A cost-effective alternative to the pre-formed stand-up pouch, SmartPouch is now available on vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) equipment from CFS, with options of a reclosable zipper and at least three other flexible formats from the same machine.

SmartPouch is formed on a conventional VFFS machine, with the stand-up base inserted as a gusset in one ‘side’ of the pouch. The zipper profile is available as an option to seal into the other side, which actually forms the top of the final stand-up pouch.

Flexibility

Confectionery manufacturers can run the pack style on the CFS SmartPacker SX400 machine. Crucially, this allows them to change tooling and switch to a second drive able to produce either standard pillow-pack bags or the QuatroSeal and QuatroBox packs for further shelf-standout options. Standard bags can be produced at speeds of up to 100bpm.

Frank Caris, Manager of the CFS Confectionery Business Unit, explains: “Customers are increasingly looking for ever-more versatile machines equipped to produce a range of value-added pack styles. Product lifecycles, even for successful brands and variants, are notoriously short. This puts an additional weapon into the hands of brand-owners fighting for a share of a fast-moving, competitive category.”

Material cost savings up to 50%

These customers particularly appreciate the material cost savings of up to 50% that SmartPouch generates in comparison with standard pre-formed Doy-style stand-up pouches. The fully automatic SmartPouch system also avoids the typical inefficiency of a semi-automatic filling and sealing line for pre-formed pouches.

Despite this vital cost differential, the new format creates an identical impression of quality, thanks to CFS innovations such as a flat cutting blade. And of course, each packing operation is in complete control of the range of sizes being produced, without being dependent on stock inventory and deliveries from another supplier.

In the case of SmartPouch, this means that pack sizes can span the range between heights of just 100mm and dimensions of 290mm x 40mm. In some cases, customers have filled the pouch with 1.8kg of product!

Added Value

As well as zipper and pack size options, SmartPouch offers the choice of a hanging slot. “Individual brands are increasingly being asked to supply a range of channels and point-of-sale formats,” Caris reports. “Having the stand-up facility can give you huge display advantages. But in many outlets, a hanging slot will yield optimum in-store positioning.”

This further addition to the pouch and stand-up styles available using CFS equipment comes as these high-impact packs become something of a category standard in European, and increasingly North American, confectionery. At the same time, consumers are coming to expect their favourite brands to offer both convenient easy-opening and reseal features.

For more information:

CFS B.V., P.O. Box 1, 5760 AA Bakel, The Netherlands
Tel. +31 492 349 349, Fax +31 492 344 416, E-mail info@CFS.com, www.CFS.com