PERFORMANCE, PACKAGED

Fowler Products Augments Its Bulk Cap Feeding Systems with a Unique Sanitary Tote Dumping System

Jun 21, 2011

Athens, GA - Fowler Products, a division of ProMach, announced today that its bulk cap feeding systems for high speed bottling lines now include a new and unique sanitary closed transition tote dumper for improved cleanliness when handling caps in bulk totes.

Traditional tote dumping systems - machines that tilt and pour large, heavy totes of caps into cap feeding systems - do not incorporate features that prevent the dust and debris present on the outside of the corrugated tote and its pallet from also being dumped, along with the caps, into the bin of the cap feeder.

Fowler's "closed transition" tote system solves that problem. Before the tote is tilted over for dumping, it is first raised up to contact the opening end of a transition funnel effectively sealing the opening of the tote to the funnel. As the tote and funnel are rotated, the discharge end of the funnel docks with a mating receiving gate incorporated into the bin of the cap feeder. The funnel and close-coupled mating mechanisms effectively block outside debris from entering the bin of the feeder as the caps are dumped.

"Recently, when we've described the rationale for the closed transition tote dumper and shown how it augments our bulk cap feeding systems for high speed, highly automated bottling lines, customers unanimously said they want that option rather than an open transition solution," said Andy Monroe, sales manager, Fowler Products.

Use of totes increasing for a number of economic, safety, and sustainability reasons

"In the last two years, an increasing number of companies have caps delivered to their plants by bulk tote rather than small individual shipping cases," Monroe said. "Totes generally feed high speed bottling lines - 600 and more bottles per minute - more effectively than shipping cases. The primary reason is that totes lower material handling costs."

Other reasons that companies use bulk totes include:

  • The application of higher levels of automation and labor savings generated by these applications
  • Keeping the areas around bottling lines cleaner by locating the cap feeding systems alongside other material handling areas remote from the filling room
  • Improved sustainability through reuse of totes rather than recycling or disposal of large numbers of corrugated shipping cases
  • Improved worker safety through less forklift traffic near bottling lines
  • Lowering the potential for lost-time repetitive motion injuries, as well as lifting injuries and cut injuries from opening cases

For more information on Fowler Products closed transition tote dumper and solutions for bottle and jar capping, cap handling, bottle cleaning, and cap sterilization, call 1-877-549-3301 and visit www.fowlerproducts.com.

About ProMach

ProMach is a family of best-in-class packaging and processing solution brands serving manufacturers of all sizes and geographies in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, and household and industrial goods industries. ProMach brands operate across the entire production line: processing, filling, bottling and capping, decorative labeling, flexibles and trays, pharma, handling and sterilizing, labeling and coding, and robotics and end of line. ProMach also provides systems and integration including turnkey solutions, design/build, engineering services, and productivity software to optimize production line design and deliver maximum uptime.

ProMach designs, manufactures, integrates, and supports the most sophisticated and advanced packaging and processing solutions in the global marketplace. Its diverse customer base, from Fortune 500 companies to smaller, privately-held businesses worldwide, depends on reliable, flexible, technologically advanced equipment and integrated solutions. ProMach is headquartered near Cincinnati, Ohio, with manufacturing facilities and offices throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. For more information about ProMach, visit www.ProMachBuilt.com and for more information on ProMach Careers, visit www.ProMachCareers.com.