A new packing system can integrate into existing lines, guaranteeing pack sequence verification while improving productivity by up to five times, its manufacturer claims.

Sealed Air''s latest PriorityPak system packages products, scans bar codes, weighs items and applies shipping labels, ensuring the each product can be identified, the company claims.

Guaranteeing complete traceability is becoming increasingly important to food producers and processors due to pressure from retailers, consumers and regulations, including the EU General Food Law.

Certainty of providence can provide defense against counterfeiting, contamination, bioterrorism, and can ensure a controlled product recall. Counterfeiting and contamination can undermine consumer trust in the quality and safety, but a controlled product recall can restore that confidence while limiting costs.

Jeff Zahansky, Sealed Air's business manager of automated packaging solutions said: "The one-in, one-out concept is extremely important to prevent items from being mislabeled and ensuring order accuracy."

The PriorityPak system requires a minimal level of integration, the company claims. Using an existing pack station computer, an operator can unplug the previous components including the hand-held bar code scanner, scale and label printer, and connect the components that are configured on the PriorityPak equipment.

Sealed Air claims the PriorityPak system, compared to non-integrated systems, provides better ergonomics and increased product flow, boosting an operator's productivity by up to five times. The company calculates improved production can typically provide a return on investment in less than a year.

The PriorityPak scans an item's dimensions to deliver the correct amount of the cold seal cohesive-coated material from two supply rolls attached to the packing system. As the two webs of material surround the item, the cold seal material adheres to itself creating a sealed edge adjacent to the item which minimizes shifting and increases product protection, the company claims.

The company claims the result is a compact, custom package that reduces postage costs compared to packaging with corrugated cartons and void-fill materials.

The PriorityPak system enables the operator to scan the barcode from the product or pack slip. When placed on the bottom web of the cold seal cohesive-coated material and against the product detection gate, items are aligned or straightened similar to a lugged in-feed conveyor but without occupying extra space or incurring the added cost, the manufacturer claims.

Items are automatically weighed and postage is calculated. Before the system forms the packages, it prints and applies the shipping label to the top web of the material while in a flat state. This ensures ensuring the label will not fall off, as opposed to the method of applying the label after the pack is made.

The manufacturer can provide materials available that are compatible with the system including PriorityWrap film and paper laminate, bubble laminate and rigid board.

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