The UK’s leading supplier of vertical form fill and seal packaging machines has this month installed its 400th machine into the fresh produce industry.
GIC, which is based in Gainsborough and is celebrating its fortieth year in business, supplied the milestone machine to Vale Royal Fresh Foods.
Based in Knutsford, Cheshire, Vale Royal Fresh Foods grows and supplies around 3,000 tonnes of beansprouts to retailers and trade customers annually. The latest machine – a GIC4100 – is Vale Royal Fresh Foods third GIC bagger.
The companies’ relationship started in 2014 at the PPMA Total Show when Cynthia Lam, Vale Royal’s managing director, visited GIC’s stand.
“We were immediately impressed with the workmanship that goes into each GIC machine,” says Ms Lam. “When our production requirements increased in 2016, I had no hesitation in getting back in touch with GIC, and we placed an order for our first GIC4100. Since then, as our business has grown, we have bought another two GIC4100s.
“For me, personally, it has been the friendly, small business approach GIC have shown me over the years. They share their expertise and knowledge to ensure I have the right equipment for my business needs. There is no sales pressure, and the sales team are historically engineers, so they have a wealth of knowledge.”
Brian Clark, Vale Royal’s manufacturing manager added: “The GIC baggers are reliable, and as a result, we have minimal downtime. We have one eight-year-old machine that predominantly packs smaller bags. As our first GIC machine performed so well, we decided to buy a second one for wholesale and bulk production. The seamless process of ordering, PDI, and installation is highly commendable. GIC’s team was flexible, helpful, and very patient with us. Their service is exceptional, and GIC is a respectable, reputable brand.”
Martin Raison, GIC’s applications manager, says all of Vale Royal’s GIC4100s have been specifically designed to suit the environment in which they operate. “Vale Royal’s 4100s are dual machines. We have designed them to pack either a 4.5kg carrier bag at 18 packs per minute or 350g heat-sealed laminate film retail packs at 60 packs per minute. We have also installed them on rails so they can be moved back 1.8 metres when the lines and overhead weighers are being cleaned.
Established in 1987, Vale Royal Fresh Foods initially supplied a wide range of Chinese vegetables but decided in 1987 to focus solely on producing and distributing high-quality beansprouts under the Fatchoy trade brand and Lucky Beansprouts retail product.
For more information about Vale Royal Fresh Foods and GIC, visit https://www.vrff.co.uk and https://www.gic.uk.net.
