Eagan, MN. – This year’s PACK EXPO International will have special meaning with the SOMIC Packaging, Inc. team. The main reason will be the live demonstrations of the unique and adaptable next generation SOMIC 434 automated packaging system in booth N-6148 throughout the four day event, which is being held November 3-6 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

PACK EXPO also represents an important turning point. Ten years ago and 25 miles from the event venue on the shores of Lake Michigan, Peter Fox opened the U.S. subsidiary of Germany-based SOMIC. Operating from a small office close to O’Hare International Airport, the company successfully gained a foothold in the North American packaging market and tripled its space with a transfer to the Minneapolis area in 2018.

This month prior to the show, a move into new headquarters a few miles away will nearly quadruple SOMIC Packaging’s workspace to 48,000 square-feet. The assembly of all new North American purchased machines will originate at the Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota facility.

“PACK EXPO offers us the opportunity to present SOMIC’s achievements over the last 50 years, as well as our rapid ascension here in the United States and Canada the past 10 years,” said Fox, acknowledging the parent company’s golden anniversary. He has served as SOMIC Packaging’s CEO since being promoted in 2021.

“Exhibiting this versatile 434 next generation case packer demonstrates our continuous upwards progress in the marketplace. It also reinforces our commitment to the design and development of cutting edge, retail ready case packing solutions.”

The 434 system made its initial debut last year at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Designed to handle up to 34 cases per minute during a single cycle, it is capable of packing flat sachets, stand-up flexible pouches, and a wide array of cans, cups, trays, jars, bottles, tubes and blister-packs. Offering single and multi-row grouping and multi-layer stacking, format adjustments are 70% faster than previous systems.

Fox said with its signature compact footprint, a standard 434 has a base carton or case packing section which incorporates custom infeed and collation. The decentralized servo technology is particularly suitable for the machine’s modular design, and functional units can be individually adapted for any customer requirements and future applications. Automated machine adjustments have been incorporated to ensure the machine will automatically adjust to the precise settings when changing from one format to the next.

“The capability to configure the collation and collection group, plus the quality of the engineering and manufacturing process, is what separates SOMIC apart from the competition,” explained Fox, who noted many new upgrades have been added to the machine that will be exhibited in Chicago.

“While no two machines are the same, there is a significant amount of standardization which exists in the primary functionality of our case packer. It begins with a custom configured platform, but customers make it proprietary based on carton design, product positioning, packaging inserts, and the requirements necessary for on-shelf display.”

Fox said the 434 machine being demonstrated at PACK EXPO has already been sold to a multinational cheese packager. Later next month, it will be shipped to one of the company’s processing facilities in the Midwest.

“The demonstration will show customers how the infeed orientation, along with the unique collection and rotation features, enhance the ability of the machine to prepare and package retail ready cases and cartons,” explained Fox. He added the versatile case packer provides more case sizes and larger arrangements for the grouping of end-of-line, tray, and carton packing products.

“With this 434, we changed the infeed orientation into the standardized case packing section of the machine,” he said. “The sliced cheese product will be delivered into the collation system via the lamella chain in a 90-degree orientation. This facilitates standing product on the long edge for retail ready purposes prior to rotation of the group, and before it is inserted into the forming cassette and wrapping the case.”

Other new features have been added, starting with machine height safety doors. The new frame construction with a 180-degree opening provides improved accessibility and allows full use of the space around the machine. Ideal ergonomic conditions and new LED corner lighting with better visibility helps operators to make easier format changes, and for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

Fox said the machine’s supply unit is more user-friendly now that it contains all noise-intensive components which dramatically reduce sound levels. It also offers a combined SOMIC QuickChange automatic adjustment system. This feature prevents incorrect operation and allows for a faster and easier format changeover.

“We continue to listen and learn from our new customers, and that’s why some of these new features have been implemented,” said Fox, who added all PACK EXPO attendees wanting to arrange a booth meeting with SOMIC sales representatives should send an email to [email protected].