Rising energy costs and inflationary pressure are forcing food manufacturers to seek solutions that make it possible to maintain margins without increasing retail prices. An example of such an approach is the British brand Simply Roasted, which specialises in baked potato crisps in the "premium health" snacks segment. The company decided to fully automate and integrate its packaging line using Ishida technology. As a result, it achieved a significant increase in output, shorter changeover times and reduced product losses thanks to high weighing accuracy.
The modernised line currently achieves an output of 80 packs per minute, with potential to increase to 120 packs per minute. According to the company data, changeover time has been reduced by 66 percent, from 3 hours to around 60 minutes. Weighing accuracy of up to 1 gram is crucial when using expensive raw materials typical for the premium segment. The increased processing capacity has enabled the brand to maintain price levels despite rising production costs, including energy.
For snacks with elevated quality requirements, pack integrity is a key parameter. Maintaining the correct protective atmosphere inside the bag determines the preservation of product crispness and flavour throughout the declared shelf life. In the "premium health" segment, this criterion is directly linked to how consumers perceive brand quality. For this reason, Simply Roasted has based its production strategy on an automated, controlled packaging process instead of manual or semi-manual operations.
The importance of packaging reliability for a new brand is highlighted by Stuart Monk, managing director of Simply Roasted. "With a new brand we have only one chance to gain trust. If the packaging fails, we lose customer loyalty. The Ishida system is the Rolls-Royce of machines. It gives us absolute confidence in the quality of every batch."
Integrated iTPS packaging system
The core of Simply Roasted's automated line is the integrated Ishida iTPS system. The key component responsible for product dosing is the 14-head Ishida CCW-RV multihead weigher. This device works in conjunction with the Inspira bagmaker, forming a coherent weighing and packaging unit. Such integration is important both for maintaining the required throughput and for ensuring consistent parameters for every pack.
Final weight control is carried out by the DACS-GN-SE checkweigher. It uses Anti-Floor-Vibration technology, which reduces the influence of floor vibrations on the measurement result. This solution helps maintain high weighing accuracy in typical production hall conditions, where numerous sources of vibration are present. Precise weight control at the end of the line is important for reducing raw material losses and meeting requirements relating to declared pack contents.
Functions supporting process stability
A distinguishing feature of the system is its self-diagnostics function and intelligent monitoring of equipment operation. These solutions reduce the risk of human error, enable faster identification of process deviations and facilitate supervision of key line parameters. The manufacturer also highlights the open machine design, which supports fast manual cleaning. This is important for companies operating to food industry standards, where frequent cleaning and product changeovers are part of everyday operations.
The implementation of the integrated packaging system has allowed Simply Roasted to replace decisions based mainly on operator intuition with a more predictable and measurable technological process. The combination of high weighing accuracy, automatic weight control and enhanced pack integrity provides a basis for stable production in the premium snacks segment.
