VFFS machines increase productivity for potato packers

05 December 2020

IPL, a UK-based potato packer has seen a dramatic increase in productivity after investing in new vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) machines.

Over the last six months, the company has seen throughput increase by 25%. In February, the company doubled the number of VFFS machines supplied by GIC to its Scottish factory and has since seen productivity increase by 15% and mechanical downtime reduce by 2%.

IPL invested in its first two GIC8000 machines in 2018. which can comfortably pack 80 bags per minute, an increase of 33% compared to the previous machines. The company had acquired the Inchture site in Perthshire in 2015 and soon found the existing vertical form fill and seal machines to be inefficient and unreliable.

Kirsty Reid, factory manager at IPL Inchture, takes up the story: “Sustainability is a fundamental part of IPL’s strategy, and we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment. As well as being more efficient than our previous machines, the GIC8000s use less film than the ageing machines we replaced.”

Designed and built in the UK, GIC8000 was developed for high-speed lines packing into bag styles up to 400mm wide, with pillow gusseted or block bottoms. It integrates seamlessly with upstream equipment such as multi-head weighers, augers, pumps, cup fillers and counters as well as checkweighers and other downstream equipment. While IPL is packing potatoes, other GIC customers are using the solution to pack anything from snacks and confectionery, through to pet foods, powders, pulses, pasta and liquids.