If you are a Scot and even if you aren’t, the chances are that you will have heard of Bell’s Food Group’s iconic product ranges which are enjoyed both at home and on the move. Scotch pies, Steak pies, Chicken curry pies, Scotch dumpling slices…the list goes on, and with Bell’s products available either fresh or frozen, they cater for all requirements.

 Back in the early 1900s David Bell who worked in the mining industry encouraged his son Donald to create a small bakery in what was the wash house at home. David started baking scones and pancakes, selling them door to door in the 1930s and as the business grew, Donald took his brother and then his sons into the business. As the years went on, David Bell and sons (Bakers) Ltd grew taking on more family members and acquiring other companies.

During the 70s the third generation of Bell’s took over running the business and as it continued to grow it added more products to its range including pastry, diversifying into pies and savouries when they moved to new premises in the 1990s, acquiring BRC accreditation in 2012. Bells now has 60% market share of branded fresh meat pie sales in Scotland and is the third most chosen Scottish Food brand.

As part of the manufacturing process of the Bells range of pies, they decided to take the step to automate the feeding of the foil trays into the pie make up lines, which was an extremely tedious and labour intensive therefore costly exercise.

They approached Partners in Packaging with their requirements, which included the flexibility to use the foil tray denester across two lines and handle a range of different tray sizes.

 Ronnie Miles, Managing Director of Bells said” We chose Partners in Packaging to supply a solution because of their experience with trays like ours, and the flexibility of their A Series denester-placer. Their solution also allows us to change from two to three lanes, and size change to different tray sizes in minutes. They also showed our trays being run on a machine at their factory, to eliminate any doubts. The installation was very smooth and straightforward, with our line operators taking to the machine straightaway”.

“Bells gave us a very clear list of requirements for their application and the whole project has been a pleasure from start to finish” said Partners in Packaging’s Director Duncan Macintyre.

 “The A Series is an extremely versatile denesting solution available in different widths with a multitude of options to enable us to tailor the specification to each application using standard well proven modules. We have a range of machines each of which offers a different method of product handling, each with specific benefits to the user”.

 Partners in Packaging (PiP Automation) are the leading UK manufacturer of Tray denesting-placing solutions and base card feeding and folding systems for the food industry.

Partners in Packaging are the leading UK manufacturer, of Pick and Place Tray Denesting and Base Card Feeding Solutions.

For more information e-mail sales@partnersinpackaging.com or give us a call – 01706 369000 and let us know how we can help you.

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