Scottish soft-fruit grower Geoff Bruce has started using a high-speed tray sealer to fulfil supermarket orders for his fruit. Geoffrey Bruce Ltd of Meigle, Perthshire has hired Packaging Automation (PA)’s Vision 400 high-speed tray sealer in order to meet demand from its customers for film-sealed packs. Company director Geoff Bruce said: “The beauty is that PA took complete ownership of the project. They carried out all the trials, made any alterations needed and managed the entire installation from start to finish. The Vision 400 is a sturdy, highly impressive and great looking machine. We’re very pleased with it.”

The Vision 400 was installed at Geoffrey Bruce Ltd’s Balmyle site where it is sealing 227gm, 300gm and 400gm containers of raspberries and strawberries at up to 60 punnets a minute.

Bruce added: “PA is a good British company which understands our needs and any small issues are resolved very quickly with no fuss, despite the distance between us. They offer a personal service and their staff are always extremely attentive. I highly recommend them to others.”

The fully automatic Vision 400 has proved popular because of its quick tool changes, easy to use touch screen, and menu driven operation. It can seal plain or printed film to CPET, APET, aluminium foil, polypropylene, PVC and board. It combines flexibility and simplicity, as well as the benefits of compact dimensions and advanced control systems.

In addition to atmospheric packing, it can be used in applications requiring MAP-F, MAP-V and high oxygen flushing, making it suitable for a wide range of fresh produce and convenience foods.