Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Rebuilt gear means speed to market

Beginning with two metal detector/checkweighers and moving quickly to htf/f/s machinery, Reichel Foods has had a positive experience with rebuilt packaging equipment.

Craig Reichel admires freshly sliced apples that have just been loaded into trays thermoformed on used, rebuilt equipment.
Craig Reichel admires freshly sliced apples that have just been loaded into trays thermoformed on used, rebuilt equipment.

Used, rebuilt packaging equipment has played a pivotal role in helping Reichel Foods of Rochester, MN, grow quickly from a starry-eyed startup to a trusted supplier of cartoned snacks and fresh produce kits sold nationwide. Its customers include the likes of Wal-Mart, Kwik Stop, and Kroger stores. (For more on Reichel Foods’s modified-atmosphere packaging techniques, see next month’s issue.)

Reichel first forayed into the used equipment arena when it purchased a Goring-Kerr metal detector and Hi-Speed Checkweigher from Schneider Industries (St. Louis, MO) and a Ramsey metal detector from Lehman Equipment Sales (Sun Prairie, WI).

“Schneider Industries helps liquidate inventory for, among other clients, General Mills,” says Reichel Foods president Craig Reichel. “They post available equipment on their Internet site, and that’s where we saw one of the metal detector/checkweighers we bought.”

The metal detector/checkweighers were only a start. A third piece of rebuilt packaging equipment now at the very heart of Reichel’s business is a Tiromat horizontal thermoform/ fill/seal machine that Reichel bought from Kwalyti Tooling (Batavia, IL). It’s used for modified-atmosphere packaging of fresh carrots, celery, and apples. Reichel explains how Kwalyti operates.

Videos from Universal Labeling Systems, Inc.
List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
Looking for CPG-focused digital transformation solutions? Download our editor-curated list from PACK EXPO featuring top companies offering warehouse management, ERP, digital twin, and MES software with supply chain visibility and analytics capabilities—all tailored specifically for CPG operations.
Download Now
List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
2024 PACK EXPO Innovations Reports
Exclusive access: Packaging World editor-curated reports revealing PACK EXPO's most groundbreaking technologies across food, healthcare, and machinery sectors. Each report features truly innovative solutions selected from hundreds of exhibitors by our expert team. Transform your operations with just one click.
Access Now
2024 PACK EXPO Innovations Reports