WEPA Invests in Infinity Equipment for Multiple Locations
WEPA, a leading tissue product manufacturer in Europe, recently purchased seven machines from Infinity Italia for their facilities in Troyes, France, Swalmen, Netherlands and Piechowice, Poland.
Infinity is supplying two Eclipse T4 Wrappers and two i18 Bundlers for WEPA’s Troyes facility, one Eclipse T4 Wrapper, and one i18 Bundler for WEPA’s facility in Swalmen and in Piechowice, WEPA selected an Infinity C-15 Casepacker for their folded products division.
WEPA was drawn to Infinity’s equipment due to its unique combination of American ruggedness and Italian design refinement. The i18 Bundler is a perfect fit for WEPA’s facilities as it was designed specifically with European markets in mind. The poly bundler features an integrated diverter and flight bar system for easy product collation, as well as an automatic poly reel splice and poly pull-out cart for safe and quick poly loading. In addition to this, an active vacuum comes standard on the i18 Bundler. Excess air is sucked from the bundles’ pre-discharge resulting in a tight, crisp poly wrap.
Another advantage of the i18 Bundler is its compatibility with Infinity’s Infusion modular system. By utilizing the fixed infeed section, the i18 can be coupled with modules, such as an Infinity Casepacker or Bagger. The modules are moved in and out of the docking station which gives WEPA ultimate secondary packaging flexibility without taking up any additional floor space. The “industry original” Infusion modular system was designed by Infinity engineers to overcome the limitations of fixed linear machines while reducing capital investment. As trends in packaging are continuously evolving, Infinity’s innovation allows WEPA to quickly adapt to market changes.
As for primary packaging, WEPA ordered Infinity’s Eclipse T4, which is known as one of the most durable wrappers on the market. Infinity’s commitment to efficiency is on full display in the Eclipse’s overhead system. The Eclipse T4 utilizes a durable AT20 belt and only 24 trolley sections, this decreases the changeover time between different package configurations. Additionally, Infinity’s Eclipse T4 is designed to accept four lanes of infeed and can run an optional fifth. The infeed lanes also have wide diameter capabilities, ensuring the Eclipse will keep pace with new product developments in the Troyes and Swalmen facilities.
Infinity’s reach in Europe was further increased by WEPA’s purchase of the C15 Casepacker for their Piechowice facility. Infinity’s C15 boasts an extremely straightforward design which allows for a 20-minute changeover between case sizes and configurations. Although the machine’s design is simple, its build is robust as the frame and guarding are both constructed using steel. The C15 is also capable of speeds up to 300ppm per index arm, providing maximum efficiency at the infeed of the machine.
A defining feature of the C15 is the machine’s fully positive case erection. Vacuums are utilized on both sides of the case providing a consistent case opening. The positive case erection is perfect for large and small cases, cases with bad score marks as well as cases that are glued together. This design feature will allow WEPA to run at optimal efficiency.
Echoing WEPA’s industry 4.0 efforts, the transaction with Infinity didn’t end with the machine purchase. Emulation engineers from Infinity offices traveled to Swalmen and will be traveling to Troyes to provide Virtual reality training to WEPA employees. This included a fully interactive VR machine changeover, which allowed WEPA employees to become familiar with their machines weeks before they arrived at their facilities.
Infinity also equipped the machines with a data collecting and remotely accessible eWON device. This enables WEPA to track production times, faults, and speed. This information will be accessible remotely through email notifications or web browsers. The Troyes facility will also have light annunciation on their i18 Bundlers to provide changeover assistance. The light annunciation illuminates change-over points on the adjustment scales.
WEPA’s recent investment reflects Infinity’s growing reach in the European market and is further proof Infinity is the global leader in automated tissue paper packaging machinery.
Now Back On the World Stage
Infinity Machine and Engineering Corporation, a global leader in automated tissue packaging equipment is excited to be presenting itself on the global stage once again.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many tradeshows and industry events were put on hiatus. However, as the world transitions to its next stage of pandemic management, many industry events are back on schedule.
Infinity will feature in Tissue World Miami on March 16-18, Tissue and Paper Bangkok on September 14-16, and finish their global tour in Lucca Italy at MIAC on October 12-14. Infinity will be featured at booth B30 at Tissue World Miami, booth D10 at Tissue and Paper Bangkok and booth 27M at MIAC.
While the world seemed to be on pause the last couple of months, Infinity engineers were hard at work developing the latest innovations in automated sanitary paper product packaging. The pinnacle of these pursuits, and the key focus of Infinity’s 2022 world tour is their new VISION G3 Multipack Wrapper.
Capable of producing packs five lanes wide, three layers high and six rows deep, the VISION G3 redefines versatility for multipack wrappers. The VISION G3 can also produce poly wrapped packs, paper wrapped packs, paper tucked packs and facial tissue packs.
Infinity engineers didn’t sacrifice speed for this increased versatility either. Because of a revolutionary telescoping design (patent pending) on the poly unwind, the VISION G3 is capable of faster speeds and improved pack quality.
Tissue World Miami, Tissue and Paper Bangkok, and MIAC are the perfect opportunities to learn more about the VISION G3 firsthand from Infinity’s experienced sales staff. However, if you are unable to make it to these industry events, the VISION G3 will be available for viewing at Infinity’s facilities in Green Bay Wisconsin and Bologna Italy during their open house showcase, and anytime online at infinitymec.com/vision-g3-wrapper.
