Sealed jellied eels

FR Bradley Ltd has purchased a Packaging Automation tray sealer to cater for a huge increase in demand for its jellied eels.

Part of the challenge for Packaging Automation was ensuring that the seal was consistently secure — particularly as the tray was wet. The Packaging Automation technical team carried out extensive testing on the semi-automatic PA182 tray sealer before coming up with the correct combination of sealing pressure and tooling to maintain a secure seal.

Bradley chose to make use of Packaging Automation’s hire facility for the equipment, which is now filling and sealing 10,000 pots of jellied eels a week for distribution to all of the UK’s major supermarkets.

Owner Frank Bradley said: “We couldn’t fill the pots of jellied eels quickly enough with any of our other machines so we searched the market for new equipment which could do the job. Packaging Automation was chosen over two other suppliers because of the PA182’s better design, effectiveness, speed and attractive price.”

He added: “We were impressed with their commitment to finding a solution for us and they put a lot of time and effort into doing so. Overall we’ve been very impressed both with PA and the PA182, which is tidy and allows easy access underneath the machine for cleaning.”

Summing up, Mr Bradley commented: “They always do a good job and work hard to get things right, resolving minor installation issues very quickly. The machine is working well.

The PA182 accommodates trays up to 100 mm deep as standard, and can seal and trim film from a reel onto trays of CPET, polypropylene, PVC, board and foil. Its hygienic design eliminates bug traps and the compact design with small footprint means it can be used in smaller production areas. It is easily portable and can quickly be moved from one production line to another if required.