Novus VFFS is a Fast Seller at McEntire Produce for Fresh Cut Lettuce
Sep 10, 2014
McEntire Produce,with its headquarters in Columbia, SC, is a fresh produce processor, repacker and wholesaler serving the South East for over 70 years. McEntire Produce is always looking for ways to improve efficiency and increase speeds in their produce packaging lines to meet customer demand.
After initially agreeing to be a beta testing production site for BW Flexible Systems’ Novus Produce vertical form fill seal machine, McEntire Produce has purchased the continuous motion machine for its exceptional performance. McEntire Produce has been impressed with the Novus Produce Machine since it received the machine. Tom Ribken, BW Flexible Systems Sales Executive, represents the South Eastern U.S. and worked closely with McEntire Produce from the installation of the beta machine to purchase. Ribken comments on McEntire Produce’s decision to adopt the Novus“The wow factor happened when this bagger consistently met speeds of 55 bpm for a compressed 5 lb package of shredded lettuce. The existing baggers in the plant are not capable of attaining the Novus bpm rate whilst consistently maintaining package integrity.”
McEntire’s Maintenance Manager comments, “We were looking for ways to increase speeds while maintaining clean end seals and low leaker rates. The Novus has delivered on all counts. Our business is continuing to grow and we are considering adding a second Novus combined with an Ishida scale in the near future.”
Together with impressive speeds, the Novus Produce machine also features an independently timed stager which prevents product from contaminating end seals, resulting in package leaks. Other features include an independently timed bag squeezer to compress bag size, orbital style knife and Quali-seal jaws. BW Flexible Systems has worked with national produce companies for many years and helped to pioneer pre-washed, packaged bags of salads/lettuce. The new Novus Produce machine joins the Ultima family of machines to extend HayssenSandiacre’s product line further. These products are very suitable for fresh cut produce applications.