Fibre King has launched the world’s first mini can casepacker, targeted at the craft brewing industry.
Working with Gold Coast-based Black Hops Brewery, Fibre King developed what James Windsor, CEO, bills as an off-the-shelf solution for craft breweries transitioning from manual to automated packaging.
“We’ve identified craft breweries as a growing industry and knew that we could develop equipment specific to their needs that would eliminate the need for manual packaging processes.
“Having had the opportunity to work with breweries such as Stone and Wood and Balter Brewing, we were able to understand the challenges within their production line and alter our machines to suit,” he said.
The Little Packer, which Windsor describes as the first affordable, flexible, and compact can-specific case packer, can pack four- and six-pack clusters as well as loose cans if needed; it can also run both 16- and 24-can cartons, and glue boxes with no full-time operator.
“The neat part is that the technology can be applied to other applications such as bottling. We have also had requests within the packaged food industry on how they can incorporate the Little Packer into their production line. The opportunities are endless, and we’ve only just scratched the surface,” said Windsor.
Michael McGovern, owner of Black Hops, said the new machine will help the brewery into its next growth stage, and calls it an evolution in Australian craft beer.
“We’re moving on from small boutique businesses into large national brands, and with that comes growth and scaling up production. This project that I worked on with Fibre King was really coming up with a solution that I couldn’t find anywhere in the world,” he said.
