Prolamina expands production capacity with new equipment

US-based flexible packaging supplier Prolamina Corporation has installed advanced pouch-manufacturing equipment, a custom-built Totani BH80, to increase production speed.

This new addition will make Prolamina's Wisconsin facility the second to be equipped with a Totani.

The pouching machine has been designed by Prolamina in collaboration with Totanis to support the demand for its proprietary product PRO-POUCH.

Prolamina vice-president of sales Matt Conlin said: "We capitalised on our experience with our existing Totani machines and partnered with Totani's engineers to design a machine with high speed and versatility that will support our growth initiatives in the pouching market."

PRO-POUCH has a W-fold or auxiliary gusset and is completely leakproof with pre-welded fitments. These stand-up pouches are vertically integrated with print and lamination for a cost-effective turnkey pouching solution that can include custom closures, such as zippers.

Prolamina CEO Greg Tucker said: "We believe the Totani BH80 to have the greatest in-line speed on the market and, coupled with our existing Totani machines, we are well aligned to support the growth of our world-class customers.

"We've seen tremendous growth in pouching as more and more CPG companies move away from rigid containers.

"This million-dollar capital investment reflects the health of the flexible packaging market."

The new equipment allows for a four-up format that helps in the production of pouches of different sizes and closures. Pouches ranging from basic three-side seal to traditional stand-up pouches with a zipper facility form part of the configuration.

The BH80 with upgraded sensors and camera systems will also be able to closely monitor crucial areas of quality to ensure correct specs.

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Image: Prolamina's new Totani pouch machine producing PRO-POUCH, the company's proprietary stand-up pouch product. Photo: courtesy of Prolamina.