July/August 2024 - 20

PACKAGING
" We also had an older piece of equipment that we were getting by with but it wasn't
intended to handle the volume we now do. The SOMIC machine allows for greater hourly
throughput with a far-reduced risk of human error. "
-GREG ZAJA, AMERICAN PASTEURIZATION CO.
automating the entire process and eliminating 40% of
the material.
" It gave the plant much more operational flexibility,
(and) it's a pretty common story that we have with a lot
of the projects that we do. "
SUCCESS IN ALL SIZES
Another appeal of SOMIC's equipment is its small
footprint, Fox said.
" We use the minimum amount of space necessary to
complete a lot of different functions in that very small
space, " he said.
That proved the deciding factor for a small, family-owned
sausage company in Kentucky which chose SOMIC for its
first automated case packer.
" The primary driver was they had so little space available
for a traditional case packer, where you have case forming,
case loading and case closing, " Fox said. " We do that all in
one very small frame. "
That compactness helps SOMIC address another core
company focus: sustainability. Its wraparound cases,
formed around the product, use less material, while SOMIC
reduces energy consumption at its plants by using vacuum
material handling systems instead of energy-inefficient
compressed air, Fox said.
" Everything that we do is really based on efficiency, "
he said. " There's a lot of restrictions and regulations in
Europe when it comes to energy consumption and packaged
material usage. Because of our European heritage, we tend
to minimize, minimize, minimize. "
When he spearheaded SOMIC's launch in North America a
decade ago, Fox expected larger consumer packaged goods
operations would make up the bulk of the company's
customer base, but he has found that businesses of all sizes
have benefited.
" We're not the most inexpensive machine out there,
so I thought we're going to be hard-pressed to justify this
to smaller companies, " he said. " Actually, we've really
kind of found a sweet spot mostly in the mid-sized
companies, for companies that are producing a large
number of formats.
" They have really been a huge part of our success, and
some very small companies. "
That across-the-board success will soon see SOMIC
relocate from its Eagan, Minnesota, facility to its larger
plant in Grove Heights, where the company will make all
machines for the North American market, in October. Fox
also expects the North American arm of the company to add
around 20 employees by 2025.
" We're growing fast, " he said. " The biggest challenge that
we have right now is managing our growth and just making
sure we're not allowing this growth to keep us from
continuing to produce the quality product that we do and
satisfy as many customers as possible. "
20 JULY/AUGUST 2 0 24

http://kronencorp.com

July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2024

The Process
A visible difference
Avocado automation
Growth spurt
Packaging flexibility
Product Focus section
PMMI
Industry Insider
Advertiser Index
Upcoming Events
Right Now On
July/August 2024 - 1
July/August 2024 - 2
July/August 2024 - 3
July/August 2024 - The Process
July/August 2024 - 5
July/August 2024 - A visible difference
July/August 2024 - 7
July/August 2024 - 8
July/August 2024 - 9
July/August 2024 - Avocado automation
July/August 2024 - 11
July/August 2024 - 12
July/August 2024 - 13
July/August 2024 - 14
July/August 2024 - 15
July/August 2024 - Growth spurt
July/August 2024 - 17
July/August 2024 - 18
July/August 2024 - 19
July/August 2024 - 20
July/August 2024 - 21
July/August 2024 - Packaging flexibility
July/August 2024 - 23
July/August 2024 - 24
July/August 2024 - 25
July/August 2024 - Product Focus section
July/August 2024 - 27
July/August 2024 - PMMI
July/August 2024 - 29
July/August 2024 - Industry Insider
July/August 2024 - Right Now On
July/August 2024 - 32
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/august-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/may-june-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/january-february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/november-december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/september-october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/july-august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/may-june-2019
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