Higher throughput with double picking
- New Flowpacker offers more functionality and performance
- Handling of both flowpack and tray products
- Shorter chain length for easy changeovers and easy cleaning
Requirements
The key to greater efficiency
Delica’s biscuit specialities, which have been produced since 1928, are essential to the Swiss confectionery tradition – be it for an afternoon snack or as the perfect accompaniment to four o’clock tea or coffee. Over the years, the ‘Guezli’, available in a variety of flavours with or without a chocolate coating, have gained a large fan base far beyond Switzerland.
Delica, a member of the Migros Industry group, employs close to 2,200 people at its five locations in Switzerland and many more sites abroad. Schubert packaging machines have long been a production cornerstone at the Meilen site in the canton of Zurich. In August 2023, Delica approached Schubert for a replacement of a well-established but somewhat outdated Pickerline used in the biscuit packaging process.
Although the original plan was to replace the line one-to-one, it became apparent during the consultation phase that a significantly more efficient solution for handling the ten packaging formats could be achieved using the possibilities offered by today’s technology. One of the main challenges was to find a solution for the range of products that was capable of handling both flowpack and tray products – and one that allowed format changes without incurring significant time and personnel costs.
With this in mind, it became clear that certain processes would have to be fundamentally reviewed in terms of their efficiency. For example, the post-process for flow wrapping without a tray revealed considerable optimisation potential. It was previously carried out manually by four workers and required further transport to another floor. Since Delica also wanted smooth running, quick and easy cleaning and high flexibility when changing formats, the Flowpacker from Schubert quickly emerged as the ideal solution.
Solution
Packed quickly and in perfect condition
With its space-saving layout, the new Flowpacker not only seamlessly integrates into its installation position, it also offers much more functionality and performance. Instead of the previous ten, eight F4 arms in a double-pick process now enable a throughput of up to 728 products per minute, without affecting the smooth running at this speed. Schubert’s advanced image processing system ensures that the goods are not only deposited quickly but also in perfect condition from the centrally aligned product belt onto the chain with the tray formats or, optionally, onto the belt for the flow wrapping format.
The integrated film dispenser with a short chain excels when handling the partially or fully enrobed biscuits. Since the pre-grouping is done on a belt, cleaning is much easier. Due to the shorter chain length, significantly fewer carriers need to be replaced when changing formats than would be the case with a long chain. Only one operator is required for the process and, since a carrier cassette is not necessary, additional costs can be saved as well.

With its ability to process both tray and flow wrapped products, the new Flowpacker basically combines two machines into a single, highly efficient and flexible solution. We can now productively utilise our freed-up personnel capacities elsewhere.
Kaspar Huber
Deputy Technical Manager at Delica
Technical details
- Double-pick process
- Output: 728 products per minute
- 98% machine efficiency (Pickerline incl. tray denester)
- 97% machine efficiency (Flowmodul)

The tray denester was designed with the option of a later conversion to paper trays.

A total of eight F4 arms enable the exceptionally fast, flexible processing of flow wrapped and tray products using the double-pick method


