Achieving sustainability in the secondary-packaging market

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Cama Group on achieving flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability in the secondary-packaging market.

To navigate today’s competitive coffee market, producers are seeking to strike a balance between variety for consumers and simplicity on the production line – while also incorporating sustainability into the mix.

Cama Group is leveraging its 40 years of expertise in advanced secondary-packaging technologies to lead the charge on all these fronts and tailor solutions to meet a variety of client requirements.

The Italian machine manufacturer’s innovation in this space has generated positive word of mouth throughout the industry. Now with 50 per cent of the factory dedicated to coffee lines and a flurry of new customers including some of the largest coffee companies in the world, it is a leader for secondary-packaging technology in this segment.

The team at Cama understand the nuances and demands within the coffee market, making variety-pack solutions a reality. Coffee roasters can now meet consumers’ growing desire for choice by presenting multiple flavours in a single box.

To meet this requirement for choice, the company has developed machines with novel capabilities. Its latest release, the Monoblock Top Loading (MTL) system, can achieve up to 2500 capsules per minute across four labels, which is thought to be the fastest model in the industry.

Traditionally, variety packs were assembled manually or in bulk. However, Cama’s machines streamline this process significantly, with some allowing for 10 different formats in a single unit.

“Our platforms can be tailored for speed, configuration, various formats, and even the integration of additional items,” says Cama Sales Group Director Alessandro Rocca.

This flexibility is made possible using robotic lines that are designed to enhance productivity. Cama machines employ Flex Lines – highly flexible lines with the agility required to handle a wide range of products and packaging variety, including shape, size, flavour, or quantity.

Vision-guided robots, developed in-house, were developed to ensure the precise needs of different packaging processes are met.

Beyond variety and efficiency, Cama is blending customised services with sustainability to meet the needs of today’s environmentally conscious coffee market.

Transitioning to a sustainable model does not occur overnight and Rocca says the company works closely with clients to ensure the process is seamless, tailored, and effective.

“Our team works with the client to develop a solution and provide enough time for testing as the material may react to the new packaging,” he says.

Rocca adds that reducing carbon consumption and optimising waste management are among the chief goals in this transition.

“With our solution, we were able to reduce the customer’s footprint, because you’re basically going from bulk to an ordinated process,” he says.

“We have been able to reduce the packaging consumption by 20 per cent in our move towards sustainable options, which has been very well received by our clients.”

In addition to developing sustainable alternatives, ensuring efficiency as well as flexibility on the production line is among the key challenges Cama strives to overcome.

“The main challenge lies in balancing speed and flexibility. While some clients seek high-speed, others prioritise versatility in packaging configurations to adapt to changing retail displays,” says Rocca.

Focused on being ahead of the curve, Cama has integrated augmented reality into its operations. This technology aids the team in design and prototyping, allowing clients to visualise the machines’ capabilities before production begins.

“Augmented machine assistant package is an optional addendum for all our clients,” says Rocca.

“The customer can choose to get this package together with the machine order or without. And it can also be applied to older technology.”

With augmented reality, the client team can gain a clearer understanding of the machine and its full capabilities during the design and prototyping stage. Operations can be fine-tuned through simulations based on accurate product models before production has begun.

Additionally, machines can be virtually positioned in proposed locations and adjusted to address utility and spatial issues ahead of installation.

In the operational phase, augmented reality can train new operators and deliver overlay instructions and videos for component changeovers and batch-change procedures.

“Augmented reality can enhance training and provide additional instructions for maintenance and batch changes,” Rocca adds.

Recently, Cama has encountered a significant rise in requests for offline production systems that enable customers to stock capsules and create variety packs later, allowing them to select the level of automation that suits their needs best.

“We’ve developed systems that can orient and feed capsules efficiently, addressing the need for flexibility in production,” he says.

This is particularly useful when products aren’t available in the production line, making it less likely for boxes to leave the factory empty.

Among its most recent advancements in this area is the MTL system, which features advanced robotic technology. Rocca describes it as a game-changer that can handle various products and packaging types simultaneously to boost efficiency in production. By synchronising three product lines into a single loader, it maximises productivity while reducing the machine’s overall size.

Rocca says this design not only speeds up operations but also allows for greater flexibility.

In addition to the MTL, the company is continuing its push in advancing solutions for variety packs for coffee producers, while also addressing key concerns such as the transportation of aluminium containers.

“These systems are designed to accommodate unique packaging requirements, such as transporting aluminium containers without direct contact,” says Rocca.

“The challenge we are working to address is to build this package with holding material inside that meets certain dimensions and minimises waste.”

Looking to the future, Rocca believes the coffee market presents vast potential, particularly in sustainability and innovation.

“We are only at the beginning of our journey towards sustainable packaging,” he says.

“The next five years will see significant advancements in compostable and recyclable materials, as we strive to meet the evolving demands of consumers.” 

For more information, visit camagroup.com

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