Stainless Steel Awards 2008

Runner Up - Products Category

HG Molenaar
Project : Design and manufacture of speed line for processing plastic jars

HG Molenaar has built the world’s fastest high-speed line for processing plastic jars. Its patented new design enables it to fill a single jar with up to five different types of fruit simultaneously to achieve a mixed appearance.
The move follows world trends towards more environmental friendly practices. Converting from tins to plastic reduces one’s carbon footprint.

Langeberg & Ashton Foods commissioned the R10 million equipment line, which is made almost entirely from stainless steel. The investment will help position the local canning company in the international market.

South Africa is the third largest peach producer in the world. Its peaches also look better and are now visible on the shelf. A Californian company has recently ordered a larger, improved model based on the Ashton model. Before the revolutionary high speed line was built at Ashton Canning all the jars used in South Africa had to be imported, mainly from India.

Stefan Molenaar, the managing director of HG Molenaar, says its jarring technique is competitive and has the advantage of lower costs than overseas technologies. It also ensures longer shelf life for the fruit as it ensures a minimal amount of retained air in the jar. Internationally there are only a few providers of this kind of technology.

The development of competitive local filling-sealing technology and entry-level, hand-filling equipment by HG Molenaar is likely to promote the application of this kind of packaging in South Africa in the future. The sealing system has been patented as a state-of-the-art, continuous high-speed process.

According to AC Nilsen figures, globally the metal canned fruit market is decreasing by about 3% a year, mainly due to a shift in consumer trends towards healthy fresh foods, convenience and variety.
The food service market is the only segment of the canned fruit market that has grown in recent years. This sector now accounts for 30% of the total canned fruit market in the UK and Germany.

By contrast, fruit packaging in plastic has a growth rate of 8% a year. The key drivers here are easy opening, resealability, visual access to the product, and “fridge door grazing”. The Australian market is the best example of the penetration of plastic packaging into the canned fruit market. Nearly 40% of the processed fruit category there is made up of fruit packed in plastic cups and jars, in the US penetration is about 17% and in the UK it is 26%.

HG Molenaar’s system provides many advantages. The conduction sealing system is the cheapest system available and yet it offers the advantages of easy peel and high seal integrity. This significantly reduces packaging costs. The automated system also reduces direct labour costs and the compact cooker system is designed to ensure that the lowest energy levels are required.

HG Molenaar says it is continuing to develop its range in this area.