Food packaging machinery has become very popular worldwide, especially in developed countries such as Europe and the USA. As well as increasing market in Asia and Africa. As labour costs continue to rise, There is an increasing demand from factories to reduce labour costs, improve productivity and reduce product waste.
One of the most popular packaging system is the Vertical form fill seal (VFFS) packaging systems.It is used in a variety of food and non-food industries such as snack, biscuit, candy, etc.The VFFS packaging system consists of the following machines depending on the industry application
1.Granule vffs packaging system
VFFS packaging machines
Multihead weigher /Linear Weigher / cup filler
Bucket elevator / inclined conveyor
2.Liquid vffs packaging system
VFFS packaging machine
Piston pump/liquid filler
3.Powder vffs packaging system
Auger conveyor
VFFS packaging machine
Auger filling machine
Table of Contents
What is the situation in current market
Very less manufacturer will produce all related machines by themselves
First of all, it is important to know that there are very few suppliers on the market who manufacture all the machines for the complete system themselves.Reasons maybe be included
Specialisation in each separate machine
The development of a machine takes time and requires a dedicated team and R&D staff. Without a steady orders demand, this will greatly increase the company operation cost
No scale advantage
For some machines that the manufacturer do not sell in large quantities, the manufacturing cost will be much higher compared to outsourcing from those professional supplier in specific machine category.Also with well guarantees both in terms of price, quality and service.
Why price are so much different
Pricing is a combined result, not only from the machines.At least included these factors.
1.The factory scale.
Large factories, staff wages, factory rent and other costs are relatively high
2.Machine configuration.
Observe some of the important configurations of the machine, the price will of course vary greatly depending on the configuration
3.Machines Materials
You can observe through the specific configuration list, machine video, test reports, etc.
4.Quality control
The stringency of quality control will, to a certain extent, increase the cost of inputs, which will be reflected in the price of the machine.
5.Production and operation costs
It has something to do with their team and management level. However this is not necessarily directly related to the company scale
6.Brand premiums
Large brand companies tend to invest more in marketing and promotion, such as opening B2B platforms, placing google ads, participating in various exhibitions, etc.
7.After-sales maintenance costs
Whether a supplier has a professional after-sales service team will have a direct impact on you. This is to make sure your machine can operate normally and not be down for too longtime when problem occur.
The advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
1.Save time and increase efficiency
By purchasing a complete packaging machine system directly from one supplier, you can reduce the time required to communicate with different suppliers and increase efficiency, as well as avoiding unnecessary mistakes caused by poor communication between multiple windows.
2.Easy installation and commissioning
Once the machine production are completed, They only needs to be installed and commissioned at one supplier’s factory, and the customer can come to the site themselves or appoint a third party professional inspection agency to inspect the machine.
3.Simplify the shipping process and reduce logistics and transportation costs
Customer can easily to ask their forward to arrange the shipment pickup directly from one location, instead of organizing shipment from multiple suppliers,which will increase the transportation cost.
4.Convenient after-sales service
Customer only need to talk to the single supplier whenever technical support needed
Disadvantages
1.Lack of professionalism to propose all machines, resulting in a high possibility of mistake
2.Uncertainty in the quality control of ancillary Few suppliers pursue more profit and using low quality machine for alternative supplier.
3.Insufficient expertise in providing suitable machines
4.Timeliness of parts supply maybe delay
Things to consider
1.If they have great experience to integrate the complete system before.
Whether they are able to understand your needs well, combine them with the actual project requirements and give cost-effective solutions. For example, flexible machine layout, easy and quick changeover to meet different products or packaging types and sizes.
2.Comparing key components
Look at important key components to see if they are of the same level of brand.
3.Focus on machine performance
This can be done through machine working video, or direct observation of machine tests.
4.Whether the machine is easy to operate and convenient for future maintenance.
5.If the supplier has a professional technical team capable of supporting various machinery and equipment, as well as quality control
6.If the supplier is efficient and responsive to your request
The ability to respond in a timely manner when you ask a question or need support, and to provide an efficient solution
7.Price level
Many customers may receive very low prices from some companies, there are indeed some companies in the market that maliciously low prices to compete for customers, with a meagre profit for orders, but what needs to be considered is that profit is a guarantee of quality and service, in addition to the current investment in the cost of the machine, you also need to consider the after-sales service and maintenance costs in the future.
How to avoid making mistakes
1.Ask for supporting evidence of the same or similar projects, such as videos, customer testimonials, etc.
2.Carefully confirm the configuration of all machine parameters involved in the project, especially some key packaging machine components.
3.Confirm the system drawings, if the machine drawings are not correct, it will affect the installation of the machine and it will take a lot of manpower and resources to make subsequent adjustments.
4.Define the warranty and conditions, a good packaging machine supplier will basically provide a 12 month warranty.
5.Testing the machine online before delivery will ensure that the machine is produced as required and that it runs consistently and smoothly to meet performance requirements.
As long as you take note of the above requirements, buying good quality packaging machinery from one source supplier at reasonable price is not a difficult task.
