Riding the organic wave: The Bridge is branching out into yoghurt manufacturing with filling equipment from Syntegon

The Bridge’s portfolio of dairy alternatives is just what today’s health- and ecologically conscious consumers are looking for. To launch their newest product – an organic vegan coconut yoghurt in sustainable packaging – and to increase their market penetration, the manufacturer relies on filling technology from Syntegon.

Since launching its first product in 1996, The Bridge’s portfolio has expanded to meet the market’s ever-growing demand for new dairy alternatives. Having seen ample success with a variety of vegan drinks, the company decided to branch out and add coconut yoghurt to their portfolio – and push their sustainability efforts further by filling the new product in sustainable cups. That is why The Bridge was looking for equipment that was able to process recyclable polypropylene (PP). As a contract manufacturer working for a number of private labels, flexibility plays a vital role in their production: The machine needed to be able to perform frequent format and product changes as well as achieve both ultra-clean and aseptic disinfection rates.

FCL: the perfect balance between performance, flexibility, sustainability and hygienic design

The choice fell on a complete line solution from Syntegon for ultra-clean and aseptic filling with a FCL at its core. The machine is designed to fill liquid and viscous products into pre- formed cups with a maximum output of 18,000 cups per hour. By relying on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for sterilization, it achieves both aseptic and ultra-clean disinfection rates. The latter is used for filling the new vegan yoghurts, while The Bridge fills desserts, coffee and almond drinks under aseptic conditions.

To account for the manufacturer’s much-needed production flexibility, the FCL is equipped with alternating carrier plates which can hold two different cup sizes – 75 mm and 95 mm in diameter. Changing packaging sizes only requires a couple of clicks on the HMI to adjust the position of the plates. Moreover, the FCL’s state-of-the-art dosing system is another key contributor to the system’s flexibility: Its dosing concept allows to fill different products and viscosities with highest accuracy. For product changeovers, operators can simply replace the two different nozzles of the filling station: a cutting valve for processing the viscous coconut yoghurt with or without fruit chunks or vegan desserts, and a flat valve for processing liquid products such as plant-based drinks.

In addition, the FCL supports The Bridge in their sustainability endeavors by filling products into recyclable PP-cups. Once the cups have been filled, the specially developed heat- sealing unit applies an aluminum lid to avoid any damage to the cups. During aseptic filling, an integrated airflow module in the sealing station keeps dust and other particles as well as unsterile air out of the sterilization tunnel and ensures a sterile environment at all times. As with the dosing station, sealing head changes are a matter of minutes: Operators can easily remove the plate holding the individual heads, exchange them without needing to use tools, and put the plate back in. By keeping the airflow running, manufacturers avoid contamination and keep the sterile or ultra-clean environment of the sealing station intact. The machine automatically continues the filling process once the sealing head change is completed without operators needing to sterilize the sterile or ultra-clean tunnel. Downtimes are kept to a minimum, which optimizes the line’s Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Ramping up production for a supermarket chain in Italy

Partnering with Syntegon also gave The Bridge a leg up on their competition in their contracting business: With Syntegon’s support the company was able to more than double their production output – and win over an important customer in Italy, who commissioned them to produce a number of white-label products in large quantities.