Giovanni Anzani (Commercial Director, Gampack Group) spoke with us about the Italian company’s commitment to fulfilling the needs of pet food producers and how consumers’ preferences have evolved over time.
“Food producers have taken attention of this latest trend. They have recognized the importance of equipping themselves with industrial plants that possess specific qualities. If previous the containers were mainly cans of various shapes: square, hexagonal, and octagonal, the flexible packaging such as doypacks have recently come and gained popularity due to the approval of consumers – begins Giovanni Anzani. “The doypack is growing in appeal since it is simple to use, attractive to look at, and easy to take care of and recycle. Frequently, the primary packages of the doypacks are positioned vertically inside the display box so that, once on the shelf, they are tidy and easy to see, as much as the supplier’s brand, with the doypacks ready to be picked up.”
How would packaging be used to satisfy the final customer?
We understand that many clients today want customised packaging. “To address these requirements, we developed cases that can hold doypacks of several flavours within a single display tray. Our technology allows for the insertion of doypacks containing the desired flavours into the trays that will be placed on shelves. Customers can purchase a single flavour or a selection of flavours as they choose. In fact, giving the buyer the flexibility to readily and intelligently select the desired product is critical since, often, they are especially interested in providing a varied food for their animals.”
The Gampack Group machine features for pet food producers
“Our customers require versatile systems to pack pet food products. They appreciate the features of our machines, especially our customizations and their flexibility. We manufacturers have a duty to be creative,” continues Giovanni Anzani. “The designs of our machines, applicable to both wet and dry pet food packaging, are designed to meet our customers’ needs. To give an example related to the packaging of dry pet food, where bags and carton boxes of different sizes are used, we have recently developed a case packer that can work with either carton boxes or bags thanks to its high flexibility.”
Pet food packaging: reduced footprint and automatic size changeover
The wide Gampack Group’s portfolio includes monoblock machines with a small footprint and automatic changeover, as well as automatic systems that meet secondary packaging and palletization needs.
“To increase flexibility and allow customers to manage even small production batches, the Gampack Group provides a sophisticated solution: the automatic size changeover option. This application enables a simple and speedy transition from one batch to another, reducing machine downtime and increasing production efficiency. In fact, pet food manufacturers are frequently medium-sized companies that do not regularly manufacture huge quantities of the same batch, necessitating shorter equipment setup times between batches. Our machines can be equipped with this device; nevertheless, the choice of automatic size changeover is mostly determined by the size of the production batches and the frequency of the change itself,” Giovanni Anzani explains.
The Gampack Group’s extensive experience allows them to create customized machines based on customer’s requirements. They begin with conventional bases and develop from there. “To return to automatic size changeover, the Gampack Group automatic division manufactures shrink wrapping machines and cardboard case packers. These machinery, thanks to the integrated automation, can switch sizes in two or three minutes. If we examine machines without automatic size changeover, the times can range from ten to fifteen minutes. We keep in mind that production often slows down not during the product sise changeover, but on the upstream process machines, which take slower than packaging. Obviously, our consulting service helps companies to enhance the efficiency of their business.“
A single partner for machinery, software, training, and support
The Gampack Group not only builds monoblock machines, but they also develop software. “This enables assistance operations with our after-sales team, which may intervene promptly and remotely, removing problems. We’re talking about our renowned flagship. We are reactive and ready to take action, adding value to our solutions.
When a new system gets installed, considering it’s a relatively simple machine, we plan a training session during installation. After that, we evaluate the user to be sure they have learned all the skills needed to run the system” says Giovanni Anzani. “If the machines or lines are more complicated, however, we split the training into two stages: a preparatory phase at our plants with testing to get the machine operators ready, and a second phase at the customer’s manufacturing under realistic production conditions. Naturally, our training covers more than just equipment installation; we also step in for specific requirements, such as staff turnovers, and other unexpected events. In addition, we remain available to support clients long after they have made the investment”.
The materials used in the packaging
The materials that packaging machines utilize are just as important as the equipment themselves. “Taking care of the environment is strategic, and each of us can contribute in some way. In its packaging machinery, Gampack Group uses the most environmentally friendly materials. Since plastic has certain fundamental qualities, we still prefer recyclable and recycled plastic. When feasible, we choose recyclable paper-based materials that, with the addition of certain substances, may have barrier properties similar to those of plastic materials – says Giovanni Anzani. “That depends on how much the barrier effect is required to protect the contents of the package. Environmentally friendly materials and more efficient machinery are the way of the future”.
