Gebo Cermex wrap-around packer ensures high speed and reliability at FrieslandCampina Thailand

Vertical start-up within a week

Gebo Cermex applies a 360° approach to wrap-around mechanization, underpinned by gentle primary packaging handling, extended secondary packaging knowledge and large mechanization expertise. With more than 1200 machines installed world-wide, the company is the right partner when it comes to material handling. When the team at the plant explains why they chose Gebo Cermex as their preferred supplier, they address the highly structured and professional support received in all stages of the purchasing and installation process: “They helped us in validating different formats in-house first, so that we could guarantee that by the time we received the equipment in our production facility in Samrong we just ‘Plug & Play’ and then we can get the result we wanted. It’s like a vertical start-up. We chose Gebo Cermex because it is the only manufacturer that can deliver the expected performance within a week.” 

Excellent technical support throughout the installation process

Renewing their confidence in Gebo Cermex was the natural choice for FrieslandCampina Thailand, due to the long-lasting business relationship between the two companies and the positive experience the customer has had with a wrap-around packer installed as part of a can line at the same plant ten years ago, which – thanks to its high robustness and reliability – is still running today. The driving factors behind the purchasing decision were the core competences in line engineering and material handling shown by the team at Gebo Cermex during the pre-contracting phase – instrumental in determining the best technical solution and layout to suit the customer’s objectives – and the extremely structured and professional approach to commissioning. FrieslandCampina Thailand's team continues, “A big thanks to Gebo Cermex for the technical support along the way: Running a new production line in a big factory like this always involves problems here and there that cannot be controlled beforehand. But the Gebo Cermex team is very flexible and has a high expertise. They are truly willing to support us and that is the key reason why we can start-up this line successfully.”  

Outstanding performance

The Thailand-based dairy company recognised the opportunities to optimise the TCO of their end-of-line operations by choosing wrap-around blanks rather than traditional “Regular Slotted Containers” (RSC), therefore meeting the goal of reducing secondary packaging costs by more than 30%. To achieve this, FrieslandCampina Thailand opted for a wrap-around case packer machine, together with a bottle line divider at packer infeed – flexible enough to divide the flow from one lane up to eight lanes, depending on the bottle format – and the conveyors connecting the solution to the production line – both upstream and downstream. This configuration ensures an impressive speed of more than 500+ shaped bottles per minute, equal to 24 cases per minute. 

Continuous innovation

The latest addition to the Gebo Cermex portfolio of wrap-around solutions is the WB46. It offers excellent performance in terms of flexibility, hygiene and ergonomics, suiting the needs of manufacturers active in a broad range of industries, from food and beverage to pharmaceuticals and home and personal care.