put some text in here to display when CSS is unavailable or disabled
Retail and Industrial Packing
Retail and Industrial Packing accounts for approximately 30% of our tonnage output.
The Thames Refinery packing areas cover all granulated sugar packs, from 500g bags up to one tonne Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs). We have 19 packing lines in total, using over 6,000 tonnes of packaging materials. Can-making and syrup-filling operations are combined at Plaistow Wharf in a well established plant.
Sugar of the appropriate grade is supplied to all the packing lines, using dedicated feed routes and, in most cases, dedicated conditioning plant. Conditioning air (filtered and temperature-controlled) is passed through the stored sugar to ensure it retains its free-flowing characteristics.
In all packaging areas, craft trained technicians work alongside well trained operators in integrated teams. Emphasis is placed on teamwork to maintain product quality and plant reliability.
We have continued to make significant investments in packing in order to maintain our market position. All packing lines are equipped with rare earth magnets, in-line metal detection and check-weighing equipment. Extensive quality assurance checks are carried out by each of the operating teams on the sugar, packaging materials and machine operation, as well as on the finished product.
In order to perform to a world class manufacturing standard, all packing areas use Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to measure their improvements. The Packing area as a whole is well supported by an Optimisation Team of technologists and engineers.