High performance packing: A rapid solution to improving tile adhesive production rates

Since launching in 2017, SAS Australasia has been supplying adhesives, waterproofing membranes and other construction chemical products to the Australian tiling industry. 

After experiencing rapid sales growth in a very short period of time due to the team’s extensive industry experience, the company knew it needed to explore ways to increase its production rates to keep up with customer demand.

“An increase in production demand can be handled in two ways: firstly adding labour costs by increasing the number of shifts worked and secondly improving efficiency and increasing the bag rate produced through capital expenditure,” SAS Australasia’s Managing Director Waseef Zubairi said.

“Obviously the second is always preferred as it results in long term cost reduction.”

It quickly became clear that SAS Australasia’s existing start-up packing equipment couldn’t increase its production capacity nor had the capabilities to improve dust containment or minimise product spillage and wastage – essential for remaining competitive in today’s market.

New and more efficient equipment was required urgently.

Finding a solution

Adhering to strict dust emission regulations, as well as optimising fill speed (bag rate), weight accuracy, energy consumption, flexibility of equipment and the product’s final presentation to market are the key challenges faced by manufacturers when packing their products. Equipment must meet these requirements – and the manufacturer’s budget.

Looking beyond conventional packing systems, SAS Australasia approached HAVER & BOECKER Australia for an urgent solution. 

SAS Australasia’s Operations Director Jason Muscat said it was HAVER & BOECKER Australia’s excellent reputation in the powder packing industry that made it SAS’s first port of call.

“They understood our critical requirements for a packing machine, which was crucial for us as a new and growing business” he said.

“In short, we required a faster packing machine which could handle our entire range of products, as well as have the capabilities to significantly reduce dust emissions and prevent overfilling, spillage and wastage from inaccurate weight scales.”

Taking into consideration the packing machine’s reliability, configurations available for future upgrades, value for money, bag rate, operator ease of use, ergonomics, noise and dust emissions, serviceability, parts availability and aftersales and technical support, HAVER & BOECKER’S ELEMENTRA® EVT packing machine ticked all the boxes.

The ELEMENTRA® EVT

The ELEMENTRA® EVT is a stationary packing system for valve bags using turbine (impeller) technology.

A highly sought after feature of the ELEMENTRA® EVT is its ultrasonic sealing technology (SEAL system), which assists clients’ demands for minimal product spillage on the pallet, resulting in a clean, compact bag presented to market.

The SEAL package can be configured to the EVT model, as well as any ELEMENTRA®, INTEGRA®, INLINE-PACKER or ROTO-PACKER built after 2000. It eliminates spillage by inflating a rubber sleeve on a specially designed filling spout during the filling process. After filling, the bag is carefully pulled off the spout and welded shut using an ultrasound sealing device. Additionally, the SEAL system avoids spillage during transport.

Another advantage of the ELEMENTRA® EVT is there are no limits to the configuration of the machine. For example, manufacturers who are unsure about future performance requirements can choose to configure the EVT in a way that will allow it to be upgraded at a later point by adding filling modules.

The key to optimum performance for a packing machine is proper weight. The heart of the ELEMENTRA® EVT is its MEC® 4.0 weighing system, which not only serves as a scale but a configurable control system for a complete packing solution. It provides ideal weights and ensures zero product wastage.

Increasing production

While industry average order-to-delivery lead times are about eight months to Australia this was not a viable option for SAS Australasia which needed to increase production as quickly as possible.

To meet this need, HAVER & BOECKER Australia explored ways to expedite the machine’s delivery and provided SAS Australasia with the option for an in-stock exhibition machine which it could deliver via air freight and install within six weeks.

After installing the ELEMENTRA® EVT in May 2018, SAS Australasia ran shifts on both the old and new packing machines and saw a significant improvement in the plant’s productivity. Overall, there was a 50% improvement in productivity, plus a 5% improvement in yield. 

With production demand continuing to rise, it became apparent that a second ELEMENTRA® EVT would be required to sustain the productivity improvements. Another machine was subsequently purchased and added to the production line in 2019. This gap had been identified by HAVER & BOECKER Australia when assessing the plant design during the installation of the first machine.

“We’ve always had good experiences with HAVER & BOECKER’S equipment and staff, and this time was no different as they fulfilled our expectations surrounding service, product performance and after-market support,” Mr Zubairi said.

“The company’s technical know-how and product range provided us with opportunities to add to our existing plant, in turn further improving our capacity, efficiency and reductions in operating costs.”