"About 7-10 years ago, the majority of pasteurised milk in Germany was packaged in gable top packages," said Heinrich Reupke, Tetra Pak key account manager of Nordmilch. "The new filling machine Tetra Pak C3/Flex offers the customer volume flexibility and thanks to the close link with the Tetra Pak A3/Flex, we will reduce the maintenance cost over time."
Tetra Brik Chilled is a roll-fed system, which Tetra Pak believes gives it advantages in a stable and streamlined operation to shape, fill and seal the packages that can range from 150 to 1500 ml. According to the company, the C3/Flex now allows manufacturers to switch between two different package sizes in no more than 15 minutes.
The two volumes currently available are the Tetra Brik 1000 ml Square and Tetra Brik 500 ml Square packages, though the company says that more package types and sizes will be available in the future.
In addition, by adding the optional DIMC QuickChange, the Tetra Pak C3/Flex can produce SimplyTwist or SimplyPull openings. With the new DIMC QuickChange, manufacturers can change package size, including one type of opening, by pushing a button.
The DIMC unit is placed at floor level for easy and fast operator and service access. Theoptional DIMC QuickChange feature places the Tetra Pak C3/Flex filling machinesignificantly ahead of any other directly competitive unit.
Tetra Pak says that the SimplyPull concept offers increased consumer convenience at marginal extra cost. The SimplyPull is made of polyethylene and can be recycled with the package. SimplyTwist is a similarly smart application. This is a resealable screw cap that offers differentiation for commodity and value added products at very low cost. Both the neck and tear-off seal can be recycled with the package.
Tetra Pak also claims that the platform offers excellent hygiene properties. The C3/Flex has an enclosed hygienic design, and all surfaces are made of stainless steel. The machine is furthermore equipped with a hygiene chamber with sterile air over-pressure. Automatic and effective foam cleaning is a built-in feature, and the machine is designed to provide XH (extended hygiene) capability as option.
"The Tetra Pak C3/Flex features easy volume conversion for the first time in a chilled roll-fed packaging system," said Pekka Matilainen, technical director, Tetra Pak Germany. "The most important aspect of a new machine is its reliability, andthanks to the best ever ongoing field tests in Germany, we have good faith that theTetra Pak C3/Flex will live up to that expectation."
Nordmilch, the largest dairy in Germany, is currently testing the Tetra Pak C3/Flex.