Leading efficiency in single-dose coffee packaging

Since 1997, Royal Armenia is the first company in Armenia to process and package high-quality green coffee importing the best varieties from Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other countries.

During these years, the company has become the leader in Armenia in the coffee industry, continuously following the advances of modern technologies and meeting highest quality demands of consumers. In 2013, to meet the growing demand, Royal Armenia relies on Aranow to equip itself with the Vertical Form Fill and Seal (VFFS) machine, managing to dose ‘3 in 1’ coffee into stick packs, count them and group them into pad-type bags.

Ruben Akopian, the brand director, shares about their meeting with Aranow, “When I started in the 3 in 1 coffee in stick pack business, I relied on an affordable single dose machine, however, as I saw the demand was increasing, I was aware that I needed to find a better long-term solution. In the plant, I had a horizontal packaging machine of the Spanish brand Volpak; in fact, they told me about Aranow as a specialist in single-dose packaging.”

He also admitted that when he was comparing with different suppliers, he realized that on a technological level, the solutions were very similar, and the same applies to budgets.

Speaking about their style and methodologies, he says, “Their offices made a good impression on me, I could see how they worked on complex projects with great organization and methodology. But to tell the truth, what made me choose Aranow was the warm and friendly approach and the reliability that I immediately gained. It’s an important business decision, and they guided me in such a way that the process seemed easier.”

Sharing about the challenges about the project, he says, “I remember simply carrying a stick and the powdered product, setting the quantity to be packed and the production capacity. We immediately saw that the An650 VFFS model was flexible, efficient, and perfectly suited to my needs.”

According to him, the project started in this easy way but the complicated part was the integration with the Volpak machinery. Despite the fact that Aranow machine produced and grouped correctly. It was not possible at first to seal the sticks correctly grouped in 10 or 20 units in the bag. He further stated that fortunately, Aranow facilitated to test the complete line in its warehouse, where it was possible to find the solution.

He states that Aranow, in remote, guided them in the setup. He says, “A technician was sent to train my team, but we found the operating system easy and intuitive. The only time we needed technical support was when we changed the production from packing coffee, powdered milk, and sugar, to packing chocolate powder.”

“Aranow’s machinery allowed me to go from a production of 70 spm to 300 spm, with the energy savings of producing more in less time. I have also reduced the downtime, and the machine works an average of 8hours a day (although in peaks of work up to 18hours).” He continues.

“The change of equipment was also aimed to give value to our product. The stick pack is its packaging and, therefore a key element. I am very happy with the final result. I think it reflects the quality of the product itself.”

“I have the confidence of having a machine that does not cause any problems. Well, I think that there is no better sign of satisfaction than repeating, right? I already have my second Aranow machine, and on that occasion, there was no doubt about it. I didn’t even consider the option of working with another manufacturer,” he concludes.

The Covid-19 pandemic led to the country-wide lockdown on 25 March 2020. It will be two years tomorrow as I write this. What have we learned in this time? Maybe the meaning of resilience since small companies like us have had to rely on our resources and the forbearance of our employees as we have struggled to produce our trade platforms.

The print and packaging industries have been fortunate, although the commercial printing industry is still to recover. We have learned more about the digital transformation that affects commercial printing and packaging. Ultimately digital will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future.

Web analytics show that we now have readership in North America and Europe amongst the 90 countries where our five platforms reach. Our traffic which more than doubled in 2020, has at times gone up by another 50% in 2021. And advertising which had fallen to pieces in 2020 and 2021, has started its return since January 2022.

As the economy approaches real growth with unevenness and shortages a given, we are looking forward to the PrintPack India exhibition in Greater Noida. We are again appointed to produce the Show Daily on all five days of the show from 26 to 30 May 2022.

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