Manufacturers of pet food have special requirements to the appearance of the finished bags. They must look inviting and sell the product. To find solutions for this particular market segment, Fisker collaborates with the Italian company Umbra Packaging, which has the type of packaging machinery that meets the needs of the market.
The Italian Umbra Packaging specialises in the supply of packing lines to customers with special requirements to the appearance of the finished bags. This is the reason why Fisker Skanderborg has chosen this particular business partner for its solutions for the pet food industry. Most recently, Fisker has supplied a solution to the Lithuanian pet food manufacturer AKVATERA.
Strict requirements to bags
“The requirements to the finished bags are particularly strict when it comes to pet food,” says Sales Director Peter Henningsen from Fisker. “The bags play an important role in the branding of the product and therefore in the sale. The bags must look attractive in the retail shops and therefore must not be creased or have obvious seams. It is also important that the bags can be resealed.”
Flexible solution
The solutions from Umbra meet these requirements and are also very flexible. The packaging lines can thus handle bags from 4 to 25 kg. “This is an important advantage to customers who need to be able to convert quickly from food for poodles to food for German shepherds,” says Peter Henningsen. “Many of our customers do not require specific product lines for individual breeds, which makes quick conversion even more important.”
Leading pet food supplier
AKVATERA is part of the retail chain KIKA GROUP which in addition to AKVATERA comprises Kika (Lithuania), Zoo Terra (Belorus) and Zoo Planet (Estonia).
The Group’s combined market share is 70% of total pet food sales in Lithuania. AKVATERA primarily produces pet food for cats and dogs and for other pets with special needs.
Fully automated solution
AKVATERA’s new packing line is fully automated and operates at a higher speed than the previous equipment. A new modified atmosphere bag increases the shelf life of the product, which is particularly important in connection with sales to the Far East, where the climate is very hot and humid.
Tauras Plunge, joint owner of AKVATERA, is very satisfied with the company’s collaboration with Fisker. “We had some difficulties at the beginning, probably because both parties were a bit vague in their communication,” says Tauras Plunge. “However, today we have precisely the solution we were looking for, and one that lives up to our specific expectations and requirements.”