MAP packs for high-quality poultry products

The Polish company SuperDrob S.A. packs fresh poultry products in vacuum and MAP packs on MULTIVAC thermoforming packaging machines and traysealers. The attractive design and extended shelf life of the new packs have seen the sales figures rise continuously.

Around 2,000 employees at SuperDrob S.A. are involved in the slaughter, butchering and packing of chicken and turkey for the European and Chinese markets. The company, which has its headquarters in Karczew south of Warsaw, has three production sites and processes around 60,000 tons of poultry per year. A further production site is currently being built.

The most important ingredients for the success of the company are first-class Polish reared poultry and carefully prepared spice mixtures. Polish consumers, who consume around 50 percent of the total production, appreciate the high quality and freshness of the products. SuperDrob S.A. is conscious of the fact, that continuous product development is one of the most important success factors in the food industry.

“We are constantly investing in the further development of our products. It is only with outstanding quality, the longest possible shelf life and contemporary presentation of our products, that we can permanently bind our customers to our brand and win new purchasers,” says Tadeusz Baranowski, Vice President of the Management Board, who is responsible for Operations at the company. 

In order to achieve this, SuperDrob S.A. decided to replace the PS trays and vacuum packs, which had been used up to then for the fresh poultry pieces, with a more attractive type of pack. “It quickly became clear to us MULTIVAC was the ideal partner for us in our search to implement a new packaging concept,” recalls Tadeusz Baranowski. “The company is well known for its comprehensive advice and good service, and it is recognized everywhere as being very reliable. In view of its recognized technical expertise and large range of machines, there was no doubt MULTIVAC would be able to offer us a suitable solution for our requirements.” The decision was made in favour of FormShrink® packs for whole chickens and modified atmosphere trays for the portioned poultry pieces.

Contour packs for whole chickens

Since 2014 SuperDrob S.A. has been packing fresh roast chicken on a 
R 255 thermoforming packaging machine, designed for producing FormShrink® packs. “Each product is provided with individually customised packaging, regardless of its size and shape,” says Tadeusz Baranowski. “Since the packaging is also clear and transparent, the roast chicken looks particularly fresh. And the meat in the pack can be kept two to three days longer than in the previously used packs.”

Special thermoforming packaging machines, developed with a wide range of formats specifically for the FormShrink® packaging procedure, are used in conjunction with special FormShrink® films. Thanks to the shrinkage of the film, tailored contour packs are produced, which enclose the products tightly. The special shrink films used for FormShrink® packs are characterised by their particular barrier properties, high level of puncture resistance and outstanding overall stability. They keep the poultry fresh for a long time. Their shrink properties are activated in a shrinking unit, which is connected directly to the R 255. “We saw other benefits in the easy operation of the machine,” says Tadeusz Baranowski. “The operators only need to place the chickens in the formed pack cavities.” Perfect and permanent seal seams are produced in the subsequent sealing process, which not only enable hygiene and food safety to be improved, but also reduce the reject quota and product returns due to leaking or contaminated packs.

Appetising presentation in MAP packs

A challenging task for SuperDrob S.A. was the search for a solution for packing poultry pieces. “We have various pack sizes in our range, from one-person households to large families, allowing everyone to find a suitable portion in our product range,” explains Tadeusz Baranowski. “Of course the fill quantity within a portion size must not vary, i.e. packs with three fillets for example must always weigh 500 grams.” The packaging solution also had to be able to run the 17 different existing pack shapes and sizes without any problems. It was also important for the poultry producer, that the trays used had to be available in various colours and could be printed very well.

The poultry pieces are now packed on T 700 and T 800 traysealers. The T 700 enables trays to be packed at a high throughput, and it can also be integrated into very compact packaging lines. The T 800 offers an even greater level of efficiency. “Output capability is very important for us given the growing demand for our products. The T 800 here has a throughput of 66 packs per minute,” says Tadeusz Baranowski with satisfaction.

Common to both models are the systematic MULTIVAC Hygienic Design™ for optimum ease of cleaning, the flexibility provided by quick format change, and easy and ergonomic operation via the touch display with the graphic HMI 2.0 user interface. Since SuperDrob S.A. produce MAP packs on the T 700 and T 800, both machines are equipped with a gas flushing system. In order to keep the operating costs as low as possible, the lifting units, transport systems and film trim winders of the high-output traysealers are operated by energy-efficient electric motors.

Extended shelf life increases sales

Tadeusz Baranowski is extremely satisfied with MULTIVAC’s professional advice and with the trouble-free implementation of the project on schedule, as well as with the high level of machine efficiency in daily operation. “In our sector one has to go with the times and constantly improve,” he says summarizing the challenges of the food market. “At the same time, safety and reliability in our processes are essential. MULTIVAC has proved, that it can offer both.”

Thanks to the new packaging solutions, SuperDrob S.A. has not only been able to optimise its processes and produce more attractive packs, but also to increase the sales figures. “The food products are better protected all round in the new packs, and they also look more appetising,” says Tadeusz Baranowski. “Since the MAP packs with extended shelf life were introduced, we have been recording a continuous increase in sales.”