Showcases thermoforming form fill seal machineVeripack India bullish about modified atmosphere packagingVeripack Solutions India promoted their roll-stock horizontal thermoforming machines and Veripack brand tray sealers at PackEx India 2014. Veripack Solutions India is a 100% subsidiary of the FNC SpA Group, Italy, which was founded in 1927. The packaging machine segment of the group falls under Veripack Packaging Division. The Indian subsidiary provides services to the sub-continent and few countries in the region. On display at PackEx were the tray sealer model Focus and thermoforming form fill seal machine model Freedom. These machines are aimed at segments such as frozen foods, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and ethnic Indian snacks.Visitors at the Veripack Solutions India stand at PackEx 2014. Photo PSAThe automatic Focus tray sealer machine allows sealing in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for several kinds of containers or trays. “The Focus machine is equipped with a stainless steel structure and anodized aluminium moulds in order to provide resistance to all aggressive agents. It is equipped with a fast moulds change system that is very quick and usable by all operators, even the less experienced ones, without tools or utensils,” said Rajesh Ranveria, deputy manager, technical and service of Veripack Solutions India. “This is a suitable machine for small and medium enterprises in need of adding automatic systems to their production line.”
Ranveria pointed out that in the Indian market the trend of trays replacing retort pouches is catching up fuelled by growth in retail which has subsequently given rise to popularity of convenience foods. He added that technology like MAP would be extremely important in enhancing the shelf-life of products. “Some of our customers in India have successfully tapped the export market for fruits using MAP technology. They are managing to get a shelf-life of almost 12 to 13 days which is very helpful for exports of perishable items like fruits,” Ranveria said. The other machine on display, thermoforming form fill seal machine model, Freedom, can be used in the food sector for items such as meat, fish, cold cuts, cheeses, pastry, fresh pasta, sweets, and more in the non-food area such as medical instruments, spare parts, and more.
“With the Freedom model there is the possibility of using different types of films and it’s a very simple to operate machine,” Ranveria stated. Veripack Solutions India has sold around 12 combined tray sealers and thermoforming machines in the country since the local subsidiary was established in late 2011. With increasing focus on India, the company started the Veripack Technical Centre in Mumbai last year. The idea behind this is to let customers understand the thermoforming concepts and take trials of this format.
According to Ranveria the company remains very bullish about the concept which is in its infancy in India but awareness is growing. “We are in talks with quite a few potential customers and it is likely that we would be able to install five to seven more machines in India in the near future,” he concluded.
