The Molcho family's very special catering concept combines oriental and European cuisine at Neni. After more than ten years, production and packaging is now automated. This would not work without an efficient and reliable labelling solution.
In 2009, the passionate chef Haya Molcho and three of her four sons opened a restaurant at the Vienna's Naschmarkt its first restaurant. Born in Tel Aviv, raised in northern Germany, living in Vienna and, above all, widely travelled, she has since conquered the world with her unique food concept the European metropolises. The name of the company is derived from the initials of their children's names Nuriel, Elior, Nadiv and Ilan.
Unique catering concept from Neni
Neni is not only a very successful family business with 50 employees, but also a very special concept and synonym for cheerful multicultural enjoyment at the Balagan style (Balagan is Hebrew and means chaos). This means that kebabs, falafel, hummus or babaganoush as well as fish and vegetables are placed on the table at the same time in a wild jumble and are shared by everyone.
However, the exotic specialities are not only served in the company's own restaurants in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Tel Aviv or Mallorca - Neni now also supplies hotels throughout Europe with salads, snacks and finger food in attractively labelled cups.
Food for the home conquers the market
Neni products have also been available in packs in Austrian, German and Swiss stores for several years. „When we were first asked to supply hummus to a wholesaler, we were still producing it in a garage and Every single cup filled by hand“ recalls Nuriel Molcho, who acts as Chief Marketing Officer. The processes have now become much more efficient. Production and packaging are now automated - since November 2020 in a new building complex in Gumpoldskirchen. „By relocating our headquarters to the Lower Austrian site south-west of Vienna, we have clearly set the course for expansion and future viability,“ explains Nuriel Molcho.
In the packaging process, the labelling of the cups in particular repeatedly led to malfunctions and long downtimes. There was an urgent need for optimisation in this segment. „Because of the special label shape the cups were often simply badly labelled. This did not meet our standards and did not do justice to the quality awareness of the Neni brand,“ says the Head of Marketing. A more efficient and, above all, process-reliable solution therefore had to be found.
Added value in many respects
The individual project goals were concretised together with Multivac. The core aspects included minimising disruptions and the associated increase in efficiency. Another decisive factor was an attractive packaging design that would positively emphasise the brand, guarantee optimum product protection and extend the shelf life of the various delicacies.
In addition, a parallel Greater flexibility of the packaging and labelling process on. This is because Neni is continuously increasing its product and packaging diversity, which is to be expanded even further in the coming years. With the intelligent new solution, overall costs can now also be reduced. This pleases Ilan Molcho, who is responsible for finance, controlling, organisation and logistics.
High flexibility in labelling
For the Full-wrap labelling of round cups with a height of 25 to 65 millimetres, Neni uses two L 310 conveyor belt labellers. The diameter of the highly transparent cups is 120 millimetres and their lids have a recess of three millimetres. Spreads and salads, as well as pasta and antipasti of all kinds, are filled and labelled. The weight of the packs ranges from 125 to 250 grams.
The Modular structure of the conveyor belt labellers enables optimum technical and economic adaptation to the packs. Both full-wrap labellers are equipped with a Multivac HMI 2.0 operator terminal. The cross-line operating concept ensures simple, fast and efficient operation and minimises potential operating errors.
With an output of 120 packs per minute, the labellers apply a full-wrap label (similar to a banderole) to the cups. The labels allow a clear view of the contents of the pack and still offer plenty of space for communication and product information.
Fully automatic and with high precision
First, the labels are dispensed onto the top of the pack, then the protruding label ends are pressed onto the sides of the pack and the base of the pack. This is done Fully automatic with a special device and through the exact guidance and stabilisation of the packs with maximum precision. „The concept was developed together with the cup manufacturer and the Label producers from Multivac for us so that all components of the packs as well as the individual sub-processes are perfectly harmonised are“, explains Nuriel Molcho.
Convenient adjustment devices for the label dispenser also ensure Quick conversion to other packaging formats and label sizes. And for even faster label roll changes, the company also invested in a suitable adhesive table on which the new label tape is simply attached to the rest of the used roll.
Thermal transfer printing guarantees print quality
The conveyor belt labellers were each equipped with a high-performance Multivac TTO thermal transfer printer, which operates at a very high speed and can print text, graphics, logos, barcodes and variable information on the labels with a high resolution of 300 dpi.
Thanks to their complete integration into the labeller's control system, the printing systems offer significant advantages in terms of efficient and safe operation. Numerous operating processes, such as the loading of print layouts or back-up/restore functions, can be automated as a result. „We relied completely on Multivac for this project and were not disappointed at any stage,“ emphasises Nuriel Molcho, highlighting that „the packs now look significantly higher quality. Crooked or only partially applied labels are finally a thing of the past.“
He particularly praises the cross-project collaboration with the labelling and tray supplier. This is what made it possible for Neni to achieve a holistic, optimised solution. It is clear that ambitious investments in further lines will ensure a proven and stable packaging and labelling process in the future.
