As a traditional snack with a history of thousands of years in Shaanxi, Zenggao is made from glutinous rice, red dates, red beans and other raw materials, and is deeply loved by the public for its soft, glutinous and sweet taste. With the upgrading of consumption and the vigorous development of the e-commerce industry, this local specialty food has gradually broken out of regional restrictions and entered the national market. However, under the traditional manual production and semi-mechanized production mode, the filling and sealing links of Zenggao have always had problems such as low efficiency, difficulty in ensuring hygiene, and insufficient standardization, which have become bottlenecks restricting the large-scale development of the industry. The emergence of Longying Shaanxi Snack Zenggao Automatic Filling and Sealing Machine provides a one-stop solution for Zenggao production enterprises, promoting traditional food to enter a new stage of industrialized and standardized production.
Longying Shaanxi Snack Zenggao Automatic Filling and Sealing Machine
Industry Pain Points and Transformation Needs in Zenggao Production
The traditional production process of Zenggao is highly dependent on manual labor. Every link from raw material cooking to finished product packaging requires the control of skilled craftsmen. However, with the continuous expansion of market demand, the drawbacks of the traditional model have become increasingly prominent, and there is an urgent need to realize transformation and upgrading through automated equipment.
In terms of production efficiency, manual filling and sealing are the most time-consuming links. A skilled worker can complete at most 200-300 portions of Zenggao filling per hour, and the efficiency will decrease significantly as working hours increase. During the peak tourist season or e-commerce promotions, the order volume surges, and enterprises often need to temporarily hire a large number of workers, which not only causes labor costs to soar, but also may lead to fluctuations in product quality due to insufficient training. A time-honored Zenggao enterprise in Xi’an once had a surge in orders on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the daily output of the manual filling line was only 8,000 portions, far below the market demand, and finally missed nearly 30% of potential orders.
Hygiene and safety are another major pain point. Zenggao is an instant food with high sugar and high moisture content. If it is contaminated by microorganisms during production, it is prone to deterioration. During traditional manual filling, operators are in direct contact with food materials, and problems such as hand bacteria and incomplete cleaning of tools may cause food safety risks. In addition, manual sealing mostly uses simple plastic sealing machines, and air leakage and liquid leakage caused by poor sealing occur from time to time, which not only affects the shelf life of products (the shelf life of manually sealed Zenggao usually does not exceed 3 days at room temperature), but also may cause consumer complaints due to packaging damage.
The lack of standardization is a key obstacle restricting Zenggao from entering the national market. Manual filling is difficult to ensure the consistent weight of each product, with an error often exceeding ±10 grams, which does not meet the requirements of e-commerce platforms for “net content compliance”; packaging wrinkles and skewed patterns caused by uneven sealing pressure also affect the visual presentation of products and reduce consumer trust. A certain brand of Zenggao failed three consecutive audits due to substandard packaging standardization when entering large supermarkets, missing important sales channels.
With the increasing attention of young consumer groups to traditional food and the improvement of cold chain logistics technology, the market scale of Zenggao is growing at an annual rate of 15%. In this context, production enterprises have an increasingly urgent demand for “efficient, hygienic and standardized” filling and sealing equipment. Longying automatic filling and sealing machine is developed to solve these pain points.
Core Function Analysis: Integrated Design of Automatic Filling and Sealing
Longying Shaanxi Snack Zenggao Automatic Filling and Sealing Machine adopts a modular design, integrating automatic feeding, precise filling, vacuum sealing, date printing and other functions, realizing the whole process automation from empty cups to finished products. Its core advantage lies in the precise adaptation to the physical characteristics of Zenggao – aiming at the characteristics of Zenggao being soft, glutinous with particles and easy to stick, the equipment has carried out special optimization on key components and operation logic.
The filling system is the “heart” of the equipment. Traditional filling machines often block the feeding port due to red date pieces and red bean particles in Zenggao, leading to interruption of filling. Longying equipment adopts a customized screw pushing structure, combined with a 12mm widened feeding channel, which can smoothly transport viscous materials containing particles and avoid material jamming. At the same time, the equipment is equipped with a high-precision weighing sensor, and through “pre-filling + supplementary filling” two-stage control, the filling error of a single portion is controlled within ±2 grams, which is far better than the industry average of ±5 grams. For different specifications of packaging (such as 150g, 200g, 300g), operators only need to input parameters on the touch screen, and the switch can be completed within 30 seconds to meet the needs of multi-specification production.
The sealing link adopts vacuum capping technology, which perfectly solves the sealing problem of Zenggao. The equipment first vacuumizes the filled container (the vacuum degree can reach -0.09MPa), and then drives the capping head through a servo motor to complete the sealing with constant pressure. This way can not only completely discharge the air in the package, extend the product shelf life (up to 15 days at room temperature, 30 days under refrigerated conditions), but also avoid the common “virtual sealing” problem in manual sealing. Test data from a certain enterprise shows that after using Longying equipment, the packaging damage rate has dropped from 12% to less than 0.5%, and customer complaints have decreased by 90%.
