IN Brief:
- A five-machine line has been commissioned to automate sauce packaging at P&B (Foods) Ltd.
- The system runs up to 100 cpm on one-litre packs, across glass and plastic.
- Equipment spans unscrambling, hot/cold piston filling, dual capping, and tamper-evident labelling.
Autopack has supplied and commissioned a bespoke, fully automated packaging line for sauces at P&B (Foods) Ltd, designed to handle multiple formats and viscosities across a single integrated system. The line is configured for pack sizes from 250 ml to 1 L, running both plastic and glass containers through hot and cold filling.
The installed system comprises five machines and is designed to run at up to 100 containers per minute — equivalent to 6,000 units per hour — when operating on one-litre bottles. Container infeed is managed by a high-speed rotary unscrambler, feeding into a 12-head alternating piston filler designed for viscous products and variable fill conditions.
Capping is split across two dedicated machines to support different closure types. A four-head automatic plastic screw capper is used for plastic closures, while Autopack’s MC100 metal capping machine is specified for metal closures, providing a second sealing route within the same line architecture. The end of the line is handled by a multifunction labeller configured for front, wraparound, and tamper-evident labelling.
P&B (Foods) Ltd — incorporated in 1970 and based in Bradford, West Yorkshire — manufactures and distributes a range of Asian and Oriental food products, including sauces, spices, pulses, and rice, with the Heera brand among its portfolio. The company said the automation project was delivered with design and integration support from concept through to installation, including layout planning for a new canning facility.
“We chose Autopack because of their extensive experience in the sauces, edible oils, and other viscous product sectors for providing single machines or turnkey line packages,” said Safiq Shaikh, Project Manager at P&B (Foods) Ltd. “From the very beginning, their team provided comprehensive design and integration support, which guided us from concept through to completion, including detailed factory layout planning for our new canning facility.”
Autopack said the sauce line has also led to further automation work at P&B (Foods) Ltd, with additional projects in manufacture including automated can and glass lines for ghee products, plus an integrated drum-filling line for edible oils. Those lines point to a broader standardisation of filling, capping, and labelling modules across multiple viscous product categories, with equipment selection shaped by closure diversity and the need to shift quickly between product variants.
Jonathon Stewart, Autopack UK Sales Director, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship in automating food packaging lines at P&B (Foods) Ltd. Our reputation rests on the proven automated benefits our turnkey lines deliver for customers time and again. From improved speed and efficiency to reduced costs and wastage, we’re able to meet packaging automation challenges across the food sector and beyond.”
