Dairy Brand’s Stick Pack Machine Cuts Costs and Lowers Footprint | Packaging World

Slovenian dairy processor EuroMilk is using an aseptic stick packing machine to benefit its processing operations and expand its product offerings.

EuroMilk is filling ultra-high temperature (UHT) processed milk with an aseptic stick packer from IMA Hassia that helps the dairy processor reduce its packaging material requirements and transport footprint, the company states.

The stick pack machine, which EuroMilk uses for its Kukkonia brand, runs in 2-shift operation with 12 lanes and produces 36,000 stick packs per hour.

The pack machine sterilizes flat foil on all sides using active packaging degermination that achieves a microbial reduction of more than five log units. The foil is then fed into a sterile chamber, where cutters notch the foil to the seal layer. The packaging gets sterilely formed into duplex stick packs using a forming shoulder and gets sealed on three sides. Finally, the stick packs get filled with UHT milk using dosing equipment specific to the product.

These Minimilk products were packaged by the IMA Hassia stick pack machine. EuroMilk

Kukkonia UHT milk products include whole milk, semi-skimmed milk, lactose-free milk, and coffee cream and are packaged with “Minimilk” branding. Each variety receives 10-mL format packaging, and the manufacturer plans to expand the range to a 7-mL format as well, EuroMilk says.

"We are very satisfied with the consumer-friendly packaging solution this machine offers for our UHT milk,” says Tibor Balogh, CEO of EuroMilk. "Thanks to the new packaging, milk and cream coming from local farms find a way to even more people, and thanks to it we can fulfil our mission to ensure that what is good remains good.”