Finlays Beverages, one of the UK’s leading coffee suppliers, has partnered with ROVEMA UK, a subsidiary of globally recognised ROVEMA GmbH, to install three fully integrated turnkey packaging lines. The investment allows Finlays to meet rising customer demand with faster, more efficient, and reliable coffee packaging.
About Finlays Beverages
With a heritage dating back to 1750, Finlays is a global leader in the supply of coffee, tea, and botanical solutions, trusted by some of the world’s best-known beverage brands. The company’s UK facility produces coffee products for a wide range of retail and foodservice customers, where speed, consistency, and product quality are crucial.
The Challenge
Finlays’ production team faced increasing pressure to keep up with growing demand. Their legacy packaging lines, running at 35 bags per minute and requiring six operators, struggled with inefficiencies, spare part shortages, and frequent downtime. As Adie Williams, Production Manager at Finlays Beverages, explained:
“We had six people scrambling for packs at the end of the line at 35 bags a minute, and it just wasn’t enough. The coffee industry was growing fast, and our old machines simply couldn’t keep up. We had to put on three shifts, including weekends, just to stay afloat.”
This inefficiency was affecting productivity, staff morale, and delivery performance, prompting a critical decision to modernise.
The Solution
ROVEMA provided Finlays with three complete turnkey packaging lines, integrating every stage of the process from dosing to bagging to case packing:
- ROVEMA SDH Dosing Unit – precision coffee dosing
- ROVEMA BVC 260 Form Fill and Seal Machine – producing premium Stabilo bags with valve application, increasing bags per minute speed, and equipped with ultrasonic film tracking, dual printers, and label applicators
- ROVEMA EW-TI Final Packaging Machine –with efficient grouping, tamper-proof flaps, and robust stacking options
- Vibratory infeed conveyors and transport systems – ensuring smooth flow with zero bottlenecks
Despite the system’s complexity, ROVEMA ensured intuitive interfaces, streamlined training, and ongoing support, allowing operators to quickly adapt.
Results & Benefits
The new ROVEMA lines transformed Finlays’ operations:
- Throughput increased with increased bags/min less staff dependency
- Changeover times reduced from eight hours to less than one hour
- Reliability improved, minimising downtime and stress on operators
- Sustainability advanced, with all lines adapted to run recyclable film within 12 months
“The automation was fantastic — less staff, easier training, faster output. The machines are simple to run and changeovers are seamless. It’s been revolutionary for us.” – Adie Williams