Fortress receives two top nods at packaging industry "˜Oscars'

Celebrating the best in British manufacturing, Fortress's "Never Obsolete' proposition earned high acclaim in the award's Sustainability category. What's more, the company's market growth and dedication to innovation also won a high commendation from those judging the Processing and Packaging Machinery Manufacturer of the Year class.

Managing director Sarah Ketchin says: "To get one commendation is an honour, receiving two is a great accomplishment and it's all credit to our team efforts. We've come a long way in the last five years since establishing our Banbury office where we custom build our systems. Fortress has quickly cemented our reputation for building robust, sustainable and easy to use systems that offer food processors better metal detection sensitivities. Much our success is down to the fact we stick to what we are best at and keep it simple for our customers."

Over 40 per cent of Fortress machines in the last 12 months were ordered by new customers, including a number of global blue chip names. Sarah adds: "Receiving this endorsement in two PPMA award categories by an independent panel of industry experts is testament that our overall proposition is innovative, and our equipment lifecycle promise is valued widely."

This has been a record-breaking year for the company, which at the start of 2015 fulfilled its largest order intake ever. And the UK company is going from strength to strength. Reflecting on the success of this year's PPMA Show, Sarah comments: "Over the three days the footfall was steady. We spoke to a number of big company names and senior decision makers, reflecting how important the exhibition has become for showcasing innovation."

During the show the world got its first glimpse of the new Interceptor, which all but eliminates product effect in wet and conductive food products, such as meat, dairy and ready meals. Fortress has also created a multi-lane single-head system, enabling customers to inspect and independently auto-reject packs across multiple lines without having to purchase individual detector heads or conveyor systems for each line.

Sarah says: "Right now manufacturers are trying to balance being more cost efficient, productive and competitive with investing in more sustainable line equipment with a faster return on investment. As far we know, Fortress is the only known UK equipment manufacturer to guarantee that our inspection equipment will never become obsolete before the end of its natural lifespan, which with good maintenance can exceed 20+ years. It means that perfectly good kit doesn't need to be scrapped prematurely when new technology developments come out or because it doesn't comply with the latest retail standards or industry regulations."

Representing the cream of the manufacturing crop, the annual PPMA Group Industry Awards 2015 honoured a total of 14 companies and individuals, recognising technological innovation, robotics and automation, packaging equipment, sustainability, business growth and personal accomplishments. Gail Hunt, judge and editor of Machinery Update, says: "Many of the developments entered this year were inspired by customer requests for smarter ways of working." Go to www.fortresstechnology.co.uk for further information.