Last month, Karmelle Ltd returned to the NEC, Birmingham, for PPMA, the UK’s leading processing and packaging machinery exhibition. Over the course of the three day event, Peter, Brian and the team networked, caught-up with existing customers and, most importantly, showcased machinery from Karmelle’s turnkey product range.
The show was also a chance for us to share our news and achievements with the wider industry. It’s been a busy few years for Karmelle; with a growing number of companies keen to single-source complete liquid packaging lines, we’ve gradually extended our product range – and are now able to design and manufacture filling, capping and labelling equipment entirely in-house. These custom-built machines can be supplied individually, or integrated to form an end-to-end liquid packaging system.
Karmelle’s PPMA stand reflected this, playing host to working machinery from our filling, capping and labelling ranges. Designed by Arthouse and brought to life by Rocket Print and Promotions, it was two days in the making!
The equipment on display ran the gamut from entry-level to high-spec. Visitors looking for a streamlined alternative to hand-filling had the chance to see a semi-automatic bench top machine in action; affordable and compact, it enables the user to reduce product wastage and improve accuracy.
Peter, Brian, Grahame and the team also demonstrated a larger machine, the single head vertical volumetric filler, from Karmelle’s semi-automatic range. Ideal for small-to-medium batch sizes, it bridged the gap between the bench top and our largest exhibit – the VIPF100, a fully automatic volumetric filling machine.
While this eight head, atex-ready system was designed to bottle flammable solvents, Karmelle’s VIPF100 machines (see the full spec here) are suitable for a range of products – including sauces, beverages, oils and chemicals.
The star of the show, however, was our new ‘T’ cork capper. Developed as part of a complete filling line for the award-winning Masons gin, this specialist machine places and pushes corks into bottles. Visitors could see it in action on our stand, where it capped bespoke glass bottles donated by Masons.
A working front, back and wraparound labelling machine completed our impressive line-up. Designed to handle cylindrical containers, the automatic system applied labels to bottles donated by Karmelle customer Furniture Clinic.
Brian, Peter and Grahame spent a busy three days demonstrating machinery and fielding enquiries. On Thursday, some of Karmelle’s engineering team took time away from the workshop to tour the show – and see their machines in action!
PPMA is renowned as an industry hub – and this year, the focus was on sustainability. In the Enterprise Zone, key note speakers addressed issues ranging from future-proofing to the plastics debate. We were particularly interested to hear about the integral role automation will play in the food and drink industry, post-Brexit.
All-in-all, it was a successful show for team Karmelle – and we’re looking forward to returning next year!
Team Karmelle’s trade show tips:
- Come armed with plenty of promotional, literature – ideally covering your entire product range.
- Invest in a banner, which can be rigged from the ceiling. With stands growing ever taller, it will help visitors to spot you as they enter the hall.
- Lockable storage space is a must – whether you need to stow iPads and laptops safely, or keep your stand clutter-free.
- Be prepared to engage with every visitor to your stand; you never know where the smallest enquiries might lead.
- Take advantage of the show’s press office, which will display your press releases and literature.
- Attend seminars for invaluable advice and insights.