Tirolpack GmbH is a state-of-the-art cheese cutting and packaging facility located in the heart of Tyrol and has been part of the Pinzgau Milch group since 2022. As a co-packer, they specialize in cutting, slicing and packaging hard and semi-hard cheeses for retail and the food industry. Tirolpack processes regional natural products under the premise of best quality, requiring high demands on technology, automation and employees. In line with their quality philosophy, Tirolpack deployed a SealScope® in-line seal inspection system for their flow-pack packaging line of cheese wedges. DOWNLOAD PDF
Tirolpack started operation in 2018 in Schlitters with the vision of having local cheese specialties packaged independently and regionally. Today, Tirolpack GmbH is one of Europe’s most modern packaging companies, with continuous investments in maintenance and modernization to ensure a consistently high level of innovation. As the company’s vision implies “Standstill is regression”, embracing the latest technology is essential to their success.
Success through quality
To ensure high quality standards, all production processes are fully monitored and documented by a comprehensive quality assurance system. The company meets the rigorous standards of IFS, along with various other industry certifications, allowing them to proudly label products with the respective quality seals.
Tirolpack operates several production lines that process cheese blocks and round loaves in a variety of sizes. In addition to traditional cut and sliced formats, the company’s advanced equipment also produces wedge-shaped pieces.
Particularly for the line where cheese with a crust of alp herbs is packaged, Tirolpack retrofitted the ULMA flow-pack line with an in-line seal inspection and monitoring system to guarantee the best seal quality.
Seal inspection for flow-packs
In fresh food packaging, such as cheese, maintaining a protective atmosphere is essential to preserving shelf life. Quality control of the seals is therefore critical to prevent leaks or open packages. This is especially true in fully automated end-of-line production, where instant, in-line seal inspection is crucial.
“Before implementing the solution, Tirolpack consulted several Engilico references in Austria to assess the capabilities of SealScope®.”, explains David Berger, Plant Manager at Tirolpack.
The innovative SealScope® system uses retrofitted sensors on the sealing bars to detect defects in the seal, such as folds, cheese, or in this case, herbs, which could lead to leaks or open packages. The system validates the seals during the sealing process, and when faults are detected, the affected cheese packages are automatically ejected from the conveyor belt by an air-blast system. These rejected products are then inspected to determine if they can be repackaged, ensuring minimal waste.” An important advantage is that SealScope® can be integrated onto most heat-sealing packaging machines, independent of machine brand.
Monitoring the packaging process
Another key feature of the SealScope® system is its ability to monitor the entire packaging process. The system collects real-time production data for each product variety, tracking metrics like the number of good versus rejected packages. By inspecting every package individually, it can identify trends, such as increasing rejection rates or deviations in seal quality, that may indicate potential issues in the packaging line. If a rising rejection rate is detected, the system can automatically pause production, allowing for proactive maintenance or adjustments to be made before the defect ratio further increases. This helps preventing the production of faulty packages and minimizes delays.
In the unlikely event support is needed, Tirolpack can rely on remote assistance through TeamViewer, allowing engineers at Engilico’s headquarters to access and control the SealScope® system. This enables fast troubleshooting and interaction, avoiding the need for costly and time-consuming on-site support visits.
Sustainability as a guiding principle
Since food, and particularly cheese, is a valuable resource, Tirolpack is committed to sustainable business practices preserving resources and the environment. In-line seal inspection during production fits in this philosophy as the amount of possible leaking packages is strongly reduced. Furthermore, rejected packages with defective seals can often be repackaged, also reducing waste. The monitoring function warns operators or can even halt production in case of increasing rejects, avoiding waste of packaging film and the need for manual verification and sorting.
“We are very satisfied with the SealScope® system”, concludes Mr. Berger, “This is a true value-adding inspection technology as it not only improves outgoing quality, but also monitors the complete packaging line. We are definitely evaluating to equip more of our packaging lines with this innovative in-line seal inspection technology.”
Continuous investments are planned for the future to maintain our advanced standards, and these efforts will also contribute to the creation of new jobs in the region.