The packaging process again is a function of what you’re selling—
whole-bean, ground, pillow pouch, square-bottom bag. Packing wholebean
can still be most economical with a weigh scale and hand bagger.
For ground coffee, a single tube machine will form, fill and seal, and
degassing of ground coffee can be accomplished in the totes or bulk
sacks. State licenses may be required for scales used to measure items
sold by weight.
Dedicated packaging equipment can become a consideration when
your product line features more than one product, such as whole-bean,
ground and/or flavored coffees, as the changeover between types can be
time consuming and labor intensive as you work to remove all residue
of the other type to prevent cross-contamination. For the same reason,
store coffee and other products away from packaging materials to avoid
contamination from aromas.
Ground coffee suppliers moving into a production mode will sooner
or later want to step up from a plate mill to a roll mill to support business
growth. When you get to the higher production end of a one-roaster
plant and consider a larger grinder, you should also consider an exchange
head program with the manufacturer, in which a worn grinder head is
swapped out for a sharpened one as required.
Once the coffee is packed, the next stage in the flow is after-packing
storage (warehousing), which is a separate area from green coffee storage
in order to prevent flavor/aroma contamination. After-packing storage
can just be shelving, except possibly in the case of flavored coffees. Theamount of storage area required is also estimated, this time
based on delivery schedules. The key question here is, how
much packed coffee do you need to store for how much time?
Allow space to rotate inventory for stock management as well as
enough space for current GMP/pest control.
From this final storage area, the process flow will take
this roasted and packaged bean on to the shipping or loading
area. Once again, be sure to allow enough aisle space in your
planning for the material handling to occur, perhaps even
accommodating a fork truck.
bringing your layout to life
Once the planning is done, the space procured, and the
equipment is arriving, it is time to bring the layout to life.
Equipment placement and installation involves rigging and
re-assembling, and is more economically accomplished when
the site is ready. While this might sound obvious ahead of
time, it is easy to get caught between honoring leases, meeting
production demands and dealing with site issues. You may be
up against a move deadline and have a loading dock in the new
facility that isn’t finished or a parking lot that’s a sea of mud, or
utilities—like electricity—that aren’t available but are necessary
The packaging process again is a function of what you’re selling—
whole-bean, ground, pillow pouch, square-bottom bag. Packing wholebean
can still be most economical with a weigh scale and hand bagger.
For ground coffee, a single tube machine will form, fill and seal, and
degassing of ground coffee can be accomplished in the totes or bulk
sacks. State licenses may be required for scales used to measure items
sold by weight.
Dedicated packaging equipment can become a consideration when
your product line features more than one product, such as whole-bean,
ground and/or flavored coffees, as the changeover between types can be
time consuming and labor intensive as you work to remove all residue
of the other type to prevent cross-contamination. For the same reason,
store coffee and other products away from packaging materials to avoid
contamination from aromas.
Ground coffee suppliers moving into a production mode will sooner
or later want to step up from a plate mill to a roll mill to support business
growth. When you get to the higher production end of a one-roaster
plant and consider a larger grinder, you should also consider an exchange
head program with the manufacturer, in which a worn grinder head is
swapped out for a sharpened one as required.
Once the coffee is packed, the next stage in the flow is after-packing
storage (warehousing), which is a separate area from green coffee storage
in order to prevent flavor/aroma contamination. After-packing storage
can just be shelving, except possibly in the case of flavored coffees. The
Whether to buy new or used equipment is always a question, and the
answer is new equipment is usually desirable if you can afford it. New
equipment first and foremost is a warranted, known quantity. It is in top
condition, it is state of the art, and it comes with manufacturer’s support in the
form of manuals, wiring diagrams, instructions and replacement parts. New
equipment may also be more energy-efficient, which can help honor both the
bottom line and green initiatives.
Buying used equipment can be a viable option for incremental growth.
But it can also be like buying an uncertified used car—will it include all the
components you’re expecting and will they be in working order when they get
to your place? Moving used equipment and correcting unexpected deficiencies
(missing equipment, non-working components, mismatched equipment) can
end up being nearly as expensive as buying new. Also, you may not have access
to manufacturer’s support—including manuals, wiring diagrams, instructions
and replacement parts—particularly with dated technologies.
Our advice before buying used equipment is to watch it in operation if at all
possible, know your seller and/or check references, and get a second opinion on
exactly what it will take to make the equipment operational in your particular
facility. In the used equipment world as in the used car world, if the deal sounds
too good to be true, it probably is, so buyer be careful.
[new equipment vs. used]
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