A fresh approach to fresh produce

Stubbins invest in AEW Delford Systems Weigh Price Labellers for variable weight packaging.

North London, UK based Stubbins, process and supply large volumes of fresh produce including, tomatoes, peppers, celery and aubergines, to major multiple retail and food service customers across the UK.

Traditionally, fresh produce has been supplied on a graded and fixed weight basis, but consumer demands are dictating change and now, Stubbins offer both fixed and variable weight product to their customers.

To cope with the increase in business, factory capacity has more than doubled and considerable investment made in the latest handling, packing and labelling machinery including a variable weight packaging facility.

John Difrancesco, Stubbins’ Plant Engineer - no stranger to AEW Delford Systems equipment - closely surveyed the market, then trialled and selected eight new AEW Delford Systems 8100 Weigh Price Labellers.

Some time later, the company bought an AEW Delford Systems 8120 Weigh Price Labeller to match the increased volume of a particular tomato line, where speeds of 120 packs/min. needed to be achieved.

The 8100 easily copes with the typical throughput of 40 -100 packs/min. of variable weight packed tomatoes and peppers. Its operator-friendly, full colour screen and keyboard display provide clear, easy programming and running information and, with high resolution 12 dot/mm printing, high quality printed labels in a variety of sizes are the norm.

Each weigh price labelling unit can operate on a minimum or average weight basis according to individual product requirements and two labelling heads enable replacement or new reels to be set up in advance. The units can operate on an automatic changeover basis to reduce line down time and, if necessary, they can apply promotional flash labels as part of the total labelling requirement.

Easy to operate. Flexible and accurate.

The machines are very user-friendly and easy to programme. If a problem does occur, a diagnostic system provides a help message on the display panel and if further assistance is needed the AEW Delford Service Help Desk is only a phone call away. Each unit can also be controlled remotely if need be.

The machines are networked via a Delford Deltalink wireless Ethernet system that provides data for production control purposes to a remote PC from which they can also be programmed for rapid changes in variable information. Individual units can also be moved around the site if necessary yet still retain their control link with the central system.

Stubbins also use the 8100 units for checkweighing fixed weight packs - maximising the flexibility of the system. They can operate on a minimum or average weight basis according to specific customer specification.

John Difrancesco has been particularly pleased with label accuracy. “With these machines, we can control the positioning of the label on all the packs which enhances pack appearance and pleases our customers, too,” he said. “Certain products, such as individual peppers, are inherently difficult to label but, thanks to our working successfully with AEW Delford Systems Technicians to produce a special handling system, these problems have been minimised.” he added.