In the workshop of a food factory in Hanoi, Vietnam, more than ten kinds of products such as dried mango, coffee beans, and instant rice noodles are circulated alternately on the assembly line. Operator Nguyen Thi Thanh touched the control screen and completed the mode switch from vertical bag filling machine to pillow packaging machine within 3 minutes. The equipment automatically retrieved parameters and seamlessly connected the production of new orders. "This system is like Lego blocks. You can achieve any function you want to put together," she said to the customers who came to visit. Facing the core challenge of "multiple categories, small batches, and fast iterations" in the demand for packaging machines in Southeast Asia, the ply-pack R&D team conducted an in-depth study of the characteristics of the Southeast Asian food and beverage industry and launched a modular packaging system. This solution is based on a standardized base, and achieves "one machine for multiple uses" through the free combination of detachable metering modules, sealing modules and conveyor belt units. The case of a puffed food manufacturer in Malaysia shows that its equipment utilization rate has increased from 58% to 92%, and the time for production change has been shortened by 76%.
The core advantage of the system lies in the "three-stage module library":
- Basic module: It adopts a stainless steel body that is resistant to high temperature and humidity, adapted to the climate of Southeast Asia;
- Functional module: It covers 20 functions such as weighing, nitrogen filling, labeling, etc., and supports plug-and-play;
- Intelligent central control: Built-in AI algorithm, which can memorize 300 sets of product parameters and automatically optimize packaging speed.
In the application example of a halal food company in Thailand, the company can process 5kg family-sized coconut milk and 200g instant packaging with a single device by matching different modules, while meeting the sealing detection function required by halal certification, and reducing the equipment investment cost by 40%.
In order to quickly respond to the demand for packaging machines in Southeast Asia, ply-pack has established a localized supply chain network in Indonesia and the Philippines:
- Core components are pre-stored in the bonded warehouse in Jakarta, and the delivery cycle is shortened to 15 days
- Jointly establish a "4-hour emergency response circle" with 20 local parts suppliers
- Develop a multilingual remote operation and maintenance system with a fault diagnosis accuracy of 98%
The supporting intelligent operation and maintenance platform breaks the traditional service model:
- Equipment operation data is uploaded to the cloud in real time, and consumables procurement warnings are automatically generated
- AR remote guidance function solves 85% of common faults
- Energy consumption monitoring module helps a beverage factory in Vietnam save 270,000 yuan in electricity bills annually
The transformation of a century-old sauce manufacturer in Singapore is the most representative. After the company introduced the modular system, it not only achieved simultaneous trial production of 12 new products, but also controlled the equipment downtime rate below 0.3% through the intelligent operation and maintenance platform. "In the past, we had to ask German engineers to fly over to adjust the machine, but now local technicians can do it," said Lin Zhixiong, production director, pointing to the five packaging lines running simultaneously in the workshop: "This is a solution truly customized for Southeast Asia."
At dusk in the Mekong Delta, a cargo ship loaded with jackfruits is heading for Ho Chi Minh Port. In the lights of the coastal factories, more and more packaging machines with the "ply-pack" logo began to roar. These modular equipment not only carry the dream of upgrading the food and beverage industry in Southeast Asia, but also quietly reshape the collaborative ecology of the regional manufacturing industry - when flexibility and stability are no longer contradictory, the "small and beautiful" production model is creating new possibilities.
