Sepack has coordinated the construction of three production lines for a major Italian roaster. Spreafico was involved in the engineering stage and in the delivery of filling machines.
The project encompassed all stages, from the processing to the secondary packaging and, as a result, the companies delivered plants which allow for several customization options for the packaging of the most widespread capsule formats for coffee, soluble products and blends.
Different know-hows coming together for a common goalThe project was driven by the needs of an important Italian player in the coffee industry, one of the first companies to believe in the development of portioned solutions. They decided to strengthen their commercial strategies by building three plants that have the ability to cover the most widespread types of compatible capsules now on the market. For the project, the company chose Sepack's experience in the designing of complete plants and the know-how and reliability of industrial businesses such as Spreafico. Sepack, headquartered in Bologna, Italy, is a commercial and marketing organization employing professionals that work together with automatic machine manufacturers in order to offer turnkey solutions for the filling and packaging of food and pharmaceutical products, with a specific know-how in the field of coffee. Spreafico is a company based in, Lecco, Italy, specialized in the designing and marketing of solutions for the capsule packaging of coffee and other soluble products, with a strong reputation for the reliability and durability of its machines, and a portfolio of solutions delivering different speeds and features in order to accommodate the most diverse of production needs.
Three plants, many solutionsThe consortium of Italian companies coordinated by Sepack and Spreafico designed three plants that are currently operating in the roaster's factory; each one is dedicated to the processing and packaging of different types of capsules: “A modo mio”, “Blu”, “Nespresso” e “Dolce Gusto”. The first plant is fitted to work on barrier-coated capsules, creating a product mainly designed for the needs of the national market, equally suited to large supermarket chains and the vending channel. The second plant is specialized in the manufacturing of "Nespresso" type capsules: a solution that is currently in high demand on both the Italian and foreign markets. The third plant, meanwhile, is producing "Dolce Gusto" type capsules. This latter format type shows ample expansion potential on the large-scale retail channel, especially outside of Italy. In addition to the current use of the plants, their fitting and arrangement gives the machines a unique flexibility, which allows for the manufacturing of a mix of solutions, working on all the types of capsules now on the market, self-sealing or non self-sealing, and in various types of material: from PP to compostable. Even the capsule wrappers permit a lot of customization options; for instance, the plants that are currently dedicated to the "Nespresso" and "Dolce Gusto" type products allow for the packaging of the capsules in very attractive packs that are suitable for displaying on shelves, with clear benefits in terms of marketing and positioning strategies. Finally, the fitted plants are potentially able to process more than just coffee, including a wide range of soluble products (tea, ginseng...) and blends, in order to fully respond not only to the current market demands, but also to the needs of future consumers, who are increasingly requesting diversified products in their kitchens (or in bars, restaurants, hotels...).
Spreafico machines are at the heart of the plantThe filling and packaging of the capsules is carried out by 6 lane Spreafico machines. The Lecco company solutions have been chosen by the client as they boast several benefits: they are extremely advanced in terms of their technology and, at the same time, perfectly suited to the economies of scale of a major company that is focused on the quality of the product as much as on the efficiency of the process. The performance of Spreafico's machines are in line with the most common demands of the market, and they also ensure a residual percentage of oxygen inside the capsule of less than 1% thanks to their use of nitrogen injecting systems; all of this to guarantee the highest standards of quality.
Moreover, thanks to a design and manufacturing that is mainly "mechanical", the consumption of both energy and compressed air is low. The savings also come from the reduction of material waste that the plants can achieve, when compared to other solutions. The machines thus truly combine both wrapping material and electricity savings. But Spreafico wasn't just involved in the project as a filling machine vendor, the company contributed to the engineering of the lines and operated side by side with Sepack, being in charge of coordinating the different manufacturers taking part in the project.
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