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How to Reduce Giveaway in Food Packaging
Thomas Bornemann, Director Sales & Marketing at Hastamat, says giveaway means cost, and many times it is higher than the cost of buying a new machine, yet customers do not always calculate it. Weighing systems are much more accurate than volumetric filling, and for powders Hastamat adds check weighing feedback control that automatically regulates the feeder.
Key takeaways
- Thomas Bornemann says many times the cost of giveaway is higher than buying a new machine, and customers do not always calculate it when buying equipment.
- For products that can be packed either way, a weighing system is much more accurate than filling by volume.
- For powders such as coffee or milk powder, Hastamat installs check weighing feedback control that automatically regulates the volumetric feeding system.
Common questions
- Why is giveaway important when buying a packaging machine?
- According to Thomas Bornemann of Hastamat, giveaway means cost for the customer, and many times the cost of giveaway is higher than buying a new machine. He says customers do not always calculate the value of giveaway when buying a machine, so it should be considered before buying. As Tom Rougeux of Piepenbrock Packaging put it, 10% giveaway on a one-dollar product is only a dime per package, but multiplied over a long period of time, Thomas Bornemann says, "then we are talking a lot of money."
- Is a weighing system more accurate than volumetric filling?
- Thomas Bornemann of Hastamat says some products can be packed with volumetric feeding or with a weighing system, and the weighing system is much more accurate than filling by volume. He adds that reducing giveaway depends on the quality of the machines and the type of system.
- How can giveaway be reduced when filling powders like coffee or milk powder?
- According to Thomas Bornemann of Hastamat, powder products have to be filled with volumetric feeding, so Hastamat installs a check weighing feedback control in addition to the packaging machine. The feedback control automatically regulates the feeding system to reduce giveaway.
Transcript
Tom Rougeux, President, Piepenbrock Packaging
Let's talk about giveaway. In a product that you're making, what difference does it make if the product is supposed to weigh one pound, but you're putting 1.1 pound in there. You have to get the product to weigh the stated weight on the bag.
But talk to us about giveaway and what that means to a customer in large quantity or high production volume.
Thomas Bornemann, Director Sales & Marketing, Hastamat
The giveaway is a very important point which the customer also has to consider before they're buying a machine, because giveaway means cost for the customer. And many times the cost of the giveaway is higher than buying a new machine at the end. It's a very important point.
Tom Rougeux
So if the value of the product is a dollar and you're giving away 10%, you're only giving away a dime per product, but when multiplied over a long period of time.
Thomas Bornemann
Yes, then we are talking a lot of money.
Tom Rougeux
Do you think customers always calculate the value of the giveaway when they're buying a machine?
Thomas Bornemann
For sure not.
Tom Rougeux
And how does Hastamat specifically reduce giveaway?
Thomas Bornemann
I mean, this reducing giveaway is a combination of the quality. It finally depends on the quality of the machines and to the type of the system. So for example, if you have to see the difference, for example, between a volumetric feeding or a weighing system.
So some products you can pack with a volumetric feeding, but you can use for the same product a weighing system as well, which is much more accurate than filling by volume.
Tom Rougeux
Yes. Okay. And what kind of features does the Hastamat systems have to reduce giveaway?
How do you reduce giveaway where those features may not be available on another brand of product?
Thomas Bornemann
It's a bit depends again, always just depending on the product at the end. But for example, if you talk about a powder product like a coffee powder or milk powder or things like that, then we are installing additional to the packaging machine a kind of check weighing feedback control. And feedback control is automatically regulating the feeding system, which is in that way a volumetric feeding, because the powder product has to be combined with a volumetric feeding.
Yeah.
Tom Rougeux
Okay.
Are there any combinations that are advantageous when you're talking about the weigher? When you're talking about the weigher, is there something that Hastamat produces in the weighing, in the multihead weigher itself, that is a particular value to the customer when talking about giveaway?
Thomas Bornemann
Especially when we have special automatic systems to regulate the weigher, to get very close to the nominal weight of the final pack at the end. Yeah.
