Panesar Foods has expanded production capacity at its West Midlands facility by investing in new automated shrink wrapping equipment from Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS).  

The repeat investment follows Panesar’s acquisition by food group Paulig in October 2024 — a strategic move intended to accelerate international growth and strengthen its position in the world foods category, which has prompted an immediate need for scalable, high-performance packaging solutions.  

Taming the 750-SKU hurdle

Operating a highly diverse processing environment, Panesar manufactures approximately 12,000 tonnes of custom spices and sauces annually across a portfolio of more than 750 SKUs. In high-mix environments, frequent product switches can severely choke throughput if machinery isn’t built for agility.  

To counter this operational bottleneck, the new YPS installation delivers key manufacturing advantages directly to the factory floor:  

• Targeted speed and flexibility: Panesar installed a combination of inline and side-feed sleeve sealers from YPS specifically optimised to wrap trays of curry sauce jars. 
• Rapid format changeovers: the new lines allow operators to switch efficiently between different product formats and tray sizes. This agility significantly reduces line downtime while maximising daily throughput to keep pace with rising customer orders. 
• Continuous uptime: because Panesar already operates legacy YPS machinery on-site, the manufacturer prioritised the robust design and repeatable performance required for rigorous, long-term production planning. 
• Seamless integration: the project was executed through an engineer-led installation, which ensured smooth synchronisation with existing production lines and minimised disruption to active operations. YPS also provided comprehensive operator training and ongoing technical service.  

“We already had YPS lines on site and had found them extremely reliable,” said Stephen Ansell, engineering manager at Panesar Foods. “The machines deliver the fast changeovers we need, and YPS’ in-house engineering support — from installation through to training and ongoing service — made them the natural choice for this next stage of growth.”

By implementing a flexible, future-ready end-of-line packaging setup, Panesar Foods ensures its infrastructure can handle accelerated manufacturing volumes under its new corporate ownership structure.