Monalisa invests in full packaging line from Infinity.
Infinity Machine and Engineering Corp., a world-wide leader in packaging machinery for the tissue industry, will supply Monalisa, located in Nonsan-si, South Korea, a full packaging line. The line will be installed by June of 2021.
Infinity is supplying all the equipment on the packaging line between the log saw and the palletizer. The packaging line includes one (1) Eclipse T4 wrapper, one (1) EPXL bundler, one (1) ItaPack handle applicator (integrated by Infinity) and the conveyor system. Monalisa chose Infinity for this project because they required a system that was flexible for their changing market and they desired robust equipment that will last the next 20+ years. All equipment being provided is built with Infinity’s notable machinery characteristics like rugged steel frames, oversized bearings and overall top-of-the-line componentry. In addition, all machinery uses a SIEMENS processor.
The Eclipse T4 wrapper on this line will be able to run everything from single roll bath tissue to larger bath tissue pack options like 30-packs and 48-packs. The Eclipse T4 wrapper has become a tissue industry staple during the last four years with over 100 wrappers now in production throughout the world.
Not only will the Eclipse T4 wrapper provide more packaging options but so will the bundler on this line. The bundler is called the EPXL. It has a wide product range and can make small and large bundles. The EPXL bundler has a continuous motion design with linear servo movement of the knife and seal jaw. This allows Monalisa to fulfill their current bundle demands, but also gives them the ability to make bundles
with graphics applied to the poly. Since this bundler is continuous motion, it is able accurately follow registration marks and auto correct for misalignment. Other features of the bundler include an integrated diverter and flight bar system for easy product collation, automatic poly reel splice and poly pull out cart for safe poly loading.
Finally, the conveyor system on Monalisa’s line plays an important role in the creation of the product. The system is equipped with an Itapack Handle applicator and every turning, tipping and knock-down device. This allows Monalisa to apply handles to the packs in any orientation and position the packs into the bundle in any orientation as well.
Infinity’s line that has been delivered to Monalisa was designed, built and tested with extensive customer input throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Monalisa was able to see weekly progress through Teams meetings and check the line out virtually. This project truly represents what Infinity stands for robust, flexible, custom and customer-focused tissue packaging solutions. The line will allow Monalisa to offer new packaging options to their customers and will give Monalisa the ability to do this for years to come.
Infinity Machine & Engineering Corp. Expands Engineering and Manufacturing Facilities
Due to tremendous growth, Infinity Machine & Engineering Corporation, a market leading manufacturer of tissue packaging equipment including wrappers, bundlers, casepackers, diverters, conveyors and case sealers, has broken ground on a new 8,900 square meter expansion (96,000 sq. ft). Currently, Infinity is split between four facilities, three of which are in Green Bay, WI USA and the fourth in Bologna, Italy.
The new expanded facility in Green Bay, USA will be a total 16,000 square meters (172,000 sq. ft), which along with its facility in Bologna, Italy of 1200 square meters (13,000 sq. ft), will perfectly position Infinity to continue to grow its business and serve Infinity customers world-wide.
The purpose of the new expansion is to allow Infinity to offer greater manufacturing capacity to customers, implement manufacturing process improvements, expand product line offerings, have a dedicated R&D area, expand its training facilities, and to allow for full packaging line set-ups.
Some new features of the building expansion include; a monorail trolley system for powder coated parts which will more than double the paint capacity, adding an additional six final assembly bays (currently there are 13), and also adding additional “pre-build” areas to speed up production. The new expansion will also offer an expanded machine shop, a state-of-the-art quality assurance lab to verify the accuracy of parts, and an additional 1,200 square meters specifically for conveyor production. The expanded manufacturing facility is designed with the intent of creating an efficient flow from parts manufacturing, painting, job staging, assembly, check-out, and machine shipment. Natural light throughout the shop also creates a bright and open environment.
In addition, Infinity is also expanding its engineering offices to allow for increased engineering capacity. The new office will allow Infinity to have a total engineering staff of almost 40 engineers. Currently Infinity employs around 30 engineers. Infinity will also have a space dedicated to packaging line synchronization and simulation which will feature a virtual reality studio and large monitors for simulated line inspections before the actual installation. Also, the customer service area will be expanded to allow for more remote troubleshooting facilities, machine monitoring, engineering collaboration, and increased capacity.
Between the years 2016 and 2019, Infinity has more than doubled in size in terms of machine shipments and revenue. The growth of Infinity, however, is not represented best by the amount in sales or the number of machines in the market, but by the people that make up the company and its valuable customer base. In 2016, Infinity had 85 employees and just four short years later, Infinity now employs over 170 people between engineering, purchasing, production, shipping and service. The expansion of the building will follow this growth and allow for Infinity to further serve the world market with robust, reliable and technologically advanced tissue packaging equipment.
Brick by brick, project by project, and idea by idea, Infinity’s intention is to grow without limits and to do our best to help our customers realize their maximum potential. In virtually every facet of the Infinity organization, Infinity strives to reach perfection and provide longevity and continuity for our customers, our employees, and our community. We manage our operations while focusing on three important principles: always give our best effort, work in concert with our values, and simply do what we say we will do.
