Building a packaging machine in line with the needs of a logistics service provider. That’s what Arodo did for H.Essers, a leader in the field of transport, warehousing and logistics for sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals/healthcare and high quality goods. The company was in search of a new installation for its packaging activities.
Old bagging installation replacement
H.Essers offers personalised and integrated transport and logistics solutions worldwide. It is known as an innovative concern that wants to constantly create added value for the customer and product, with an optimal logistics chain as the objective. They call them value added services, and these include labelling and packaging activities.
“Our bagging machine for filling bags with synthetic granulates was some 30 years old”, explains Yuri Schaerlaecken, Process Engineer at H.Essers. “Spare parts were difficult to find. That was the reason for looking to the market for a supplier of a new packaging machine for chemicals. Initial contact with Arodo already seemed highly promising. Their expertise suited us down to the ground.”
Custom-made packaging machines
We started the engineering of the machines (design/production drawing) and the operators at H.Essers gave input for construction. After the design phase the installation was assembled and tested in Arendonk, with H.Essers being invited to come and take a look at the progress of the machine. The packaging line consisted of:
- Bag filling machine with lay flat tube
- Palletiser
- Stretch hooder installation
“We built a packaging machine according to requirements”, continues Jan van Noort, Sales Manager at Arodo. “This means we integrated all the customer’s wishes as we always do. A good example in this case is the automated cleaning part with hopper for the rinsing water.”
Mechanical adaptations for capacity increase
Assembly took place at H.Essers in February 2019. As soon as the new machine was operational, the old one was dismantled. “The target was a capacity of 1,000 bags per hour”, says Yuri. “But we could not immediately achieve this target because of the challenging properties of the product to be packaged. Arodo went all out in making the necessary adjustments. A number of mechanical adaptations resulted in the capacity increase. This showed a big difference with the old machine that could no longer achieve the same capacity after 30 years.”
“It’s a different way of working”, concludes Yuri. “The packaging line complies with the current standard, it is PLC-controlled, offers more programs and functions, and can be monitored remotely thanks to an eWON industrial router (Note: Arodo can then also offer 24-hour remote service). Another nice anecdote: the machine operator now working with the new installation had also operated the previous one for 30 years. His approaching retirement, the shut-down of the previous machine, getting going with the new installation… to him it all feels like the crowning achievement of his career. He knows our packaging line for chemicals best, and is highly satisfied with the work supplied by Arodo and the modern way of working.”