The Spanish manufacturer of tuna packing machines Hermasa is well on its way to rapidly expand in the global tuna market with its high tech equipment, which is marketed under the "Tunipack" brand name.
Hermasa calls the Tunipack product line "a winning hand of four aces". By this the company refers to its four tuna packing machines which each have different output of cans. The Tunipack 500 is the record-breaking machine of the four aces; it packs 500 retail cans of tuna per minute! That's equal to almost a pallet of tuna in 5 minutes, and a full container load with 81,600 cans of 185g (6,5oz) in less than 3 hours!
The concept of the Tunipack machines is that they combine the latest in information technology with the high expertise and quality in mechanics.
The Tunipack 500 is completely constructed from stainless steel. The operators on the factory floor can control the machine and change its settings on speed, packing weight etc, by using the computer touch screen on top of the unit. What creates great efficiencies on the working floor is that packaging weight can be set without having to make any manual mechanical changes to the machine. Even the change of can sizes with different heights goes only with guides adjustments. A servo actuation can-position system assures that the machine runs smoothly at high speed.
In order to reach the lightening speed of 500 cans per minute the engineers at Hermasa created a 32- station rotary disk for creating the tuna cakes and conveying them to the cans. The machine cuts 2 cakes in one time, which is double speed of ordinary machines.
In order to create maximum efficiency in space on the working floor, the loins' reception tray is placed on top of the pneumatic and electrical board. Obviously this part of the equipment is securely sealed watertight, and built from stainless steel as well.
Tunipack 500 is also innovative in cleaning; it uses a pneumatic cylinder system for this purpose.
With all this high tech, tuna canneries might fear not to have enough technological know-how on board to tackle problems with the machine. Hermasa has addressed this potential problem by providing a satellite connection, along with the Tunipack 500, which makes it possible for engineers at Hermasa's head office in Vigo, Spain to control and inspect the machine. This way any problem can be diagnosed in no time.
For those who find the volume of the 500 machine too much, and are looking for more modest capacities, there are the three other aces: the Tunipack 300-200 and 100 series. Each of these machines is aimed at canneries with specific needs and demands. The numbers of the series stand for the amount of cans the machine can seam per minute. The Tunipack 100, especially, is a very user-friendly machine, built for quick and easy format changes.
No matter the speed, the Hermasa machines all produce a very nice top cut in the tuna can giving the products a great appearance -even at record speeds-, and an accurate control of drained weights.
Hermasa is not bluffing with its four aces, and shows to be the major innovative force in tuna canning, next to its American, Spanish and Italian competitors.
