NEW EVENT! Cutting-edge Trends for Every Industry at PACK EXPO Southeast
Discover packaging & processing solutions for all industries at the all-new PACK EXPO Southeast in Atlanta, GA, March 10-12, 2025
LAST CHANCE! Register ASAP for $30

Efficient repacking of pet food made possible through automation

Automated equipment at a new secondary packaging plant for Mackle Petfoods allows the company to create mixed-product multipacks in a range of sizes and formats.

Mackle’s secondary packaging line begins with six pallet infeeds leading to two robotic depalletizing cells.
Mackle’s secondary packaging line begins with six pallet infeeds leading to two robotic depalletizing cells.

Founded in 1972, Mackle Petfoods, located in Co. Armagh, Ireland, is a family-owned company catering to family pets. With well-known brands such as Brandy, Cat Club, Jessie, Champion Professional, and Husky, Mackle is Ireland’s fastest-growing pet food manufacturer and a standard-bearer for a local, sustainable, high-quality approach to pet nutrition.

Says CEO John Mackle, “For over 40 years we’ve been using nothing but the finest natural, local ingredients to produce top-quality pet foods. At Mackle, we work closely with vets and pet nutritionists. Quality and value are at the heart of everything we do. That’s the Mackle promise, and we’re committed to keeping it.”

This commitment to quality and variety, coupled with the firm’s rapid rate of growth, has brought with it certain challenges in the packaging department. In 2011, the company began planning for a fully integrated secondary packaging facility located 10 minutes from its primary production plant to handle these challenges.

“At Mackle we deal with a huge range of products and formats, but our rigorous quality standards apply right across the board,” explains Operations Director Philip Hamilton. “When we decided to create a new secondary packaging facility in Moygashel, we needed a solution that was fully integrated and supremely flexible, striking the right balance between operational expenditure and capital expenditure and encompassing full project management. Gebo Cermex achieved that balance through the right combination of automatic and manual changeovers, and that’s why we chose them to guide this project to fruition.”

Before bringing secondary packaging capabilities to the new plant, Mackle used automated and manual packaging solutions at its production facility as well as co-packing services, depending on the production volume.

INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for All Industries at PACK EXPO Southeast
The exciting new PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 unites all vertical markets in one dynamic hub, generating more innovative answers to your production challenges. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity for your business!
REGISTER FOR $30!
INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for All Industries at PACK EXPO Southeast
New e-book on Flexible Packaging
In this e-book, you’ll learn key considerations for vertical and horizontal f/f/s and how to choose between premade bags and an f/f/s system. Plus, discover the pitfalls to avoid on bagging machinery projects.
download
New e-book on Flexible Packaging