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\u201cMake it Better and Make it Last\u201d are part of McIlhenny Company\u2019s core values. And with more than 155 years of pepper expertise, the family-owned and operated company, famously known for its TABASCO\u00ae Brand<\/a> products, continues to demonstrate those fundamentals.<\/p>\n The legendary TABASCO\u00ae Original Red Sauce was invented on Avery Island, Louisiana, where McIlhenny Company continues to produce the iconic brand. A household and restaurant staple around the world, TABASCO\u00ae Sauce is sold in more than 195 countries and territories and labeled in more than 36 languages and dialects.<\/p>\n TABASCO\u00ae Brand prides itself on listening to its customers\u2019 needs \u2013 constantly innovating and experimenting with new flavors and products to carry on its legacy. To date, TABASCO\u00ae Brand has nine unique core pepper sauces, offered in a range of bottles and sizes that are neatly packaged in a box.<\/p>\n Therefore, when it comes to packaging equipment, the company looks for flexibility, efficiency, and speed in order to meet consumer demand.<\/p>\n McIlhenny first installed the R.A Jones Legacy\u00ae cartoners at their Louisiana facility in 1968; they are still in use today. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic supply chain disruptions, McIlhenny Company began to look to new paperboard suppliers to ensure adequate supply.<\/p>\n Changing suppliers introduced a new set of challenges and created some inefficiencies with the older equipment, mainly brought upon by the need for continuous machine adjustments. So, in anticipation of the equipment\u2019s 60th anniversary, McIlhenny decided it might be time for retirement.<\/p>\n Resorting to its \u201cMake it Better and Make it Last\u201d principles, McIlhenny returned to R.A Jones, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of primary and secondary packaging machinery<\/a>, to upgrade its production lines with four new Legacy CS-600 ultra high-speed Horizontal End Load Cartoners.<\/p>\n Fast-paced Operations Require Well Matched Equipment<\/p>\n Currently, the facility operates 5 days a week, 2 shifts a day, year-round, with all products made, packed, and shipped from Avery Island.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our cartoners has put an estimated 1.25 to 2 billion bottles in a carton over more than five decades,\u201d said Mathieu G\u00e9lineau, Director of Engineering at McIlhenny Company. \u201cWe see that as a true testament to the quality of the equipment and the support from R.A Jones over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the original machines from the \u201860s were still operating, certain lines could only run certain products, limiting McIlhenny\u2019s flexibility and line usage. Now, faced with potential material inefficiencies, the company elected to address the problem sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were thrilled when McIlhenny approached us about modernizing their packaging lines,\u201d said Marty Bechtel, Sales Director \u2013 R.A Jones. \u201cThe Jones\u2019 machines had served the company well over the years, but like anything, wear and tear began to show their age. Older equipment can lend itself to increased maintenance needs and unwanted downtime, so by upgrading their cartoners to the Legacy CS-600, McIlhenny can significantly reduce unnecessary costs associated with both.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving equipment with an improved carton feeding system, which allows the line to run a variety of carton materials, including sustainable paperboard<\/a> alternatives, is critical for boosting overall performance and delivering a consistent product worldwide,\u201d G\u00e9lineau continued. \u201cAs we look to integrate new packaging equipment, speed and flexibility are essential, as we offer various products in a variety of materials and sizes. Ultimately, we want to look at the big picture and ensure that the machines powering our production lines are helping us meet the company\u2019s vision in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Another area McIlhenny was considering was changeover time.<\/p>\n The legacy machines can take multiple hours to undergo a changeover, requiring a few hours to dial in before ramping up to a good, consistent run speed.<\/p>\n The new fleet will be outfitted with R.A Jones\u2019 Acc-U-Change\u2122 solution, which allows for more efficient and repeatable changeovers. This option also better controls the integral variables of the machine, ensuring that operators can easily change and minimize the risk of a costly mistake.<\/p>\n Beyond the Build: Why OEM Relationships Matter<\/p>\n R.A Jones has been in the business of packaging equipment and machinery for more than a century. However, McIlhenny didn\u2019t just come back to R.A Jones because of the OEM\u2019s historic machine quality and industry expertise. From the beginning of the five decade\u2019s long relationship, R.A Jones has consistently provided them strategic consultation and guidance\u2013 starting when McIlhenny purchased its first legacy cartoner over 55 years ago.<\/p>\n The R.A Jones Legacy line is a high-speed bottle and box cartoner and is designed for pharmaceutical<\/a> applications, resulting in a smaller machine pitch and footprint.<\/p>\n The reason why R.A Jones recommended the Legacy series was due to the pharmaceutical-style design, which provides sanitary benefits to plant operations. A 3-foot inline bottle screw helps stabilize the product, enabling McIlhenny to run speeds of up to 425 bottles per minute for its 2-, 5- and 12-oz. sizes.<\/p>\n Additionally, R.A Jones also provided McIlhenny with key input when conceptualizing how to package the product. Before construction of the machines, there were numerous discussions surrounding the orientation of the product to ensure that when it was pushed into the box, it would align with the graphics on the outside as well as into the cartoner.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re world leaders in cartoners like we\u2019re world leaders in pepper sauce,\u201d says G\u00e9lineau. \u201cWorking with a manufacturer that stands behind its product, even if it\u2019s 50 years old, and still gives support and sells parts is what makes the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n R.A Jones is currently building the four new Legacy CS-600 cartoners at its Covington, Kentucky facility and is expected to ship the equipment to McIlhenny by year’s end. For more information about R.A Jones cartoners and its digital service opportunities, check out rajones.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n