The equipment is also equipped with automatic cup feeding and automatic cup discharging mechanisms, which are seamlessly connected with the front cooking line and the rear packing line to form a complete production line. The machine body is made of 304 stainless steel, and the parts in contact with materials can be quickly disassembled and cleaned, meeting food-grade hygiene standards. In addition, the equipment supports access to the enterprise ERP system and uploads production data in real time (such as output, qualified rate, material consumption, etc.), providing data support for refined management.
Performance Advantages: Triple Breakthroughs in Efficiency, Hygiene and Cost
The performance advantages of Longying Zenggao automatic filling and sealing machine can be intuitively reflected by comparing with the traditional production mode, and it has achieved breakthroughs in three dimensions: efficiency improvement, hygiene guarantee and cost control.
In terms of production efficiency, the single-shift (8 hours) capacity of the equipment can reach 15,000-20,000 portions, which is equivalent to the workload of 6-8 skilled workers. Taking 150g Zenggao as an example, the filling speed of the equipment can reach 300 cups per minute, and it can run continuously for 12 hours without stopping. After a medium-sized Zenggao enterprise introduced the equipment, its daily output increased from 5,000 portions to 18,000 portions, successfully undertaking a large order of a well-known e-commerce platform’s “New Year’s Goods Festival”, with sales increasing by 200% year-on-year.
The improvement of hygiene standards is also significant. The equipment reduces manual contact through a fully enclosed design. The feeding channel, filling nozzle and other parts can be automatically cleaned through the CIP (clean-in-place) system to avoid bacterial growth due to material residue. During production, the equipment also performs ultraviolet disinfection on empty cups to further reduce the risk of contamination. After a certain enterprise used the equipment, the third-party test report showed that the qualified rate of product microbial indicators increased from 85% to 100%, and it successfully passed the HACCP system certification, laying the foundation for entering the high-end market.
In terms of cost control, the investment payback period of the equipment is usually 8-12 months. Calculated by single-shift production, the equipment can replace 6 workers, saving about 30,000 yuan in labor costs per month; the reduction in material waste due to the decrease in packaging damage rate can save another 12,000 yuan per month; and the expansion of the logistics radius brought by the extended shelf life (from the original 500 kilometers to 1500 kilometers) significantly increases the market coverage of the enterprise, indirectly increasing sales. Comprehensive calculation shows that the equipment can save enterprises more than 500,000 yuan in costs annually.
In addition, the energy consumption control of the equipment is also excellent. It adopts a frequency conversion motor and an intelligent standby mode, which automatically reduces power in non-production status, saving 15%-20% energy compared with similar equipment. The machine covers an area of only 2.5 square meters, which is suitable for the workshop layout of small and medium-sized enterprises, without the need for large-scale transformation of production sites.
Application Scenarios and Industry Adaptability
The design of Longying Shaanxi Snack Zenggao Automatic Filling and Sealing Machine fully considers the needs of enterprises of different scales. From family workshops to large food factories, suitable solutions can be found, and it can also meet diversified production scenarios.
For start-ups or time-honored workshops, basic single-machine equipment can be selected, combined with manual feeding devices, with low initial investment and flexible operation. Such enterprises usually have a daily production capacity demand of less than 5,000 portions. The equipment can be directly placed in the original production workshop to quickly improve filling efficiency and solve hygiene compliance problems. After a Zenggao workshop in Xi’an, which has been passed down for three generations, introduced the equipment, its daily output not only increased from 1,000 portions to 3,000 portions, but also successfully entered local chain convenience stores due to standardized packaging, significantly enhancing brand influence.
Medium-sized production enterprises can choose standard production lines, equipped with automatic cup feeding machines, cap sorting machines and conveying lines to realize unmanned production. Such enterprises mostly layout regional markets and need to cope with order fluctuations during festival peaks. The fast production change function of the equipment (specification switching time < 1 minute) can meet the needs of multi-category production (such as producing original, osmanthus, purple potato and other flavors of Zenggao at the same time). After an enterprise focusing on e-commerce channels used the standard production line, it successfully shortened the delivery time from 48 hours to 24 hours, and the customer repurchase rate increased by 25%.
Large food groups can choose customized equipment, integrate into the central control system, and form an intelligent production line with the front glutinous rice cooking line, the rear metal detector and packing robot. Such enterprises often have a national sales network and have extremely high requirements for production capacity and standardization. Longying equipment supports multi-machine linkage, and by adjusting the number of filling heads (which can be expanded to 6-8 heads), the single-shift production capacity can exceed 30,000 portions, meeting the needs of large-scale production. After a listed food enterprise introduced the customized line, the production cost of Zenggao products was reduced by 30%, and it successfully entered more than 2,000 supermarkets across the country.
