Bensenville, IL – A large turnout at PACK Expo 2017 in Las Vegas led crowds to the Somic America, Inc. booth and talks about the retail-ready packaging machines currently employed by manufacturers across many industries. When the three-day event concluded on Sept. 27, Peter Fox, Somic’s VP of Sales, was convinced he would continue discussions with show visitors in the coming weeks.

“It was slow for the first hour on day one, but we figured it would take a little time for people to make it to the back row in the South Hall,” confirmed Fox. “Once they arrived the aisle was packed, especially on Tuesday and for most of Wednesday. It was great to see the crowds and the conversations went as well as possible. The people we spoke with were well prepared and informed, and they asked some great questions.”

The majority of those questions revolved around the Somic 424 T2 (D) multi-purpose case packer system. It is being employed in different variations with retail, food and beverage and consumer goods manufacturers throughout North America. Having the capability to form and load soft and flexible products in a quick and precise manner is paying dividends several ways, says Fox.

“There are many upsides to the 424 T2 (D). It begins with each machine being completely custom built to a manufacturer’s specifications,” he said. “Products that can be sorted tightly into a condensed package have a tremendous impact on the bottom line, ranging from space saving considerations to less freight costs. With our machines, a manufacturer has the ability to take advantage of designing and adding the number of inserts and formats that best suits their needs.” 

Fox said the speed in which the 424 T2 (D) assembles packages is always a major consideration and part of every discussion he has with retailers and manufacturers.

“The speed of our machines was a hot topic at PACK Expo,” he said. “The 424 T2 (D) groups and packages products in open display trays, trays with covers and wraparound cases very quickly. Depending on the size of the products, it can collate 600 products per minute and carton up to 35 cases, which is very impressive and makes it an impressive solution.” 

Fox said other prime considerations include the compact footprint of the 424 T2 (D) and other Somic machines, a major advantage compared to pick-and-place systems.

“Smaller is good and eliminates wasted space. Our forming cassette reduces the amount of space for separate case or tray erecting prior to product loading. By linking the functional groups throughout the packaging process, it delivers better line efficiencies and greater uptime.”

Somic America will exhibit at PACK Expo 2018 in Chicago, scheduled for October 14-17.