Lakewood introduces tomato packers

A blueberry packing equipment specialist has introduced a new line of cocktail tomato packers. Holl…

A blueberry packing equipment specialist has introduced a new line of cocktail tomato packers.

Holland, Mich.-based Lakewood Process Machinery’s FastPak series of fill-by-weight clamshell fillers is designed for packing grape and cherry tomatoes, according to a company news release.

The FastPak series is part of Lakewood’s expansion into packing and processing lines for other small fruits and vegetables.

“Minimizing labor costs and increasing our customer’s productivity levels with innovative, user-friendly equipment has been the foundation of our business since 1964,” Steve Bakker, Lakewood’s marketing manager, said in the release. “Between our standard packaging and processing lines and our custom solutions for larger, more expansive operations, we are confident that we can continue to provide the industry with some of the most groundbreaking, cost-saving equipment available as the industry’s standards continue to change — not just for blueberry growers, but for the entire packing industry.”

The FastPak series includes three different sized fill-by-weight fillers that boast extremely high levels of accuracy and speed for packing clamshells or punnets.

Lakewood first introduced the FastPak 24, a 24-scale, 12-head weigh-filling machine, capable of filling up to 10,000 pounds per hour, in 2012.

The company is now offering smaller versions of the machine — a 16-scale, 12-head; and an 8-scale, 4-head — in order to make the weigh-filling process available for smaller packing facilities.