Use-Case – DOZE600 Double Chamber Vacuum Sealer

The Challenge

A medium-sized producer of meat and ready meals located near Maribor was packaging roughly 1,200 vacuum bags per day using two compact tabletop vacuum machines. Each device could process only a handful of pouches per cycle, which meant operators were required to remain at the machines for nearly the entire shift. The sealing stage became a limiting factor for the entire production line.

Due to restricted throughput, batches frequently waited unsealed for up to an hour, which shortened shelf life and led to liquid purge inside the bags. The business was discarding about 3% of its output each week because of short-dated or visually unsatisfactory packs. Management sought an industrial-grade solution to increase capacity, ensure consistent quality, and allow staff to focus on more valuable tasks.

Manual Process

Staff operated two small tabletop vacuum sealers positioned next to each other. Each cycle involved manually placing bags, closing the lid, waiting for the vacuum and sealing process, and then removing the finished packs. Output depended on the operator, and machine settings were often adjusted by intuition, resulting in variable outcomes.

Before Automation:

• Daily output: 1,200 packs/day
• Cycle duration per pack (including handling): 36 seconds
• Total daily operation: 1,200 × 36 s = 43,200 s ≈ 720 minutes (12.0 hours/day)
• Labour expense: 12.0 h/day × €25/h = €300/day
• Rework/issues: around 3% of packs required resealing or disposal due to inadequate vacuum or reduced shelf life

Two staff members alternated on the sealers, spending the majority of their working hours on repetitive loading and unloading. If one machine needed cleaning or cooling, a backlog developed quickly, often resulting in overtime during peak periods.

Automated Solution

The company introduced a DOZE600 Double Chamber Vacuum Sealer to operate alongside the existing line. Thanks to its two chambers and twin 2 × 20 m³/h pumps, operators could load one chamber while the other was in use. Standardised programmes were set up on the PC control panel for different products, eliminating uncertainty in machine settings.

After Installing DOZE600 Double Chamber Vacuum Sealer:

• The machine runs at 60% of its maximum output for dependable operation
• Updated cycle time: a single chamber cycle of 25 seconds seals 12 packs (6 per sealing bar × 2 bars), resulting in approximately 2.1 seconds per pack
• Total daily operation: 1,200 packs × 2.1 s ≈ 2,520 s ≈ 42 minutes of pure machine time; including loading, unloading, and changeovers, rounded to 270 minutes (4.5 hours/day)
• Labour expense: 4.5 h/day × €25/h = €113/day
• Quality gains: rework and waste dropped from 3% to about 0.9% thanks to consistent vacuum and reliable sealing

One operator now easily manages the DOZE600 while also helping with upstream loading. The second operator was reassigned to inspection and labelling, eliminating the sealing bottleneck and improving the flow of the production line.

ROI Calculation

Investment:
Machine cost: €2,799
Daily labour saving: Previous labour €300/day − New labour €113/day = €187/day
Monthly saving (22 working days): €187/day × 22 days = €4,114/month
Payback period: €2,799 ÷ €187/day ≈ 14.97 days ≈ about 15 working days (less than 3 calendar months including implementation and ramp-up)

Further, unquantified benefits include lower product waste (from 3% to 0.9%), improved shelf life, and fewer complaints from retail customers regarding loose or leaking packs. These factors further enhance the true payback beyond the direct labour calculation.

Conclusion

By upgrading from two compact tabletop sealers to the DOZE600 Double Chamber Vacuum Sealer, the food manufacturer was able to reduce sealing labour from 12,0 hours to 4,5 hours per day and eliminate a significant production bottleneck. With direct labour cost savings of approximately €187 per day, the equipment recouped its cost in about 15 working days, whilst also extending product shelf life and minimising waste.

“After switching to the DOZE600, our sealing process dropped from 12 hours to just 4,5 hours daily, saving us around €187 in labour each shift. We recouped the €2,799 outlay in roughly 15 working days, and our waste due to poor vacuuming fell from 3% to below 1%.” — Marko K., Production Manager, Maribor Foods d.o.o., Slovenia