With advanced Form-Fill-Seal packaging technology, Esko Australia partners with Alfa Machine deliver a sustainable and efficient solution.
No matter how successful or promising a product is, a business is never secure. For the food and beverage industry, packaging designs are changing rapidly. With impending government regulations and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs entering the picture, the sector finds itself burdened and stuck on a blocked road, having to find complex solutions to meet evolving requirements and demands of product innovation.
Thankfully, Australian food and beverage businesses has always been keen on adopting new technologies and innovation to remain competitive and resilient. While their openness is key in driving the sector, there are companies behind the scenes that have been paving roads to help businesses navigate these challenges. As sustainability continues to shape the future of packaging, machinery suppliers are rethinking how products are designed, produced, and delivered.
Among them is Esko Australia, a specialist in food and beverage manufacturing systems from processing, packaging, and handling. Partnering with Alfa Machine, a Greece-based packaging machinery provider since 1983, the two aim to introduce advanced Form-Fill-Seal (FFS) technology for better and sustainable packaging results.
With more than 380 installations of packaging machines across the world and numerous IPs on packaging innovation, Alfa Machine brings extensive knowledge for the implementation of any packaging scope related to the famous Greek yogurt, dairy desserts, cream cheese, butter, sauces, jams, pastes, purees and many others.
The delay in sustainability
With engineering expertise in manufacturing across different products and factories, business development manager at Esko Australia, JJ Wong joined the company three years ago to help with an imminent industry shift towards sustainability. This shift brought about by legislation to remove single use plastics towards more sustainable packaging creates an urgent need for equipment upgrades.
While this was meant to be delivered by 2026, it has been delayed due to the lack of sustainable solutions and the initial costs involved, slowing the industry down. However, Wong said the delays are temporary and the industry will still undergo a gradual phasing in of the new regulations. He highlighted that the key to solving an issue is not about when it happens, but before it happens.
“The focus is about providing customers with the right equipment and design at the start, rather than fixing poorly selected equipment,” he said.
With early adoption of cleaner, more efficient systems, manufacturers will gain a competitive advantage when compliance deadlines eventually tighten. One of the ways businesses can safeguard operations is to make a head start on the sustainability shift with streamlined and cost-efficient packaging solutions.
Alfa Machine’s sustainable FFS technology is designed to produce and package goods in a single integrated line.
Understanding Form-Fill-Seal
What does the process look like? As the name suggests, the FFS process is an automated and integrated system that involves three main steps – forming, filling, and sealing. Instead of relying on pre-made containers or external packaging materials, the FFS machine forms the package directly from a roll of film, fills it with product, and seals it, all within a controlled and compact environment.
“The whole process is done in a very controlled environment,” said Wong. “From a food safety and hygiene perspective, it is an extremely efficient process of manufacturing.”
This system allows manufacturers to maintain high standards of hygiene and precision while reducing supply chain inefficiencies. The film used in the process is converted into the desired shape on the line, meaning fewer handling stages and less potential for contamination. Because the packaging is created, filled, and sealed in one continuous process, it also delivers consistent quality and efficiency to every batch.
Sustainable FFS technology
The Alfa Machine FRS-L series machine is specially designed to operate with polypropylene (PP) material with labelling. The integrated In-Mould Labelling (IML) system enables full body label application, utilising biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) label from a reel. From cup material, label and lid, the use of PP material allows for sustainable packaging that is 100 per cent recyclable.
PP material is a versatile food packaging material, suitable for ambient temperature filling and hot-filling applications like cream cheese, fruit puree, and tomato paste with filling temperatures of up to 95°C. It is also appropriate for retort packaging applications with processed meat, vegetables, and wet pet food.
With servo-driven symmetric volumetric filling system, the same Alfa Machine FFS can produce different cup volumes up to 360ml to high filling accuracy. Together with effective nozzles and closing valves, the Alfa Machine FFS ensure a drip-free filling process and sealing integrity.
Hygienic operations are also crucial in any food and beverage manufacturing process. All Alfa Machines are made from 316L stainless with options for CIP & SIP to ensure effective and reliable cleaning. The FRS-L is an Ultra-Clean hygienic version, a class IV according to VDMA standards. It uses a Clean-Air tunnel extended from the forming area up to the sealing station.
With Alfa Machine’s innovative cutting technology, it can produce standard D95 singles or multipacks (in groups of 2, 4, 6, and 8 cups per group) that can snap easily.
The equipment’s compact footprint makes it attractive to facilities seeking to maximise production space. By combining multiple steps into one streamlined system, the FFS approach lowers operational costs and energy use, while improving throughput. This efficiency makes it suited to high-volume products such as sauces, dips, dairy goods, and ready-to-eat meals.
“The cost savings of material storage, transport and handling over pre-made cups is often overlooked,” said Wong.
This technology is available for demonstration at Alfa Machine and will be on show at Interpack in May 2026.
Integration and customisation
A key aspect of Esko’s work is ensuring new machinery integrates seamlessly with existing production environments.
Working in collaboration with the Customer, Esko and Alfa Machine, each solution is custom-built to match the specifications of the product and packaging design, from the volume to the decoration or branding of the final pack. This is achieved by the in-house design and manufacture of more than 95 per cent of the machine components giving to Alfa Machine the flexibility to integrate innovative solutions.
Each installation is tailored to the customer’s needs, whether that involves integrating the machine into a current line or designing a new process entirely.
“Esko understands Alfa Machine’s advantages to help customers learn these technologies and integrate them into their current processes,” said Wong.
With Alfa Machine’s FFS technology coupled with Esko’s engineering expertise, it is helping clients understand, adopt, and optimise complex systems. The partnership demonstrates how collaboration can accelerate the shift towards sustainable production.
Finalist at FoodTech PackTech NZ
Interest in the technology has been strong since it was showcased at FoodTech PackTech in New Zealand, where Alfa Machine’s FFS system was a finalist in the Sustainability Awards. Visitors to the Esko stand showed enthusiasm for the machine’s versatility and sustainability credentials. Many were keen to understand how the system could be adapted for their own product formats.
“It was a huge response,” he said. “Around 50 per cent of visitors to our stand were inquiring specifically about the Alfa FFS technology.”
Feedback from the event highlighted a growing appetite in the market for sustainable, high-efficiency machinery. With manufacturers increasingly seeking alternatives that reduce waste without compromising performance, Alfa Machine’s compact, controlled FFS process provides a tangible solution.
An important lesson
Working across the food and beverage sector for the past 20 years, Wong highlighted an important lesson.
“Have an open mind,” he said.
With new regulations comes new technology. Wong mentioned it is impossible for businesses to be across new developments. Having an adaptable and flexible attitude goes a long way in verbalising a desired output. A new discovery of a technology could be the turning point of the business.
Alfa Machine FFS technology offers an example of how packaging innovation can be both environmentally and economically sound. For Esko, the goal is to make such technologies accessible, adaptable, and aligned with a more sustainable manufacturing future.
“At Esko Australia, we can reach out to our partner network to find the desired solutions specific to your business,” added Wong.
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