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06 Oct 2017 --- Looking to fulfill growing demand from the food and nutraceuticals industries, the Illinois, US-based contract manufacturer and co-packer SternMaid America has installed a modern double-head system to increase the capacity of its can filling line. Including further peripheral plant components, the company has invested some US$300,000 in this capacity extension.

The double-head auger filler dispenses powders into as many as 50 cans per minute per head. Thus, up to 6,000 cans per hour can be filled with a broad range of powdered products – from instant cocoa to dietary supplements.

The news comes at a busy time for SternMaid as a whole, with the company opening its second production plant in Wittenburg, Germany last month. It also marks another the company has extended its filling capacity this year after it invested in its new Doypack line in March.

Changeover for different pack sizes is easy, according to SternMaid America, and the machine is able to fill cans of up to 6 inches (15.2 cm) in diameter and 3-10 inches in height. Filling weight depends on the can size and the product’s bulk volume. Can filling and sealing is now fully automated, but there is potential for future investment as packing and palletizing is still done by hand, SternMaid America notes.

Aside from increasing the capacity of its composite can line, SternMaid America’s investment has also delivered additional benefits: the single head auger filler, which is now redundant on this line, can be used for filling items such as screw-capped plastic cans, which enables the company to offer a new type of packaging.

Customers expect flexibility and reliable, on-time delivery, according to Jan Thoele, Executive Vice President of SternMaid America: “Even short deadlines have to be met at the right time and with top quality. If a company’s plant breaks down unexpectedly and a contract manufacturer is asked to take over, production must be able to start very quickly.”

“Not only do these new investments increase our capacities in the co-packing sector; they also make us much more flexible. We can now carry out even large orders in a short time,” Thoele adds.

Besides co-packing, SternMaid America notes that the double-head auger filler offers further customized services ranging from raw material purchasing and warehousing to blending and delivery of finished goods. On a product-by-product basis, the company can also offer non-GMO, gluten-free and/or vegan-certified foods.

SternMaid America adds that its Aurora, Illinois, US plant is one of the most modern of its kind and offers comprehensive, customized contract manufacturing services in the compounding and co-packing of powdered substances. The facility has a blending capacity of about 4,000 tons annually. 

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