Leading with purpose in every layer

Delibarn, a leading Belgian meat processing company, has built a reputation for excellence in slicing and packaging high-quality charcuterie products. These include a wide range of cold cuts such as ham, salami, chicken breast, and sausages, which are distributed to large retailers like Delhaize and Carrefour across Belgium.

More than ten years ago, Delibarn faced a recurring challenge in its packaging workflow. Seeking innovative ways to improve inner packaging efficiency, their team attended a tradeshow in Mechelen. There, they encountered Bandall offering a banding solution that immediately caught their attention. Though unfamiliar with the technology at the time, Delibarn quickly recognized its potential to revolutionize their packaging process.

Fast forward to today, banding has become a core pillar of Delibarn’s packaging operations. With the majority of their production lines now ending with Bandall’s automated banding systems, their sliced meat products are delivered to retailers efficiently, safely, and sustainably.

The inner packaging puzzle: Logistics meet complexity

As a packaging partner to major retailers, Delibarn faces logistical and operational pressure to ensure that its products don’t just look good, but also arrive safely and space-efficiently. Their cold cuts are packaged on flexible plastic trays, sealed with film, and labeled with crucial product and brand information. Before being shipped out, the sealed products must be bundled and stacked into reusable plastic crates, often in custom batch sizes based on individual client needs.

However, the nature of the products posed several challenges for bundling:

• The flexibility of the primary packaging made the stacks prone to shifting or sliding.
• Moisture and condensation, especially from frozen or chilled meats, made the surfaces slippery and harder to bundle securely.
• Existing inner packaging methods failed to provide the balance between space and material efficiency, stability, and ease of use.

Delibarn needed a solution that addressed all of these pain points while also integrating seamlessly into their growing and increasingly automated production lines.

The shift to cross banding

When Delibarn representatives met Bandall at the tradeshow in Mechelen, they weren’t actively searching for a banding solution—but once they saw it in action, they immediately understood the potential. The simplicity and ability to bundle with minimal material offered a compelling alternative to conventional inner packaging solutions.

They began their journey with a few standalone Bandall machines, testing their performance in real production conditions. The early results were promising: the machines were reliable, user-friendly, and effective. Encouraged by this, Delibarn gradually expanded their use of the technology, eventually incorporating fully automated Bandall systems into their production flow.

However, the implementation wasn’t without learning curves. In the initial setup, a single band was applied to each product stack. While effective for some configurations, it proved insufficient for the more complex, variable-sized stacks that Delibarn frequently dealt with. Moisture and irregular shapes meant that stacks were occasionally unstable—especially if even one product slipped out.

Recognizing the need to solve the one-band bundle problem, Delibarn collaborated closely with Erik, their Bandall account manager, to explore alternatives. After explaining to Erik the issues Delibarn were experiencing with the unstable stacks and the reasons for its instability, the idea to test cross banding was introduced to add further stability.

 

What is cross band bundling?

Cross banding involves passing a product or bundle through the machine to apply one band across the middle, then rotating the product/bundle 90 degrees within the machine to apply a second band from top to bottom. This, in essence, creates a secure cross-shaped bundle. The addition of the second band drastically improved stack integrity, preventing products from falling out of the bundle.

Importantly, the automated cross-band solution integrated smoothly into Delibarn’s existing line, offering a consistent, scalable, and fully automated solution that aligned perfectly with their operational goals.

The impact: What delibarn gained

Since adopting Bandall’s technology, Delibarn has seen consistent value:

• Space efficiency: Crates are filled optimally, allowing them to meet the requirements of their partners.
• Stability in moist environments: Cross banding prevents bundles from collapsing, even when condensation is present.
• Reduced packaging waste: Banding uses minimal material, aligning with sustainability goals.
• Improved workflow: Automated systems reduced labor needs and sped up packaging operations.
• Enhanced shelf-stocking: Bands can be easily removed, and the meats can be placed onto the shelves
• Scalability: Today, over 85% of Delibarn’s production lines use banding, supported by multiple automated machines and standalone units.

A partnership that delivered

What began as a tradeshow encounter has evolved into a decade-long partnership. Delibarn’s integration of Bandall’s cross banding solutions has turned a complex logistics problem into a streamlined, high-efficiency system. With enhanced product stability, smarter use of space, and a sustainable packaging footprint, Delibarn continues to lead in retail-ready meat packaging.