Baxters Food Group, one of the UK’s leading food brands, has installed a Holmach/NIKO tunnel cooler for handling a range of condiments and marinades in a variety of packaging formats.

With pressure from customers requiring clean label products, a hot fill capability has become an increasing area of demand.

Baxters’ long term relationship with NIKO and Holmach meant we were the supplier of choice when looking for a trusted solution to the cooling of hot filled products. NIKO, based near Dusseldorf, Germany, has been the leading UK provider of tunnel coolers, as well as pasteurisers, for nearly 20 years, providing many innovative solutions for difficult packaging.

Tony Bellian, European Technical Director, commented: “We needed a reliable and efficient product cooling solution that helps to ensure we can maintain the highest levels of product quality throughout the hot-fill process. We worked closely with Holmach and NIKO to deliver an on-time and fit-for-purpose solution.”

Central to the technology is energy saving pumps, designed in-house, to give twice the flowrate with half the power consumption compared with off-the-shelf combinations. This ensures the maximum cooling effect in a relatively limited floor space.

Suitable for cooling both plastic and glass containers, with products from dressings to table sauces and preserves, the NIKO technology is entirely constructed in stainless steel and corrosion-free plastics, with line speeds available from 20 to 500 packs per minute.