The line also includes Spiced Apple Bites and Spiced Pineapple Bites for consumers who enjoy some heat alongside the sweet and savory flavor. “By the time it is completed next summer, I expect us to far exceed what we are currently producing,” says Downs.The two pickled fruits available are Apple Bites and Pineapple Bites. The brand is planning a 40,000 square-feet addition to its facility to accommodate growth of the brand. At this time, they are producing between 1.5 to 2 million pouches per week. OH SNAP! has delivered big results in a short amount of time. SOMIC machines are predominantly designed for retail-ready applications, which made them an ideal choice for this application,” says Fox. It was also important to have the capability to stand the pouches upright for display purposes in the display case. The flexibility of the machines to run multiple formats is a benefit to the customer, as is the compact design with the layout flexibility. “The changeover for these formats will be 10 minutes for one operator. Product is being divided into three formats of 6-, 12- and 18-count display cartons. To satisfy distribution to retailers such as grocery, big box and C-stores - plus vending and hospitality outlets - throughout North America, and widening the channel to include Europe, OH SNAP! plans to have the machines collate and case pack up to 160 pouches per minute. The SOMIC 424 W3 wraparound case packers are flexible, high performance systems that use decentralized servo drives. The operation may expand to five lines total by 2022.” Customer Benefits The opportunity to start with two automated lines allows them time to ramp up for a third machine by 2021. “Ultimately this production is designed to accommodate up to five fillers, which would each have a case packer. This was a vertical start-up, which was an important aspect of these machines,” explains Fox. We start at about 50% of the production rate and gradually move up to 100%. “Each machine took one week to be placed in position, have the utilities connected, commission each format, and then move into production. It would carry the case up and over to the palletizing area using overhead conveyance to save floor space. The discharge conveyor is designed to transport the finished case onto a spiral conveyor, which has yet to be installed. This enables the layout to allow for fork truck traffic at the end of the machine as there is no discharge conveyor. When asked if there were any nuances to this particular install, Fox says that “the case packers are what we refer to at SOMIC as a counter flow design. “The installation is now complete with some training and support underway as they get the entire system - including the pouch filler and case packers - settled in.” “The installation began in late June for the first case packer, followed by the second case packer in early July, says Peter Fox, senior vice president of sales for SOMIC America Inc. “I remember thinking that, if the OH SNAP! line ever did the volume to support the purchase of a SOMIC machine, we would have really created something special. He introduced us to Peter Fox (the company’s senior vice president of sales) in 2016,” recalls OH SNAP! President Ryan Downs. “We first heard about SOMIC through John Bartmann, our corrugated supplier sales representative at PCA. Installation of the SOMIC machines could not be better timed. But demand has remained strong as workers are now producing finished goods and the company is running three shifts around-the-clock, six days a week. The nearly 70,000 square-foot facility began brining product in March, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to spread in the U.S. After more new products were introduced and accepted, management last year decided to invest in constructing a new manufacturing plant in nearby Little Chute to handle the rapidly growing business. OH SNAP!’s initial foray into the market with stand-up pickle pouches led to impressive results.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |