How a tradeshow changed everything

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, and sausages, which are distributed to large retailers like Delhaize and Carrefour across Belgium.

More than ten years ago, Delibarn faced a challenge in its packaging workflow. Seeking innovative ways to improve the efficiency of their inner-pack methods, 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 solve their problem.

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 machines, their sliced meat products are delivered to retailers bundled efficiently and sustainably.

The inner-pack puzzle: Logistics meet complexity

As a packaging partner to major retailers, Delibarn is responsible for receiving pre-supplied meats, slicing and packaging them, complete with the retailer’s branding and labeling requirements. But their job doesn’t stop at presentation. Delibarn must also ensure that every packaged product is prepared for efficient handling, stacking, and delivery. The sliced meats are placed on flexible plastic trays, sealed with film, and labeled with all necessary product and brand details. Before shipping, these packages need to be neatly bundled and stacked into reusable plastic crates, often in custom batch sizes tailored to each retailer’s specific order.

However, the nature and format of the products posed several challenges for efficient 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-pack 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 challenges while also integrating seamlessly into their packaging 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 its potential. The simplicity and ability to bundle with minimal material offered a compelling alternative to conventional inner-pack solutions.

Delibarn began testing banding using Stand-Alone Bandall machines, exploring how well the technology performed under real production conditions. The early results were promising: the machines were reliable, user-friendly, and effective. However, the testing quickly highlighted an issue that repeatedly presented itself.

During the test phase, it quickly became apparent that a single band alone couldn’t provide the stability needed for certain bundles. The combination of irregularly shaped packaging and moisture from chilled or frozen products led to stacks shifting during handling. When one item slipped out, the band lost its tension, and the entire bundle would fall apart.

Recognizing the need to solve the one-band bundle problem, Delibarn contacted Erik, their Bandall account manager, to explore alternatives. After explaining to Erik the issues Delibarn was experiencing, the idea of testing cross-banding was introduced to add further stability.

 

What is cross-band bundling?

Cross banding involves placing a product or bundle into the banding machine to apply the first band. Then, it gets rotated 90 degrees so a second band can be applied in the opposite direction, creating a secure crisscross pattern in the middle. Depending on the machine type, this can be done either with an automatic banding machine with a stacking configuration or manually with a standalone machine.

The impact: What delibarn gained

The addition of the second band drastically improved stack integrity for Delibarn, preventing any products from falling out of the bundle and efficiently solving the issue they experienced. With the success of cross-banding as their inner-pack solution, Delibarn, throughout the years, has continued to implement banding with more than 85% of their packaging lines now ending with automated banding machines.

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 moisture 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 products can be placed onto the shelves

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 the way in efficient inner-pack processes.