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Hermit crab 'accessories' now packed automatically

The switch from manual packaging of hermit crab products to an automated filling and sealing bagger speeds production, lowers labor costs, and ensures product quality.

PREFORMED BAGS. Preformed, preprinted, and pre-perforated bags are supplied to FMR fanfolded in a case, from which the bag film is threaded into the bagger loader.
PREFORMED BAGS. Preformed, preprinted, and pre-perforated bags are supplied to FMR fanfolded in a case, from which the bag film is threaded into the bagger loader.

If you’ve ever traveled to Florida and visited a souvenir or gift shop there, you may well have seen a display of live hermit crabs, scuttling from shell to brightly colored shell, being offered for sale. While it may appear that these marine creatures lead a fairly basic existence, Sarasota, FL-based Florida Marine Research (FMR) offers a range of more than 30 products to entertain and nourish the hermit crab and liven up its environment.

Among the food and accessory products offered by FMR are neon-colored gravel, sponges, sand, coral pieces, shells, a swimming pool, a food and water dish, fruit treats, and more. The company also sells the hermit crabs themselves and their shells, either natural or decorated, to pet stores and online retailers around the world.

In 2012, with an expanding product line and a rapidly growing business, FMR began looking for a more efficient way to package its products into stand-up pouches and pillow packs—a process that up until then had been manual. The solution came in the form of an automated horizontal form/fill/seal machine from Automated Packaging Systems, Inc. that provides the speed, flexibility, and ease of operation required by the company.

During a recent visit by Packaging World to the FMR facility, Plant Manager Daniel Castellano raved about the system’s capabilities—including its reliability, rapid product changeover, real-time productivity data, speed, accuracy, and low maintenance. “We have had the machine for three years, and we love it,” he says. “It’s really, really good, and really, really safe.”

Flexibility, speed are key
When FMR was looking for a new packaging solution, it enlisted the expertise of local packaging machine distributor Gulfcoast Packaging. Gulfcoast’s president, Neil Kopinski, recommended Automated Packaging Systems’ FAS SPrint Revolution™ SidePouch® bagger due to its ability to handle multiple bag sizes and its speed.

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