The installation of an Integrated Total Packaging Solution (iTPS) from Ishida Europe has given Maltese manufacturer Sunshine Snacks a huge boost in the speed and accuracy of its weighing and bagmaking operation. The flexibility of the new system has also enabled the company to introduce a new pack size for the airline market.

Part of Consolidated Biscuits, Sunshine Snacks manufactures a variety of crisps, popcorns and other snacks under its own brands (including “Crix”) and for private label. As well as Malta, Sunshine Snacks exports to regions such as Europe, Africa and the Far East.

The need to replace an ageing packaging system led Sunshine Snacks in 2019 to search for a modern upgrade. “While we didn’t have an Ishida weigher or bagmaker in our factory, we are familiar with the brand because we already had an Ishida checkweigher. Also, our sister factories in Trinidad and Tobago have several Ishida multihead weighers in use,” said Robert Ellul, General Manager at Sunshine Snacks.

Ishida proposed the Inspira iTPS, which consists of two flagship Ishida machines in tandem: an Ishida RV series multihead weigher mounted over an Inspira rotary bagmaker, creating a streamlined system that increase speeds, minimise giveaway and eliminate issues such as product trapped in seals.

The Inspira iTPS system was installed in June 2020 and the impact was immediate. Two extrusion lines – one for fried products, the other for baked snacks – feed into the weigher, which operates at 140 packs per minute, 9 hours per day, 5 days per week. This speed exceeds what was possible with Sunshine Snacks’ previous solution. Indeed, sometimes operators were forced to slow down the extruders so as not to overburden packing capacity. Weighing accuracy has been increased by as much as 3.5 to 5 per cent depending on product, a massive improvement when calculated over time.

“Our old weighing system either gave away too much, affecting profits, or too little, which meant more time was lost to rework. We’d often had to slow down our previous solution to try and improve accuracy,” confirmed John Bartolo, Operations Manager at Sunshine Snacks.

“With the Ishida multihead weigher, the accuracy of the algorithm is astonishing. The machine calculates variables automatically and we’ve seen a significant improvement.” Accuracy is further improved because the faster throughout reduces the chance of snacks flavourings sticking to the weigher’s contact parts and affecting weight calculations. Similarly, the multihead weigher is better at detecting and removing product residue in the hoppers than the previous system used to be.

The Inspira bagmaker delivers great value too, including the reduction of film waste – an obvious cost and environmental benefit – and better seal integrity which maintains shelf life. “The bagmaker is incredibly simple to use, with minimal set-up,” said Anton Bugeja, Plant Manager. “The operator presses a button on the touchscreen and automated features ensure that the film for the new bag size is fully aligned, saving time and reducing film waste close to zero.”

With 23 SKUs across its range, minimising downtime between product changeovers is critical. Since installing the Ishida iTPS, Sunshine Snacks has been impressed at the ease and simplicity with which changeovers can take place.

“No tools are required and switching between SKUs via the control unit is fully automated,” said Paul Scicluna, Maintenance Production Manager. Sunshine Snacks estimates that changeover time has halved. “It now takes no more than five minutes per changeover, whereas before it typically took more than 10 minutes,” continued Scicluna. He added that cleaning regimes benefit from the hygienic machine design.

Several pack formats are used at the plant to suit size, product type and private label requirements. After seeing the Inspira bagmaker in action, the company realised it could now introduce a new pack format – a 15g pack aimed at the airline market. “We expected to see benefits in speed and accuracy, but we hadn’t foreseen that these improvements would also lead to new commercial opportunities, only possible because of the decision to invest in the Ishida iTPS,” commented Robert Ellul.

In October 2022, Sunshine Snacks relocated to a larger and more modern factory, closer to the company’s sister factory, Devon Biscuits. Moving the Ishida iTPS was a simple matter. “The design made it easy to dismantle and reinstall,” confirmed Paul Scicluna. When support is needed from Ishida, the team at Sunshine Snacks contacts the technical team via WhatsApp and typically receives a reply within minutes.

“Ishida Europe’s aftersales support is very impressive,” confirmed Robert Ellul. “Indeed, our company ethos is always to look at aftersales as well as performance when choosing a machine, so we were confident that Ishida would be as helpful as they’ve previously proven to be.”

Ellul concluded, “Using the Ishida iTPS has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. As the system is so accurate and reliable, the team now spends less time firefighting and can concentrate on adding value to the business. Plus, the speed and performance has given a real boost to our ability to offer only the best products to our customers.”