George Fakhry on the origins of ADM Packaging Automation and how the packing-machine manufacturer has adapted its technology to accommodate the demands of Australian roasters.
Conversations with friends happen in all manner of settings: in the park during a walk, over drinks in a bar, or via video call. In Melbourne, they occur over a cup of coffee.
In the mid-1990s, ADM Packaging Automation Founder George Fakhry found his conversations were not only increasingly taking place over coffee but lingering on the topic itself.
“I was always interested in coffee. Not just the roasting, but the aroma and great taste. I had many friends in the café community and we would always talk about the coffee – it was part of the culture in Melbourne. Because I’m a mechanical and automation engineer involved in manufacturing packaging machines for the flexible bag industry, these conversations made me think about the process of packing coffee beans,” says George.
When George established ADM in 1995, the company focused on the packaging of food. Some years later, after visiting a few local roasters while selling his machines, he discovered a gap in the market in the swiftly expanding coffee industry.
“We had previously developed the ADM-DP3 series for the food industry with the first model being the ADM-DP30 for packing foods, such as frozen dumplings, nuts, beef jerky, and more, into two-sided pre-made pouches,” he says.
“I could see the ADM-DP3 series had more to offer in the marketplace, and coffee was a soft spot for me. I woke up one morning convinced I was made for this, though the challenge of working with the tall four-sided pre-made gusset bags favoured by the industry would be huge. The ADM-DP30 was not the ideal machine for packing roasted beans and, having spoken with coffee roasters, I could see our new ADM-DP31 concept machine becoming increasingly popular and talked about.”
George says the challenge was giving the roasters what they wanted. While most wanted to pack into one-kilogram pre-made gusset bags for wholesale clients, another market was growing for 250 gram and 500 gram pre-made gusset bags for retail.
“The ADM-DP31 has the capacity to pack both two-sided pre-made doy bags and four-sided pre-made gusseted bags in multiple formats,” he says.
“At the time, there was machinery purchased from China that wasn’t performing and equipment that already existed from Italy that was becoming old. When we came onto the scene, we probably replaced 80 percent of the Chinese machines and many of the older Italian ones too. They were slowly going out of service, so we felt we had moved into the space at just the right time.”
Compared to its competitors, the ADM-DP31 has integrated features that make it versatile and user-friendly. It also includes easy changeover parts and a quick turnaround time – an attractive proposition for roasters who want to grow their business.
“We often find within a few years of purchasing our machines, customers are moving into bigger factories because they have been able to meet demands. With greater output due to the speed of the machine, they are also able to expand their customer network, meaning the popularity of their coffee has grown,” George says.
“Some of our roasters have come to us when they have been in trouble, unable to keep up with growing demand. If they’re roasting three tonnes a week, that means someone is out there packing about 3,000 one-kilogram bags by hand. You can imagine the effect that would have on the body. It makes sense to bring in an automated machine like the ADM-DP31, which can do all the heavy lifting.”
As ADM Packaging Automation continues to innovate and support the coffee industry, George remains committed to providing solutions that meet the evolving needs of roasters and coffee enthusiasts alike.
One concern he says roasters often have when it comes to the packaging process is the handling of the coffee. This prompted the ADM team to equip the machine with the necessary tools to delicately handle the coffee and avoid any unnecessary waste.
“I know roasters are quite particular with their coffee beans, so we have made sure the system is careful with the product. We’ve also introduced a bin drawer in the mechanics, so if any coffee is dropped the roasters can reclaim it,” he says.
George says you need to see the machine in action to understand it, that’s why he exhibits at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo each year.
“People don’t know what the machine looks like. To understand a piece of machinery you need to see how it works and the solution it provides. The only way to broadcast what we have is to exhibit it, and that’s why we have attended the show for many years now,” he says.
As the demand for fast-paced equipment continues to grow in the industry, George highlights the solutions ADM has in the pipeline.
“We are regularly growing our range for the coffee roasters, including our new ADM-C400 Continuous Motion Vertical Form Fill and Seal, which is capable of 60 packs per minute for one-kilogram bags with valve applicator. Also, there’s the soon-to-be-released ADM-C400Q for quadseal gusseted bags,” he says.
In its commitment to providing the Australian market with packaging solutions, the company has sold ADM-DP31 to roasters across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland, and has reached international markets in both New Zealand and Canada.
“We’ve been in the food game for the past 30 years and, for over 10 years now, it’s been a great opportunity to be supporting the coffee industry. It has given us the spark we needed to sell our product and to also grow our range for the coffee industry.”
For more information, visit admpa.com.au
This article appears in the October/November 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
