Autopack installs high-speed sauce packaging line for P&B Foods

Autopack, an independent integrator of packaging lines, has successfully installed a second high-speed sauce packaging line for P&B (Foods) Ltd. Designed to meet growing consumer demand, the new system elevates the food manufacturer's production capacity to up to 200 bottles per minute. This installation marks the latest milestone in a partnership established in 2023, which has already seen multiple automation upgrades across the company's edible oil and sauce operations.

Integrated turnkey automation
The new high-speed line is a comprehensive turnkey solution that combines an unscrambler, a rotary net-weight filler, a capper block, and a rotary wraparound labeller. By seamlessly integrating these components, the system maximizes throughput while drastically reducing the need for manual intervention on the factory floor. According to Jonathon Stewart, UK Sales Director at Autopack, this targeted investment in higher-capacity equipment helps P&B (Foods) eliminate production bottlenecks while maintaining the strict reliability and product quality standards required in the competitive food sector.

Scalable growth and ongoing partnership
Beyond the new sauce line, Autopack has also delivered specialized equipment for edible oils and other highly viscous product applications for P&B (Foods). Lukasz Szwarczak, Production Manager at P&B (Foods), noted that the integrator was selected for its deep expertise in handling viscous fluids and its ability to scale solutions from individual machines to complete end-to-end lines. This staged approach to automation allows the manufacturer to align its capital investments directly with immediate operational needs and long-term business growth.

Additional Context: Rotary net-weight filling for viscous fluids
This section details fluid dynamics and packaging engineering principles not included in the original press release.

In high-speed food packaging, filling highly viscous non-Newtonian fluids—such as thick sauces and edible oils—presents unique rheological challenges. Traditional volumetric piston fillers can struggle with aeration, dripping, or inconsistent fluid densities caused by ambient temperature fluctuations. A rotary net-weight filler resolves this by utilizing high-precision load cells situated under each individual bottle pedestal on the rotating carousel. As the machine spins, the system continuously monitors the exact mass of the product entering the container, instantly shutting off specialized anti-drip valves the millisecond the target weight is reached. This mass-based approach completely bypasses the inaccuracies caused by volume or temperature changes, ensuring strict regulatory compliance for labeled weights and preventing costly product giveaway at extreme speeds of 200 bottles per minute.

Edited by an industrial journalist, Lekshman Ramdas, with AI assistance.

www.auto-pack.com