striving for the best

T
he range of GEA Procomac’s products includes aseptic filling systems, fillers
for ESL (extended shelf-life) cold chain products, CSD (carbonated soft drinks)
products and traditional filling. So as to remain at the technological cuttingedge, GEA Procomac has recently launched a totally innovative product on the market,
Aseptic Blow Fill (ABF). Unlike traditional aseptic technology, whereby bottle sterilisation takes place after blowing, ABF inverts the order of these operations, sterilising
preforms first, followed by blowing in a sterile environment and then filling. Another
product which has been introduced very recently is a plastic caps steriliser using hydrogen peroxide; another is the first aseptic piston doser, a machine able to carry out fruit
filling, operating with pieces measuring up to 10x10x10 mm.
Suppliers’ input in terms of quality is fundamental for GEA Procomac. In fact, thanks
to this alone, the finished product manages to maintain its high quality standards. GEA
is employing a winning strategy with suppliers, in terms of quality, whereby the more a
supplier delivers compliant products, the higher will be their volume of work with GEA.
Furthermore GEA adheres to the continuous improvement Kaizen philosophy, which it
has been using internally for years, even with strategic suppliers.
When talking about GEA’s production facilities, Mr Salvadori comments, “Our main
site is in Sala Baganza, Parma, which also hosts the production of all of our filling machines, while all end-of-line machines are manufactured not very far away, in Collecchio,
a site dedicated to this purpose. Blowers, both aseptic and non aseptic, are produced in
our dedicated Roncate site, situated near Treviso (north-eastern Italy) – a geographical
area specialised in this activity.
“Our Roncade site for blowers, which has been in operation since 2009, is the result of
a significant investment, as before GEA did not have blowing machines in its portfolio,
and I have to say that, while we had to start from scratch, we managed to manufacture
an aseptic blower straight away. In fact, this strategy has surely facilitated our task, as
starting from a blank sheet we did not have existing frameworks which could stop us
from fully applying the aseptic concept to a blowing machine of new design.”
We have it all
PET beverage bottles is the main sector served by GEA Procomac. Being part of the
world leading process technology GEA group, GEA Procomac is also able to offer the
entire production process: from reception and processing of raw materials to product
thermal treatment to blowing and filling to palletization.
“In terms of geographical markets, we sell our products all over the world,” explains
Mr Salvadori. “Our main markets are Europe, the USA, China and South Eastern Asia.
Thanks to the enormous growth of sensitive beverages in the Asian continent over the
past few years, we have consolidated our leadership on the Chinese market, installed the
first aseptic line in India and significantly strengthened our presence in Vietnam and
Indonesia, two countries which offer us great future potential.
STRIVING FOR THE BEST
GEA Procomac, headquartered near the northern Italian town of Parma, is a recognised leader in the production of
aseptic PET bottle filling machines, as Barbara Rossi learns when speaking to the Director of Sales, Mr Flavio Salvadori.
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“GEA Procomac is part of GEA’s Filling and Packaging Strategic Business Unit,
which as well as the main Sala Baganza site also includes operations based in the US and
China. At both these sites we are able to provide a commercial and direct after sales service through local technicians and thanks to a warehouse stocked with significant spare
parts. We have started the process of enabling other sites, which at the moment can deal
with commercial and basic technical support services, to also offer a complete service on
their respective markets in the near future.”
The company’s core business is aseptic filling, whose growth will follow an organic
path. In other fields, such as end-of-line, GEA Procomac is evaluating several growth opportunities, also including acquisitions, both in Europe and in other continents.
With regard to future growth, Mr Salvadori indicated that GEA Procomac is a
company looking to the future with a positive outlook. “In a world with a consolidated
tendency to improve the quality of food products, in future a growth in wealth will be
accompanied by the selection of the most compact and efficient technological solutions,
offering features such as sustainability and cost reduction options. ABF, the combined
aseptic blowing and filling system, will no doubt play a leading role. Moreover, without
revealing the details, I have to say that our innovation centre is researching increasingly
visionary solutions with revolutionary ambitions, all for the bottling world.” Visit: www.procomac.it
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