For Gerhard Schubert, the 2024 exhibition year kicks off with ProSweets Cologne, the leading international supplier trade fair for the snack and confectionery sector. From 28 to 31 January, visitors will have an opportunity to experience the machine manufacturer’s far-reaching expertise in the packaging of snacks and confectionery.

At Stand F030-G031 in Hall 10.1, the Schubert team will be presenting its TLM Comfort Feeder, an entirely new, efficient and resource-saving solution for feeding carton blanks. The Schubert experts will also be providing advice on their comprehensive portfolio for the automated and sustainable packaging of snacks and confectionery at several thematic islands, and offering information on their wide-ranging service programme.

ProSweets Cologne is one of the most important trade fairs for the confectionery and snack industry’s entire supply spectrum and it serves as a meeting place for companies along the entire value chain – from raw materials to production and packaging technology. Many well-known companies from the snack and confectionery industry count among Schubert’s customers. And the trade fair is an ideal opportunity for the company to present its innovative and very compelling technological advancements for the packaging industry.

Cutting-edge innovations are often the result of a problem that is successfully solved. In this instance, Schubert focussed on the simple fact that process delays can arise if the packaging line’s blank magazine runs empty – as machine operators then have to act quickly to avoid unnecessary stops. With Schubert’s new TLM Comfort Feeder, this issue is now a thing of the past, as can be experienced live on a bar packer at the trade fair. All that is needed is to place the entire pallet of blanks, which are still in the cutting sheet, into the machine. An F4 robot then pulls the individual blanks directly from the sheet and feeds them into the erecting process at a rate of 60 cycles per minute.

This ingenious procedure also offers another key advantage: the cut sheet can often be further optimised to maximise the use of the packaging material. This saves material and, in turn, resources and costs. The combination of innovative sheet feeding, high erecting performance as well as loading and sealing offers Schubert customers an exceptionally advantageous machine concept: The bar packer is part of Schubert’s TLM Power Compact machine category, which refers to TLM machines that deliver a high performance density in a small space.

In addition to the live demonstration of the TLM Comfort Feeder, Schubert experts will be providing information on the company’s diverse portfolio of packaging machines at different thematic islands. From pick & place robots in the pickerline to flowrappers and casepackers all the way through to complete packaging lines, Schubert offers all the machine technologies that manufacturers need to produce high-quality packaging. Of particular interest to snack and confectionery manufacturers are the packaging lines developed by Schubert, in which products are fed via several side conveyor belts so that different product variants can enter the packaging process at the same time.

This enables a wide range of assortment configurations to be achieved, such as mixed biscuit packs or selections of savoury snacks. The flexible “HERBIE” driverless transport system from the Carrybots manufacturer is ideal to take on a variety of transport tasks in the production or logistics process. HERBIE will also be on display at the Schubert stand at ProSweets, where it will be shown in operation on a short track.

As a manufacturer of packaging machines and lines, Schubert prioritises supporting its customers in the increasingly key area of sustainability. With its Mission Blue Sustainability Initiative, the Crailsheim-based company has formalised its own goals, values and specific measures to ensure sustainability. Visitors to ProSweets will also be able to see the initiative’s very tangible results. For example, the Schubert experts from Packaging Perspectives will be presenting two innovative sustainable packaging concepts: Dotlock, a technology that enables carton packaging to be produced entirely without glue, as well as a carton-monofilm hybrid solution – also without glue – that greatly minimises the use of plastic.

To ensure that its customers’ very specific needs are met with pinpoint precision, Schubert offers a number of supplementary services in addition to its extensive technology portfolio. And the Schubert team will also be providing information about these at ProSweets. For example, Schubert Packaging Perspectives supports its customers in their search for the most suitable sustainable packaging, Schubert Consulting provides advice on complete packaging processes and optimisation potential, and Schubert’s 4YOU Digital Services enable customers to record and evaluate their line data – to better understand processes and to increase efficiency. Martin Sauter, Sales Director at Gerhard Schubert, explains: “The snack and confectionery industry is in a very challenging situation due to huge cost pressures, such as increased raw material and energy prices as well as inflation. We are delighted that, with our innovative packaging machines and our wide range of services, we can provide manufacturers with solutions that make their processes leaner, more efficient and more cost-effective.”