Food handling and packaging equipment designer and manufacturer Packpacker was a double winner at the PPMA Group Industry Awards.
The company, based at Great Bardfield, near Braintree, won the Most Innovative Processing/Packaging Machine of the Year title and the Partnership of the Year accolade at the event, held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.
Pacepacker received the innovation award for its Mixed Tray Loader (MTL) packing system, which creates mixed retail trays of food and other consumer goods. It was praised by the PPMA judges for its simplicity and effectiveness, which they felt “epitomises an essential element of innovation.”
The partnership award reflected Pacepacker’s collaboration with FANUC UK and Festo which design and manufacture food-grade and bulk handling robotic solutions.
The PPMA judging panel said that the trio stood out as winners because of their “willingness to work together, despite being competitors in some areas, ensuring that customers’ needs were fully met.” Their efforts to showcase automation to a wider audience at Pacepacker’s “Try Before You Buy” facility, were also applauded.
Pacepacker’s managing director, Dennis Allison, said: “Two awards in one night is a tremendous honour. We are a British company in every sense and play an important part in helping UK food producers and manufacturers to prosper by enabling them to reduce costs to compete locally and secure more export opportunities.
“As well as boosting production efficiency, automating manufacturing processes like packing and case loading ensure products are of the highest quality when they land in retail stores.”
He added: “The need for labour efficiency and productivity is driving manufacturers, processors and packing plants towards new and innovative technology. Winning both these PPMA awards shows what can be accomplished when companies work together removing the barriers to automation and how this fosters even greater innovation.”
The PPMA, which organises the awards, is the trade association for processing and packaging equipment manufacturers. The awards event was attended by more than 400 leaders and innovators from across the sector.
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