While the trend for large manufacturers is to automate a new plant in its entirety, small and medium-sized food and beverage processors rarely have the funds to automate their plants, turning them into lights-out facilities. Even some tier-one processors may find areas in certain operations where it may not make sense to over-automate.

Designed to fill 1/2- to 6- or up to 55-gal. sterile bags, the Alfa Laval Astepo aseptic filler is used with liquid to highly viscous food and beverage products.

IMA Dairy & Food Erca EF Series form/fill/seal machines are offered with Open Mold thermoforming technology that allows food manufacturers to create proprietary shapes for cups and bottles prior to filling and sealing them.

Designed to fit into existing production lines, NuTEC C-frame portioning depositors deposit cookie dough and fillings for stuffed sandwiches, quesadillas, calzones, sandwich wraps, cordon bleu, burritos, egg rolls, hamburgers, pies, chicken Kiev and stuffed seafood shells; the feed system uses a rotating spiral that moves product to the rotary vane pump.

The Hinds-Bock 36RBI rotary bottle filling system allows a single operator to fill, cap, label and pack off containers.

The Spee-Dee 3600 series servo drive auger filler has custom options to help deal with space limitations, sanitary requirements and changeovers.

Hinds-Bock CIP servo pump fillers sanitize themselves; the front cover plates are hinged for sanitation swab testing.