In the summer of 2026, Credin Portugal will install its newest bag filling line for cake mix powder ingredients packaging. “With an already established partnership, the choice for this new line went once again to Arodo.”, Paulo Filipe, Director of Operations tells us.
With several bagging lines including palletizers from Arodo operating on different sites across Europe, their newest acquisition was designed to fit the new building in Freixeira, situated about 20 km above Lissabon, confirming Credins’ course towards technological excellency.
From manual packaging to fully automated production
Credin Portugal - The collaboration with Arodo started about 13 years ago, following an evaluation after a series of projects with different suppliers.
“2026 will be my thirtieth year at Credin”, Paulo Felipe, COO of Credin Portugal, tells us. Credin itself was a group of companies with factories in Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and Poland. “At that time, we were operating manually. After a few years we switched to a semi-automated system made in Portugal, but it remained very basic, with many issues along the way.
Things were changing in the 90s and early 2000s, so in our efforts to comply with the quality and food safety standards we needed more solid and better performing technology.
“Shortly after, in 2003, Credin was acquired by the Orkla Group. Arodo already had customers within the Orkla Group. After Credins’ acquisition by Orkla we organised visits to our different production sites to exchange best practices. During a visit at the Danish factory I witnessed several automated packaging machines in motion. One of them was from Arodo.”
Why Credin standardised on ARODO
Credin Poland – “With the same type of packaging line at our site in Poland, the decision to have Arodo machines installed in Portugal came naturally. Adding to that the flexibility with which Arodo adapts the machine to the existing factory layout, we can only say that we’re very satisfied with their equipment, having hardly any issues.” Paulo continues.
“Within Credin we decided that Arodo would become the preferred supplier for this type of equipment resulting in new orders for our sites in Denmark and Poland, this last one being our most advanced tech factory, with full packaging lines from Arodo, including a palletising system.”
Smaller footprint, higher efficiency
“In the course of 2019, 2020, we decided to invest in our Portugal plant including the modernization of two other production lines by Arodo equipment.
Within the Orkla Food Ingredients division, questions such as: “Why Arodo?”, ... “Why not?” were raised.” “My main reason: “Arodo’s footprint is smaller.” In food manufacturing, available factory space is often limited. Compact equipment allows manufacturers to increase production capacity without requiring major building expansions.
"Plus, we already had a lot of Arodo equipment, so we knew what we can expect. Not to mention, the Arodo Services Team is doing a great job! We have equipment working for over 10 years without any major issues, because solutions are offered quickly. Our close collaboration with their Area Sales Manager, Ulrich Knudsen adds to the level of professionalism."
Building a new factory inside an existing factory
For this years’ project - which could be described as the construction of a new factory inside an old one – Credin Portugal is building a complete production line for powder ingredients.
The installation will include:
- ingredient silos for bulk and raw ingredients
- big bag stations for medium-sized ingredients
- sack tip cabinets for ingredient feeding
- automated conveying and ingredient handling systems
- mixing and sifting equipment
- automated bag filling
- quality control systems
- automatic palletising
The line is designed for high-volume production of Credin's best-selling products and follows the same automation philosophy used successfully at other Credin factories across Europe.
For the upstream process equipment, Credin is collaborating with Danish engineering company Mespo, which is responsible for ingredient handling, conveying, mixing, and sifting systems. Mespo and Arodo are working closely together to ensure seamless integration.
The new ARODO flour packaging line
The new installation includes a fully integrated packaging and palletising solution consisting of three main systems.
Automatic Filling Line
The filling line features:
- sack applicator module
- two integrated label applicators.
- net weighing system for accurate filling
- product deaeration through probes in the filling spout
- double folding bag closing system
- integrated gluing technology for secure bag sealing
Quality Control and Bag Transport
After filling, bags are transported to the palletising area through a quality control section equipped with:
- metal detector
- checkweigher
This ensures product quality and compliance before palletising
Automated Palletising System
The end-of-line solution includes:
- Arodo GRS palletiser
- automatic pallet magazine
- integrated slip-sheet dispenser
The palletising system enables fully automated pallet building and efficient preparation for storage and shipment.
A partnership built on reliability
For Credin Portugal, the latest project is not simply another equipment investment. It is the continuation of a long-term partnership based on trust, reliability, and proven performance.
"We are very happy to work with a company that consistently delivers on time and acts professionally throughout the entire process, from design and engineering to project execution."
With the new automated packaging line scheduled for operation in 2026, Credin Portugal continues its path towards greater efficiency, food safety, and production capacity - supported by technology and expertise from Arodo.