without issue. We offer brands you know and trust like Ishida, Yamato and many more, and our experts are happy to help you get your machine back up and running.

Troubleshooting and Tech Support

Whether you know what’s wrong and just need the part, or you’re not sure what needs replaced and you need help fixing your machine, it’s easy to find help with us. We know everything about the products, machines, and parts we sell, and are happy to help you learn more about the machinery you use in your packaging line, whether that’s vertical form fill and seal machines, weighers, or any other machine. We can also help you identify places in your line that could be improved, if you are interested in making your line more efficient.  Our commitment to offering quality products and service doesn’t stop at simply selling you machinery—we want to see you succeed as much as you want to succeed. If you’re having a problem with your machinery, give us a call—we’re happy to help you determine whether a replacement part will help or if you need to focus on more involved action.

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Benefits of Getting Tech Support from Your Machine Supplier

HP Packaging Provides Tech Support for Used Packaging Machines Like This Combination Weigher

When you purchase machinery for your packaging line, the hope is that everything is smooth sailing—no issues with performance or efficiency. Of course, like most every other piece of machinery in any industry, the time will eventually come when you need maintenance, troubleshooting, repairs, or a performance review for better efficiency. In these instances, you have the option to contact a local technician or the manufacturer of the machinery, but there’s a third option for getting the tech support you need—contacting the vendor you purchased the machinery from.

What Can the Vendor Do?

In High Performance Packaging’s case, we don’t just sell the equipment and cut contact with our clients. We strive to ensure each of our clients has a good experience with their machinery and gets the most out of their investment. For that reason, we offer operator training, troubleshooting services, a preventative maintenance program, and a performance improvement program to ensure that your machinery offers you the most benefit. Purchasing from a vendor that has working knowledge of the machinery can mean that any maintenance, problems, or repairs get fixed faster, which can in turn cause less downtime for your business.

At HP Packaging, we also offer an OEE Program, which helps you maximize your overall equipment effectiveness, or OEE. This program helps your business achieve peak performance.

When you purchase from a vendor who has no interest in how the machinery ends up working out for their clients, you may have to settle for dealing with customer service representatives who may not know how to handle your problems. Instead, seek out a vendor who has a lot of knowledge about the products they sell.

More Knowledge from Certain Vendors

At High Performance Packaging, because we sell used equipment and offer training on how to use and troubleshoot the equipment, we’re well-versed in how the machines work.  We offer customized maintenance plans for your used machinery, which helps ensure years of reliable service from the machines you purchase from us. Instead of taking a chance on a machine repairman who may not know the inner workings of the brand of machine you’re using, it helps to know that you can seek quality help from the vendor you purchased from. When you buy from HP Packaging, that’s exactly what you can expect. For more information about our services and products, contact us today.

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3 Common Misconceptions About Buying Used Packaging Machinery

Combi weighers from Ishida, available from HP Packaging.

If you’re interested in buying packaging equipment, but you’re on a tight budget, you may be considering purchasing used machines to save some money. You may be apprehensive to do so, however—and that’s likely because you’ve heard some of the common misconceptions about purchasing used machinery. Don’t fret—those misconceptions are just that—myths. Buying used machinery is a great way to save some money and get high quality products at the same time. Learn more about three of the common misconceptions about purchasing used machines, and why you don’t need to worry.

1) The machines won’t last as long as new ones.

The most common misconception is that purchasing used machines puts you in the position of potentially needing to replace those machines sooner than you’d need to had you purchased new machinery. That’s simply not true—at High Performance Packaging, you can trust them to last for many years to come—used machinery doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing durability or quality.

2) You won’t be able to find the name brands you trust.

In the same vein, many people believe that discounted machinery will only be available from lesser known, less trustworthy brand names. Again, this is not true. Used machinery isn’t lower quality, nor is it in worse condition than new machinery. When you purchase used machines from High Performance Packaging, you’ll have access to an inventory of machines from the brands you not only know and trust, but the brands you want to use in your packaging line. You’ll be able to purchase high quality equipment at a lower price than new machines—an ideal option for businesses on a tight budget.

3) The sellers can’t help you if the machine has any problems.

While some sellers may not be able to help you once you take the machine off your hands, that’s not true with us. At HP Packaging, our technicians and support staff are not only there to help you install the machinery if you need, but they can also help teach you and your staff how to use the machines, as well as troubleshoot problems should they arise. Our support staff is proud to have a full working knowledge of the products we sell, thanks to their 10 to 25 years of experience within the field. In addition to offering operator training and troubleshooting, we also offer a preventative maintenance program which can help keep your machinery in top shape, and line start-up help, which means you’ll have an easier time building up your packaging line from scratch.

At HP Packaging, we’re dedicated to helping our customers get not only a great deal, but great equipment and great service. Call today for more information.

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Which is More Useful for Your Business: HFFS or VFFS Machines?

The benefits of the horizontal and vertical fill machines depend on the products themselves
The benefits of the horizontal and vertical fill machines depend on the products themselves

If you’re in the business of packaging products into containers and shipping them off, you know that it’s important to make sure your machines are working at optimal levels of efficiency. When it comes to choosing the machines your company uses, one of the choices you might have to make is between a horizontal form fill and seal machine and a vertical form fill and seal machine. Of course, the benefits of each will depend on the actual product you need to package, such as whether you’re in the food industry or you’re packaging non-food items.

