Flavorite is a premier Australian grower and marketer of vine-ripened produce. The company, which began in 1970, has used global-leading technology across many areas of production to drive cost efficiencies and volume output, while maintaining flavour as the key criterion.
Flavorite has recently established a specialised packhouse, set up under new affiliated company, Flavourwave. The food-grading and two packing lines are automated, and coding also needed to be automated.
Flavourwave needed to print vendor codes and best before dates for respective clients (including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and a number of smaller independent operators Australia wide) on every punnet that leaves the packhouse. The coding equipment needed to fit with the new lines. Among the multiple considerations for a coder were capabilities, ease of use and price.
Find out which solution they chose and why.
.jpg)
Flavorite is a premier Australian grower and marketer of vine-ripened produce. The company, which began in 1970, has used global-leading technology across many areas of production to drive cost efficiencies and volume output, while maintaining flavour as the key criterion.
Flavorite has recently established a specialised packhouse, set up under new affiliated company, Flavourwave. The food-grading and two packing lines are automated, and coding also needed to be automated.
Flavourwave also needed to print vendor codes and best before dates for respective clients (including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and a number of smaller independent operators Australia wide) on every punnet that leaves the packhouse. The coding equipment needed to fit with the new lines. Among the multiple considerations for a coder were capabilities, ease of use and price.
Because the automated Flavourwave packhouse has put Flavorite on target to become one of Australia’s most cost-efficient growers, all equipment must be leading edge. The ability to code to client specifications and specific guidelines is important in existing markets and gaining new ones.
Matthews recommended two Linx CJ400 small character inkjet coders. These have the capability to store settings for up to four production lines and 1,000 typical messages, which can be selected in seconds, making fast line changeovers very easy.
Flavorite uses Linx coders from Matthews, and their recommendation was also a factor. Flavourwave uses the Linx CJ400s, which sit on the packing line, to print vendor codes and best before dates on fresh produce punnets. The printers’ capabilities are such that Flavourwave can even use them to print special messages on punnets if the need ever arose.
The CJ400s are set up with multiple codes and best before date parameters, based on both
client and product specifications. Switching between them is streamlined, and does not disrupt the packing lines. Changing details within the printer settings for new products or clients is simple and very quick: just a couple of buttons, with no downtime between changes other than physical changes to other mechanical elements on the packing and grading lines
The coders easily keep up with demand. At peak production, Flavourwave prints on some 2,300 punnets an hour (an average of 38 a minute), but this is also based on the packing line’s fastest speed. In peak production times, the lines and coders will be running up to 20 hours a day, printing on close to 46,000 punnets. Punnets are on retail shelves around Australia within days of being coded.
The operators also find the CJ400s very easy to use, with no issues or trouble.
“Changing between products and clients is as quick as pushing a couple of buttons, with no downtime at all between changes, other than physical changes to other mechanical elements on the packing and grading lines.”
— Hamish MacLeod, Manager, Flavourwave