Egyptian snack leader joins hands with tna expertise to create a new delicious and guilt-free snacking experience

On December 9, Egyptian snack manufacturer Future Foods partnered with tna, a leading global provider of integrated food processing and packaging solutions, to launch a new range of pretzels and successfully install a seasoning, processing and packaging line
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The launch helped Future Foods achieve 100 percent productivity at rates of up to 165 bags per minute (BPM)
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Founded in 2016 and located in Giza, Egypt, Future Foods is known for continually bringing innovative products to the market
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Pretzels are the fastest-growing segment of the savory snack category, with a projected CAGR of 5.
8% between 2016–2020[1], as the company invests in plans to provide consumers with a healthy and guilt-free line of high-quality pretzels.
Snack experience
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To maximise the opportunities this industry offers, in the future, food needs equipment to optimise flavouring applications, minimise waste using packaging efficiencies to ensure a successful launch of its new product range
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Precise Flavor Control

When launching any new product, gaining consumer acceptance from the start is critical
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Future Foods had to be informative about its new product range, believing that it would meet consumer expectations to ensure consumers keep buying and staying in the market
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Additionally, application accuracy is a key factor for snack manufacturers to consider
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Applying the wrong seasoning level can have a significant impact on the input cost of raw materials, the cost of scrapped product due to lack of time
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^{Using the tna intelli-flav OMS}

5,a responsive variable mass seasoning mechanism with dynamic vibrating scales  , Future Foods can precisely control in-cask seasoning applications
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This allows accurate, proportioned seasonings to be applied evenly to the product for consistent coverage and flavor dispersion, meeting the need for a high-quality, evenly seasoned end product
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George Soussou, Vice Chairman and Director of Operations at Future Foods, said: “The delicate products we produce are new to the market, so we must ensure that we deliver consistent flavorings that appeal to consumers
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tna helps us to effectively operate with zero waste.
Sprinkle with seasoning powder
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That's why our snacks taste better than our competitors
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With the new seasoning system, we don't consume more than 5% of our powder
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"

By adding a baffle to the tna intelli-flav ^OMS  5 inlet location, which can further improve performance
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Mounting the baffle to the rim of the barrel better directs the product to the spraying and seasoning area, resulting in an even seasoning on each pretzel
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In addition, the fan-shaped infeed conveyor is designed to allow more product to enter the seasoning bucket, while also helping to control product orientation to improve seasoning accuracy and reduce waste
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This has helped Future Foods save costs and improve profitability
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Smooth Product Transfer

Minimizing product damage and ease of cleaning are key factors when choosing a dispensing system for a new range
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From the beginning, Future Foods knew that reducing potential product damage or loss of flavor was the key to success
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Therefore, the company has opted for equipment that will help in a smooth transfer
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selected tna roflo ^HM 3 Move the conveyor horizontally to ensure smooth product passage through the line while keeping product damage to a minimum, as there is no vertical lift or product bounce, and no flavor build-up in the product
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Unlike traditional conveyors that use mechanical gates, the tna roflo ^HM  3's patented "true" gateless design protects the pretzels from damage via a servo-controlled "virtual gate" that is only used during unloading Leave a gap between the discs
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The risk of potential product damage has been greatly reduced and any loss of flavor has been virtually eliminated
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By installing multiple tna systems, including the tna roflo ^HM  3 and the tna intelli-flav ^OMS  5, the breakage rate from seasoning to packaging is less than 0.
5%
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tna's roflo conveyors are also integrally mechanical, resulting in significant advantages, increasing equipment reliability and reducing total cost over the life of the system
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The tna roflo ^HM is the only conveyor in the world that uses a single linear servo motor
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One of the main advantages of this design is that little maintenance is required as there are no large drives, shafts, belts or pulleys
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High Speed, Efficient Packaging

Producing a variety of pretzels in 16g, 35g and 100g pillow bags, Future Foods was looking for a system that would consistently deliver high speed
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In addition to this, rapid changeovers are required to maximize throughput and minimize downtime
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By installing two tna robag ^FX 3ci Vertical, Fill and Seal (VFFS) packaging system, this line offers flexibility and improved performance in a compact, easy-to-clean setup
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With its rotating double jaws, the new bagger is capable of delivering speeds of up to 165 BMP, while the quick-release bagger ensures that Future Foods can change bag sizes in less than three minutes
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Soussou added: “The new packaging system is very reliable and is able to achieve 100% productivity at very high speeds
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In addition, we have kept the film waste rate within 1%, resulting in significant cost savings
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In addition, the machine’s User-friendliness and easy changeover between bag sizes minimises downtime, further increasing our productivity
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”

“It’s not just what tna offers, the tna team is there for us throughout the commissioning, installation and start-up phases.
Provides support and training to ensure new equipment is always running at peak performance
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For us, tna is not just a supplier, but a true partner with solutions that make it easy to run line equipment and help businesses continue to succeed
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"

A Partner , Multiple Solutions

Soussou further elaborated: "As a new company, Future Foods must work with a reliable partner to ensure smooth production, the desired productivity and the best long-term return on investment
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"

tna has more than 140 product offering the widest portfolio of equipment for the snack food industry
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This includes fryers for metal detection, conveyor belts, seasoning and coating systems, weighing, placing and labelling solutions, bagging and boxing equipment, making it a global supply that can supply equipment for entire snack lines business
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You can download the full version of the Future Foods case study here