Australian company tna solutions, a leading global supplier of cutting-edge technology for the food processing, conveying, seasoning, weighing and packaging industries, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. During Snackex trade fair, which recently took place in Hamburg/Germany, Co-founder and Director Nadia Taylor spoke in an interview about the strengths of the company’s solutions and its projects, as well as industry trends.

sweets processing: This year, tna is 40 years old, congratulations! What were the milestones?
Nadia Taylor: Founded in Australia in 1982, tna developed the idea for the first rotary VFFS packaging system: the tna robag, an innovative disruptor that changed the face of packaging technology globally. 2014 saw the acquisition of FooDesign, enabling us to expand our food processing portfolio with the introduction of the tna batch-pro 12. By 2015, with the acquisition of Florigo, we expanded our snacks processing capabilities into French fries and were developing and promoting healthier frying alternatives. In 2017, tna took one step closer to offering complete confectionery solutions with the acquisition of NID confectionery solutions. The acquisition of food processing technology demonstrates our strategic intent to provide expertise as a complete solutions partner for the food manufacturing industry, globally.

sp: Which developments are you particularly proud of?
Taylor: That would be almost akin to answering which is a favourite child … While the tna robag series will continue to be proud feather in tna’s cap, our expansion into the food processing space is something we’re extremely proud of, and the fact that we have been able to successfully evolve from packaging to food processing technology, enabling us to offer full system solutions to food manufacturers is something we’re also extremely proud of.

sp: What are the strengths of your solutions?
Taylor: Each customer is unique, so are their challenges, and our biggest strength lies in being able to work together and offer customized solutions that are simple, flexible, efficient systems that minimize downtime, man hours and reduce wastage. Our customers appreciate the lifetime value of our products and low maintenance costs, lending strength to their objectives of sustainable business operations.

sp: Here, at Snackex trade fair, you do not have equipment on the stand. Why is this?
Taylor: At the time of deciding to attend Snackex, we were unsure if the trade fair would be going ahead. Wanting to be part of the show, we took the decision to bring our sales manager and solution specialist so that we could have in-depth discussion with customers and potential customers around opportunities they have and trends we see in the market.

sp: You are also an exhibitor at interpack 2023. What are your plans for this important trade fair?
Taylor: Digitalization will be a key theme for tna at interpack in 2023. We will be showcasing our latest evolutions in food processing and end-of-line systems.

sp: Trade fairs are also trend baro-meters: What are the current industry trends for you, especially concerning the confectionery industry?
Taylor: The future will be all about reduce and recycle. Consumers are balancing their desire for sweet treats against their knowledge of the harmful effects of excess sugar consumption. While we aren’t directly involved with the formulation of the sugar syrups for gummy confectionery, our highly accurate seasoning systems empower sweets producers to manage sugar content and achieve a more attractive nutritional profile. Sustainability is another key theme. We will continue our research into new biodegradable packing materials, but as a more immediate strategy, we’re trialling whether smaller pack sizes can reduce the amount of material needed for bags.

sp: What do you see as the biggest challenges for the future?
Taylor: We see opportunities for the industry to adapt to sustainable business practices to reflect the growing aspirations of both, brands as well as individuals towards a circular economy.

sp: Your product range is very broad: Where do you see the greatest growth opportunities?
Taylor: We now have a broad product range in keeping with our objectives to be an end-to-end solutions partner. We now see growth through expanding our global presence and using the knowledge we have gained in the snack industry and acquisition of companies like NID to move into other applications.

sp: How important is the European market for tna?
Taylor: A customer-centric approach has always been tna’s philosophy. We demonstrated our commitment to the European region by opening our first overseas office in Europe in 1991 and the addition of two manufacturing facilities. We have now got in place 30 offices, so we can deliver appropriate support to our global customer base.

sp: How do you ensure a reliable worldwide service?
Taylor: We are present across 30 countries in key regions across the globe. Our wide network of sales and aftermarket support teams continues to provide expert solutions to our customers globally with in-person visits for installations and service. Last year, we also introduced the tna remote assist service: a digitally enhanced customer experience, delivering greater efficiencies in commissioning, support and training – with real-time access to our global team of experts. Harnessing the power of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset, the tna remote assist service enables real-time access to connect and collaborate with our engineers virtually and leverages AR (augmented reality) to accurately address technical queries.

sp: What are your future plans regarding the confectionery industry?
Taylor: We are developing small and mid-range options to our confectionery production.

sp: Where would tna like to be in five years?
Taylor: Adhering to a triple bottom line – people, planet, prosperity – approach, tna will continue to be at the forefront of innovative technology solutions that will aid food manufacturers stay ahead of current industry trends and be prepared to cater to evolving consumer preferences. Our focus will be to ensure that our economic growth underscores our intent to contribute meaningfully to vulnerable sections of society, especially children. tna’s humanitarian arm, the Nadia & Alf Taylor Foundation will be at the forefront of these initiatives.