Ulma Packaging attended BP2017 to promote automation for the potato industry

BP 2017, the biennial show brings the multi-billion pound potato industry together for a unique 'seed to shopping trolley' event and ULMA’s technical team attended, last November, to discuss the advantages of the company’s high-speed packaging technology for handling, processing and retailing the crop.   Among the systems available for packing potatoes is ULMA’s horizontal offering for tray-less baking potatoes through the Atlanta flow wrapper. Potatoes are fully regimented through the folding box via an adjustable overhead brush device. This has the capability of sealing various types of packaging materials. Also of interest to potato growers will be ULMA’s Vertical Form Fill and Seal (VFFS) range, particularly the flexible VTC 800 (2nd. picture) and VTI 600 – vertical packaging machinery (1st picture) designed for harsh environments and demanding cleaning processes. Machines are controlled via ULMA’s industrial PC. The data acquisition software (UDAQ) is available in several guises and in essence gives real-time reports of the machine status which can be downloaded to FTP for event analysis. Remote Service Management is also achievable. The RSM facilitates rapid diagnosis and repair on all ULMA equipment. With the looming potential of possible labour shortages for a very labour-intensive crop picking process, ULMA believes now is the time for potato growers to look at automating the pack house to reduce manual intervention and release more staff to gather in their produce. ULMA’s UK Managing Director, Chris Pickles, said: “The potato industry event is a unique opportunity for us to advise growers on the latest developments by ULMA in cutting-edge packaging technology that can help boost business for this important produce sector.” SourcesAnne-Marie ParkinULMA PackagingTel: +44 (0) 1909 506 504info@ulmapackaging.co.uk www.ulmapackaging.co.uk FreshPlaza