Why Are VFFS Machines Better for Food Industry Products?

Because so many food products are sold by weight, packaging them horizontally isn’t often the most efficient way of doing so. Instead, vertical form fill and seal machines allow the product to be sorted out and weighed into the container easily, partially thanks to gravity. Horizontal form fill and seal machines are typically better suited for products that are heavier, as they rely on a conveyer belt rather than a feeding spout. Vertical FFS machines are used for things like candy, condiment packets, and loose products that may be difficult to handle manually, such as sugar.

Should You Choose an HFFS Machine?

If you’re in a business that packages products such as vacuum packed products, including some food products such as frozen pizzas or hot dogs, as well as other, non-food products like magazines, electrical or hardware products, plastic silverware packages, and much, much more. When your product is heavier or needs to be vacuum-sealed, laying it on a flat surface to be packaged tends to be more efficient. This type of packaging is typically also better suited to products that have a limited amount of pieces – things like sugar, as previously mentioned, would not fare well if they were packaged with a horizontal form fill and seal machine.

Depending on the business you’re in, one machine may be the clear winner. However, if you’re still unsure of whether you would benefit more from a horizontal or a vertical form fill and seal machine, feel free to contact High Performance Packaging. We can give you more information and help you come to the best decision for your particular product and business.

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Essential Machinery for an Efficient Packaging Line

Machines required to run a packaging line

When you’re building up a packaging line, you probably already have some idea of what machines you might need. However, if you’re new to the industry, it can help to have a bit of a crash course to learn about some of the more common machines used in packaging lines so that you have some idea where to start looking.

Conveyers

Of course, conveyers are used in all types of packaging lines, simply because they are ideal from taking a product or package from one place to the next. Some conveyers only take pieces of a package down the line, such as bucket conveyers or bucket elevators, while others are simply tasked with moving product along a line, like takeaway conveyers. Most packaging lines will require the use of a conveyer belt in one way or another.

Fillers

Different types of filling machines may also be included in many lines. Filling machines such as auger fillers are used for products including powders, granules, and liquids, and are ideal for filling containers without wasting and product.  If your company works with fine powders like talc or flour, which tend to become airborne with some packaging systems, look into using auger fillers in your packaging line to help avoid this.

Form Fill & Seal Machines

Form fill and seal machines are also used in many companies’ packaging lines. Should you need one of these, you can choose between vertical and horizontal form fill and seal machines, which are each used for different products, generally speaking. Vertical form fill and seal machines are used for products that are packaged in multiples—candies, snack products, for example—as well as product that are not ideal for horizontal filling—like sugar. These machines can be used for non-food products as well, though the food industry does use them a lot. Horizontal form fill and seal machines are better suited for heavier items and items that are packaged either one to a container or need to be vacuum-sealed –think frozen pizza or a package of hot dogs. Those products are vacuum-sealed before being shipped off, so horizontal packaging machinery is the better choice.

Weighers

One more machine that is often used in packaging lines is the weigher. Weighers are what keep your packages consistent in weight, of course—this ensures not only product quality control, but also that your company doesn’t lose out by accidentally putting too much product the packages it sells.

If you’re not sure which machines you should purchase to build your packaging line, the knowledgeable staff at High Performance Packaging is happy to help – contact us anytime.

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Why Use Ilapak Machinery?

When you’re looking for packaging machinery for your production line, plenty of manufacturers make the machinery you need, so it can be difficult to make a decision when it seems like all of the machines are the same. It can help to know a little bit about some of the common brands in order to start narrowing down your decision, though. Let’s learn a bit more about Ilapak today.

About Ilapak

Ilapak was founded in 1970, with a dedication to customer satisfaction. Since then, the company has grown to 450 professionals, selling more than 650 machines every year—both individual machines and complete packaging lines. The company is headquartered in Switzerland, but has five production sites in Switzerland, Italy, China, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Each site is dedicated to creating industry-leading packaging machinery. The company focuses on meeting the needs of various industries, and with plenty of satisfied customers, 70% of the company’s sales are from existing customers. Their developments are in tune with current needs of packaging companies, so when you’re in need of packaging machinery, you can rely on Ilapak machines.

What Do They Specialize In?

Ilapak machines cover a range of packaging needs, such as feeders, weighers, and horizontal and vertical form fill seal machines. Packaging and filling machines from Ilapak are designed to package products with durable seals, hermetic seals for MAP applications, three- and four-side seals, sachets, block-bottom bags, and more. Ilapak supplies entire packaging lines as well as singular machines. Whether you need automatic feeders, horizontal form fill and seal machines, or other packaging equipment, Ilapak may have just what you’re looking for. That’s why at High Performance Packaging, we’re proud to offer used and refurbished Ilapak machines.

What Industries Are Their Packaging Machines Ideal For?

Ilapak machines are ideal for food industry packaging needs, including:

  • Bakery products
  • Biscuits and cookies
  • Cheese
  • Chocolate and candy
  • Coffee, sugar, and tea
  • Meat and poultry
  • Pasta
  • Pizza and tortillas
  • Produce

These machines are good for other industries as well, including wet wipes (baby care or household use); non-food packages including single- or multi-packs, shrink-wrapped items, and more; liquids and pastes (both food and non-food);  dry pet food; and cards—including 4-sided seals.

Ilapak machinery is known to be durable and high quality. If you have any questions about the brand or any of the machinery High Performance Packaging offers, contact us today.

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