Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box has unveiled a trio of innovations for its beverage products customers: the BIB 700 Evolutive filling machine; Vitop Syncro 35 automatic handle applicator; and Vitop Easy connector.
Described as efficient, reliable and flexible, the BIB 700 Evolutive is said to be particularly suitable for small and medium-sized producers who want to set up an automatic machine, or those who are moving into Smurfit Kappa’s Pouch-Up packaging.
Pouch-Up pouches, which are finding particular favour in the wine and cocktail markets, are currently available as a 1-litre, 1.5-litre and 3-litre packs with a single gusset at the base.
Launched alongside the 700 Evolutive at the Vinitech exhibition in Bordeaux at the end of November, the new Syncro 35 automatic handle applicator comes from Vitop – a Smurfit Kappa Group company based in Italy, known worldwide for its production of Bag-in-Box taps and connectors.
The new machine is said to offer a “ground-breaking cycle rate” and ease of use, due to its handle feed system.
Handles are packed in rolls of 3,200 pieces at a time, ensuring “autonomy of two to four hours, depending on the pace of the packing lines”.
Syncro 35 also enables handles to be placed at an angle of between -45° to +45° and can be adapted to various box formats.
The company says the Syncro 35 offers: “Significant working comfort and productivity gains, and enables producers to improve the appearance and ergonomics of their Bag-in-Box.”
For customers already using the Bag-in-Box system, the new Vitop Easy connector is said to be simpler to use and particularly easy to clean, having been designed to enable quick, economic and reliable connection to the distribution systems used in bars and restaurants.
A division of the Smurfit Kappa group, Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box provides flexible packaging solutions for liquid and semi-liquid products in the agro-food and industrial sectors, meeting cost constraints and the new environmental regulations.
With six factories around the world, Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box claims to be the European leader in Bag-in-Box solutions, and its Vitop tap number one worldwide in taps for wine.
Vitop Syncro 35 automatic handle applicator for Bag-in-Box, from Smurfit Kappa Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box Vitop Easy Connector
