Founded in 1985 and acquired in 2004 by Phil Wicks and his son Ray Wicks, Kingsway Confectionery has cemented its reputation as a supplier of quality wholesale and retail confectionery products along with being a prominent co-packing partner for branded and private label products in the confectionery and snack food industries.
In 2016 the business relocated to their current premises in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Seaford. This move facilitated the immediate expansion of the operation and provided the necessary scope for further growth opportunities. In 2020 the need for additional capacity became apparent and the installation of their third production line was commissioned.
Ray Wicks has taken over the mantle of General Manager from his now semi-retired father overseeing the day-to-day operations. Ray is supported by partners Jason Keegan (Production & Warehousing), Niki Totton (Sales & Development) and what they all agree are amazing and committed production and warehousing crew.
“While our recognisable expertise is packaging goods, behind the scenes we are problem solvers and a valuable knowledge centre. We pride ourselves on being a trusted and agile business partner, and we are absolutely committed to the long- term growth and success of our customers’ products and brands,” Ray said.
“We operate on an ethos of safety, quality, honesty, reliability, performance, innovation, cost competitiveness & efficiency. As Enmin’s values are aligned with ours, they have been awarded our new equipment contracts,” he added.
Kingsway Confectionery’s association with Enmin commenced 15 years ago when a top cross feeder was installed to an existing production line. This was rapidly followed by an order for a hopper feeder to further modernise the line.
“It was the ongoing quality and performance of our original equipment purchases, that gave us the assurance that Enmin’s product solutions would be right for this project. We reached out to Enmin in January 2021 to support us with the development of the supplementary equipment specifications required in what was going to be a joint build with TNA, our manufacturer of choice for our form fill and seal packing machines.
“In machinery and equipment, quality and reliability are paramount and Enmin brought this to the table in spades. We do strive to support Australian manufacturing and with them being a Melbourne based manufacturer this was just an incredible bonus for us,” said Ray.
“In the new retail landscape, ‘just in time planning’ usually means it is late, so we must have confidence that our machinery will keep us ahead of the curve. With Enmin it’s a considerable advantage knowing that if something does not go to plan then the expertise to fix it is close at hand,” Ray went on to say.
All Enmin equipment is fully constructed using the highest quality 304 stainless steel, providing excellent durability and reliability.
The new line consists of an accumulation conveyer, a modular incline conveyor (Mi-CON), a hopper feeder and cross feeder feeding into a multi head weigher. Due to the nature of the business the lines are run with numerous changeovers, necessitating frequent cleaning protocols. The Mi-CON is perfect in this role given it is the first hygienically designed full wash down modular conveyor.
The other key benefit of the Mi-CON is that its multiple standardised components eliminate equipment redundancy. it can be added to, extended and modified in the years ahead as a company’s production needs evolve.
“Enmin really impressed us with their project management expertise, outstanding service level and a can-do attitude that was evident throughout the entire build and installation process. Even the fine tuning that is always required with any new installation was done with minimum disruption,” said Ray.
“This installation was crucial and extremely time sensitive to our business and any delay would have created significant issues. For them to have got our new line up and running on time and on budget in the middle of the Covid lockdown last year, is testament to their abilities,” Ray concluded.
For more information, contact:
Ray Wicks – Kingsway Confectionery
T: (03) 9785 2000 M: 0400 466 144
Anthony Gallaher – Enmin
T: (03) 9800 6777 M: 0407 824 642
