Almost everyone knows them from the supermarket, the tasty Hass avocados from Mexico. They are increasingly packed for export in vegetable crates from the company Del Llano Agrocomercializadora in Tacambaro. With the aid of an MX 1000 from KraussMaffei, production was recently increased by 200 percent.
The strategy of the young company in the Mexican state of Michoacan is aimed at growth. And the strategy is a success. Founded in 2015, thanks to high productivity and good product quality, the company has achieved an excellent reputation and is meanwhile considered to be the leading manufacturer in the Mexican packaging industry. Another milestone was reached in 2020. Since the commissioning of a fully hydraulic MX 1000-12000 from KraussMaffei (clamping force 10,000 kN), within one year production has increased by over 200 per cent. Today, the production of avocado crates has reached the proud number of 137,000 per month.
Environmental awareness
The motivation to start the production of avocado crates five years ago is justified by company founder and owner Tirso Garcia: „ Firstly, there was a lack of crates for packaging Hass avocados, and, secondly, we were worried about the environment. In the region of Michoacan, there is a large number of pine trees. These pines are necessary for the manufacture of wooden crates, so they have to be chopped down for production. These reasons convinced us to take this step." The plastic crates are designed for possible multiple use and thus a sustainable alternative to the pine wood boxes on site. The KraussMaffei MX series also allows the processing of recyclate and thus supports the Circular Economy idea.
With KraussMaffei, they have found a reliable partner. The MX series impresses with its highest performance thanks to high plasticizing performance and even homogenization even at high shot weights. In addition to the MX 1000, a GX 550-6100 (clamping force 5,500 kN) also produces the appropriate lids for the smaller transport crates with a capacity of 10 kg and a CX 160-750 (clamping force 1,600 kN). Del Llano Agrocomercializadora also plans to continue to grow and expand its business unit in the future.
