A leading global player in the dairy industry, with operations spanning production and packaging, Saudi firm Almarai has chosen Sacmi’s roll-fed technology to meet the complex labelling requirements on its 2-litre milk and laban (a yogurt-like product popular in the Arab world) container production lines. Almarai placed the order after carrying out a detailed comparison of alternative technologies and suppliers. The outcome? The Sacmi-proposed solution was more competitive in tests and met all the required quality and output requirements.
The supplied machine, a 22-head OPERA 400 Roll Fed, will be installed and tested at the core of the Alamari plant by next Autumn.
The labeller is equipped with a roll-fed labelling module, a technology that allows the application of OPP (oriented polypropylene) wrap-around labels. In recent years this Sacmi solution has won acclaim from customers worldwide.
Capable of handling up to 24,000 applications an hour, this OPERA unit has proved to be the most competitive in responding to the special, complex needs posed by 2-litre containers; these have very thin walls, are particularly prone to deformation and are formed at ultra-high rates (300 containers a minute). Sacmi – in keeping with its policy of combining technological excellence with solutions that offer plenty of scope for product personalisation – has thus equipped the new labeller with a special pressurisation system that maintains a certain rigidity of the empty container during the labelling process, thus ensuring process quality even at high output rates.
Like all the machines in the range it comes with an automatic reel splicing system: this eliminates any need for production downtimes during reel replacement. The labeller is also equipped with the Sacmi LVS label quality and positioning control system, which gives 100% guaranteed results, and an inspection system that acts directly on the line, validating the labelling process and automatically rejecting any containers with faulty labels. Completing the picture are compact, elegant design and easy use and maintenance thanks to a layout that ensures unhindered access to all essential machine parts.
Already a major technology provider to Saudi Arabia, this order further reinforces Sacmi’s technological leadership position in the industry. In keeping with the needs of a packaging-beverage market that is ever-more focused on raw material and consumption optimisation (lighter, better-performing containers), the Group provides an all-round plant engineering range covering every stage of production (packaging, filling, labelling, inspection systems). All this is enhanced by far-reaching worldwide Group assistance services, as exemplified by Sacmi Middle East, based in the nearby Arab Emirates, which has been a service hub for the entire Gulf area for over 10 years.