Luvat GmbH has established itself as a leader in the production of high-quality sauces, mayonnaises, and dressings. As a strategic partner for both private label and large retailers, the company operates under the strictest international food safety standards. To maintain its competitiveness, Luvat requires production lines that combine maximum operational efficiency with the highest levels of industrial hygiene.

The challenge: humid environments, product variability, and staff shortages

The packaging of sauces presents a unique complexity that demands high-precision technology. Luvat faced a multidimensional challenge in its production line, conditioned by technical, environmental, and macroeconomic factors:

  • The humid environment and plant hygiene: as it is a food processing factory, the machinery must coexist with the humid environment characteristic of the packaging rooms and the rigorous cleaning protocols of the facilities.
  • The complexity of the packaging (same design, different behavior): the main technical challenge lay in the geometry of the bottle, which had a conical base. Lacking a flat support surface, the container was inherently extremely unstable, compromising its safe transport along the line.
  • The shortage of skilled labor (Fachkräftemangel): like much of the German industrial sector, Luvat operates in a labor market with a severe shortage of operational technical personnel. The packaging automation solution could not rely on complex manual adjustments or constant maintenance; it had to be an intuitive system.

Importance of the pigments

Adding to this design challenge was an even more complex one: Luvat needed to process the same bottle in different colors. Although the containers shared an identical geometry in terms of design, their actual behavior on the production line was completely different. Each pigment alters the physical properties of the plastic, drastically modifying the static electricity and the bottle’s slip coefficient. This combination of geometric instability and disparate behavior depending on the color required configuring highly specific parameters and formulas for each shade in order to avoid jams and bottlenecks.

On the other hand, there was a determining factor that considerably increased the risk and complexity of the project. The containers arrived already screen-printed at the feeding equipment, with the color print positioned relative to the container’s conical base. Due to this characteristic, Luvat containers, despite their cylindrical shape, needed to be oriented before being placed in the pucks, as these were designed to only accept containers in the correct position. Therefore, controlling the container’s vertical positioning and accurately managing its angular orientation was critical.

The solution: a food container unscrambler with puck introduction

To address the instability caused by the conical base and the complexity of the statics changing due to color, Packfeeder designed a custom-engineered solution perfectly suited to Luvat’s needs.

The technical integration focused on a mechanical unscrambler from the InLine Series, specifically the Premium 100 model with godets, focusing on three pillars:

  • Stabilization using puck conveyor belts: since the bottle had a conical end and lacked inherent stability, a mechanical machine from the inLine series with a puck feed system was offered. This system picks up each conical container individually, orienting it and securely fitting it into a support that guarantees perfect verticality and completely stable transport to the filling area.
  • Automated recipe management: to overcome the challenge of static and physical variability of each color, a recipe system with specific parameters for each container variant was implemented. During the testing phase, each configuration was individually analyzed and adjusted to maximize machine speed for each bottle type. Thanks to this development, the operator only needs to select the corresponding program on the touchscreen. The machine will automatically adapt its parameters, ensuring optimal performance and completely eliminating human error.
  • Simplified operation: thanks to quick, tool-free format changes, the system neutralizes the impact of a lack of skilled personnel. Allowing any operator to control the line with a minimal learning curve, even in the plant’s humid environments.

Results and impact

The introduction of the Packfeeder mechanical food container unscrambler has transformed Luvat’s end-of-line efficiency, delivering key strategic benefits:

  • Total flexibility: ability to switch between different bottle colors and recipes quickly and without losing efficiency (OEE). Always maintaining control of a container with such disparate behaviors.
  • Safety in the production flow: synchronization with the puck conveyor belt completely eliminates drops of the conical bottles in line. Ensuring a continuous and smooth supply to the filler.
  • Workplace resilience: reduction of dependence on highly specialized operators for daily packaging tasks.

Here you can see a video of the food container unscrambler with pucks:

Luvat’s success story demonstrates that automation goes beyond production speed. By choosing Packfeeder, Luvat not only acquired a machine to solve a challenge of unscrambling conical and unstable containers. They found a technology partner capable of protecting its factory against the challenges of the labor market and the demands of the food industry.

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