In addition to traditional bowl-packed Zenggao, the equipment can also adapt to various packaging forms such as cup packaging and bag packaging, only by replacing the corresponding molds and filling nozzles. This provides equipment support for enterprises to develop innovative products (such as Zenggao zongzi, Zenggao dessert cups, etc.), helping to expand product lines.
Customer Case: Transformation Practice from Handicraft Workshop to Industrialization
The transformation process of a Zenggao enterprise in Xianyang can be regarded as a typical case of Longying equipment empowering traditional industries. The enterprise was established in 2010. Initially, it adopted the “front shop and back factory” mode, relying on 6 workers for manual production, with a daily output of only 2,000 portions, and its products were only sold in local farmers’ markets. With the popularity of local food on short video platforms, the enterprise received a large number of online orders, but the bottleneck of manual production became increasingly prominent: during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2023, the order channel was forced to close due to insufficient production capacity, resulting in a loss of more than 500,000 yuan; in November of the same year, more than 1,000 portions of products deteriorated due to poor manual sealing, causing customer complaints and damaging the brand reputation.
At the beginning of 2024, the enterprise introduced the standard production line of Longying Zenggao automatic filling and sealing machine. The changes after transformation were immediate: first, the production capacity increased, with the single-shift capacity jumping from 2,000 portions to 15,000 portions, successfully undertaking the “agricultural assistance special session” order of a live broadcast platform, with a single sales volume exceeding 3 million yuan; second, the quality was stable, with the filling error controlled within ±1.5 grams, the sealing qualification rate reaching 99.8%, the product shelf life extended to 15 days, and the logistics damage rate dropping from 15% to 0.3%; finally, the cost was optimized, reducing 4 workers, saving 240,000 yuan in annual labor costs, and reducing the return and exchange costs due to quality problems by 80%.
More importantly, standardized production helped the enterprise break through channel barriers. In June 2024, the enterprise’s Zenggao passed the quality control audit of a well-known chain supermarket and successfully entered more than 300 stores nationwide, with monthly sales stable at more than 800,000 yuan. The person in charge of the enterprise said: “Longying equipment not only solved the production problems, but also made us see the possibility of industrialization of traditional snacks. Now we are planning to expand the new factory, with the goal of becoming a benchmark brand in the Zenggao industry in northwest China within three years.”
Equipment Maintenance and Operation Specifications
To ensure the long-term stable operation of the equipment, Longying provides a complete maintenance plan and operation guide, so that even enterprises transformed from traditional workshops can quickly get started.
In terms of daily maintenance, three tasks need to be carried out after daily production: first, disassemble the filling nozzle, feeding channel and other parts, and clean the residual materials with hot water (the equipment is equipped with a special cleaning tool kit); second, check the flatness of the sealing mold, and clean up foreign objects if any; third, add food-grade lubricating oil to the transmission chain, guide rail and other moving parts. A deep cleaning should be carried out once a week, including checking the lamp tube of the ultraviolet disinfection system and replacing the vacuum pump filter element.
In terms of operation specifications, the equipment adopts a “fool-proof” design, and operators can work independently after 2 hours of training. The touch screen interface marks clear operation steps, including “automatic operation”, “manual debugging”, “parameter setting” and other modes. New users can complete standardized production through the “one-click start” function. The equipment is also equipped with a fault diagnosis system. When problems such as material jamming and insufficient vacuum occur, it will automatically stop and display the fault code. Operators can quickly troubleshoot according to the manual, with an average fault handling time of less than 5 minutes.
Longying also provides full-life cycle services: technical personnel are sent to debug on site during equipment installation to ensure adaptation to the production line; free replacement of non-human damaged parts during the warranty period; two on-site maintenance services are provided every year; and a 24-hour online customer service team is established to solve sudden problems through video guidance. A certain enterprise once encountered abnormal sealing during late-night production, and the customer service team located the problem through remote assistance within 15 minutes, avoiding production interruption.
Seize the Opportunity of Traditional Food Industrialization
At present, the industrial upgrading of traditional snacks is ushering in double dividends from policies and markets: on the one hand, many local governments have issued “intangible cultural heritage food revitalization plans” to subsidize automated production equipment; on the other hand, e-commerce platforms have increased traffic support for local characteristic foods, and standardized products are more likely to gain exposure. Longying Zenggao automatic filling and sealing machine is the key equipment to seize this opportunity.
The upgrading window of the traditional Zenggao industry has arrived, and the gap in efficiency and standardization will determine whether enterprises can seize market opportunities. If you want to break through the production capacity bottleneck and expand the national market, you might as well contact Longying customer service now to get an exclusive production solution. Call 400-720-9886 or log on to the official website www.longyingpack.com to make an appointment for on-site inspection of the equipment (demonstration factories are set up in Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi and other places), and let Longying equipment 插上工业化的翅膀 for your traditional food!
