Buying a packaging line is a capital decision made on incomplete information. You are asked to commit six figures on the strength of a brochure rate measured on somebody else's tray, and the first time you find out whether the machine suits your product is after it is bolted to your floor.
It does not have to work that way. There are three things we can do before you spend anything, and they escalate: paper, then a live machine, then your own product running on it. Take whichever is proportionate to where you are.
We are not claiming this is exotic. Several established builders have test facilities — Proseal, for instance, publicises a research and technology centre with packaging specialists and testing available. What is oddly rare, as of 30 August 2026, is anyone setting out what the steps actually are: what you send, what comes back, how long it takes and what it costs you. Usually it resolves to “contact us”. So here is ours, in detail, and the cost is nothing.
1. We spec your line, in writing
What you send: pack dimensions, target output, shift pattern, product type. A photograph of the pack helps more than a description.
What you get back: a written recommendation naming the machine class and model, the throughput you should expect at your format rather than a headline rate, the electrical and air requirement, how many tools your SKU range needs, and the gaps we cannot close without seeing the product.
Including when the answer is no. If your volume has outgrown the RotoCup, or your tray sizes fall outside the XTS envelope, or you would be better served by a thermoformer than a tray sealer, the document says so. We would rather lose a sale early than lose it slowly during commissioning.
This costs you an email and it is the step most people should start with.
2. A live demo on your numbers
What it is: a scheduled video call with a machine running in front of you, not a slide deck. We set it up with your figures — your pack size, your target rate, your film — and you watch the cycle, ask what happens at changeover, and see the reject behaviour rather than reading about it.
Why it beats a site visit at this stage: nobody has to fly anywhere, and you can put your production manager and your engineer on the same call without losing two days of their week.
Bring the awkward questions. What is the seal integrity when the film is at the thin end of tolerance? What does it do when a cup is misfed? Those answers are worth more than the throughput figure.
3. We run your actual product
What you send: your product, your trays or cups, and your film if you have a preference.
What we do: run it on the machine and show you the result — the fill, the seal, the reject rate, what the pack looks like coming off. Not a sample chosen because it runs well. Yours.
This is the step that settles arguments. Viscosity, particulates, fill temperature, tray flatness and film behaviour are the things that decide whether a line works in practice, and none of them can be established from a specification sheet. If your product is going to be difficult, both of us want to know that before there is a purchase order.
It takes longer than the other two, because your product has to physically get to a machine. Where it is possible, it is the most useful hour you will spend on the decision.
What we are not going to pretend
Our machines have been built since 1993 and there are over 500 of them running at a 99 percent uptime average, certified to FDA, USDA, ISO 9001 and CE. That part is solid.
What is genuinely new is us in America. The Las Vegas office opened recently and the list of US food manufacturers running our equipment is short. If your process requires a dozen local references before sign-off, we will not clear that bar this year, and a German or British builder will.
Which is precisely why the three steps above exist. A decade of American reference sites is not ours to hand over, so the substitute is the machine, your product, and results you watched being produced. Evidence you generated yourself outranks testimonials you have to take on trust — and unlike a reference list, it is about your product rather than somebody else's.
What we need from you
The more of this you can send, the more specific we can be. None of it is mandatory to start.
| Detail | Why it changes the answer |
|---|---|
| Pack dimensions and material | Decides which machine envelope you fall inside, before anything else |
| Product and its behaviour | Viscosity, particulates and fill temperature drive the dosing choice |
| Target output and shift pattern | Turns a per-minute rate into whether it actually covers your week |
| Number of SKUs and formats | Drives tooling count, which is usually the biggest hidden cost |
| Whether you need modified atmosphere | Changes the cycle time and therefore the real throughput |
| Your electrical supply | Voltage, phase and frequency for your country, not ours |
| Floor space and access | Working envelope, not footprint — and how the machine gets in |
Frequently asked questions
What does a written line spec cost?
Nothing. Send pack dimensions, target output, shift pattern and product type, and you get back a written recommendation with the machine class and model, expected throughput at your format rather than a headline rate, electrical and air requirements, and the tooling count for your SKU range.
Will you tell me if Hefestus is the wrong choice?
Yes, and it is in the written spec. If your volume has outgrown the RotoCup, or your tray sizes fall outside the XTS envelope, or a thermoformer suits you better than a tray sealer, the document says so. Losing a sale early costs less than losing it during commissioning.
What happens on a live demo?
A scheduled video call with a machine running, set up with your figures: your pack size, target rate and film. You watch the cycle, changeover and reject behaviour rather than reading about them. No travel, and you can put your production manager and engineer on the same call.
Can you really run my own product?
Where it is practical, yes. You send your product, your trays or cups and your film if you have a preference, and we run it and show you the fill, the seal, the reject rate and the finished pack. It takes longer than the other two steps because the product has to physically reach a machine.
Why offer this instead of customer references?
Because we do not have many American food references yet. The Las Vegas office is recent and the US install base is small. Rather than pretend otherwise, we would rather you generate the evidence yourself on your own product, which is more relevant to your decision than somebody else's testimonial.
What do you need from me to start?
Pack dimensions and material, the product and how it behaves, target output and shift pattern, number of SKUs and formats, whether you need modified atmosphere, your electrical supply, and your floor space and access. None of it is mandatory to begin, but each detail makes the answer more specific.
Start with step one
Send your pack dimensions, target output and shift pattern. You will get a written spec back — including the honest answer if we are the wrong supplier for it.
Send us your numbers