Inside McCormick & Co.’s Journey to Perfecting the Hermetic Seal

Their goal was to upgrade the closures on their glass shakers to improve seal integrity and provide greater product freshness for their consumers.

Alongside this, McCormick were taking the bold step of converting their existing premises into a new, purpose-built production environment dedicated to this line. This meant a blank canvas for designing a line with state-of-the-art technology, and FORDS was brought in to deliver both the sealing expertise and equipment to make it possible.

McCormick’s brand carried reputational weight and with that came high consumer expectations. However, their existing closures weren’t always delivering an absolute seal meaning product quality and consistency were being compromised.

Our solution had to deliver flawless hermetic seals and a dependable consumer experience, jar after jar, batch after batch – all whilst meeting McCormick’s high bar on production line criteria such as speed, equipment design and hygiene standards to name but a few.

For McCormick, achieving the right seal was about more than compliance — it was about securing shelf stability, delivering consistency, and ensuring consumer confidence in a premium product.

The only way to get there was through a meticulous programme of testing and refinement. Our Futurologists designed a structured process to trial closure materials and sealing parameters long before production began.

Material Exploration – Different induction liners and laminate structures were trialled to balance seal strength, peelability, and durability. For each material used, we ran a slug of 60 containers to simulate the full load of the potential commercial solution.

Seal Parameter Trials – Using our Lab Equipment Linear Belt Sealer, we systematically tested different combinations of top forces and induction currents to pinpoint the ‘sweet spot’: a seal strong enough to guarantee hermetic integrity, but precise enough to avoid damaging the container or shaker cap.

Iterative Refinements – Data from each run fed into the next. With three key variables – materials, pressure and induction power – we undertook a highly methodical approach to refining the interplay between them, identifying the precise balance needed to achieve stable, high-integrity seals. All seals were evaluated at controlled timed intervals and run through pressure testing to ensure a robust and reliable seal was achieved.

Scaling Confidence – Once a closure formula proved itself repeatable under test conditions, it was run under simulated line speeds to confirm the seal could withstand production-scale demands without loss of integrity.

This careful, stage-by-stage process meant that by the time McCormick’s new production environment was ready, the closure solution had already been validated – not just in principle, but in practice.

With the closure design validated, the next step was to translate it into a high-spec commercial solution that could integrate seamlessly into McCormick’s new line.

First, this required an evaluation of McCormick’s technical and procurement requirements in order for us to produce a fully-fledged customer proposal and complete scope of supply including finalised equipment, critical spares, installation schedules and on-going Aftercare support.

While every FORDS machine is bespoke, this project demanded additional layers of customisation. Hygiene, safety, automation integration, material finishes, and even mechanical design elements were scrutinised and adapted to meet McCormick’s elevated standards. Many of these modifications are invisible to the untrained eye, but they were essential to the reliability and compliance of the system.

At the heart of the solution were two Linear Induction Belt Sealers, each equipped with picking star infeeds to manage consistent container handling. The system was engineered to run at speeds of up to 500 containers per minute across two lines, or 300 containers per minute on a single line.

This dual-machine configuration provided two key benefits:

Scalability — throughput could be matched to production demands, with capacity to meet high-volume requirements.

Redundancy — if one machine required maintenance, the second could continue at full speed, ensuring uninterrupted production and minimising downtime.

Critically, with the shaker caps already fitted with induction liners, each machine applied precisely-calibrated pressure and induction current to deliver a perfect hermetic seal — ensuring product protection without distorting or damaging the cap or container.

Before shipment, McCormick’s new sealing systems underwent a rigorous Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) at FORDS. Over five days of exhaustive checks, every criterion – from performance to safety – was tested against McCormick’s standards.

Our philosophy is simple: we never put a machine to FAT until we know it will pass, and this project was no exception. The result was a flawless sign-off, something McCormick themselves noted is far from common in the industry.

What happened next was just as important. The same FORDS technicians who led the FAT also oversaw the installation on site, ensuring continuity and confidence for the customer. Their flexibility – from rearranging flights to adapting schedules around deliveries – and their tenacity on the ground proved decisive in getting the system commissioned smoothly.

The installation phase was supported by close coordination between FORDS, McCormick, and Zarpac – whose project management expertise helped streamline communication between all parties. This collaboration ensured that delivery schedules, line integration, and testing milestones stayed firmly on track, setting the stage for a smooth transition from FAT to full-scale production launch.

“The success of this project, like so many others at FORDS, came down to communication and collaboration. From the outset, the teams at McCormick, Zarpac, and FORDS worked as one, ensuring every milestone was tracked and every challenge met head-on.

Internally, that same sense of unity shone through. Our engineers, designers, and project managers were in constant sync, turning complex requirements into clear, achievable actions. The result was a seamless process built on trust, precision, and shared purpose.

Craig Whitehead, Business Realisation Manager, FORDS

The final installation provided McCormick with a fully validated closure solution, seamlessly integrated into their new production environment. By pairing rigorous pre-production testing with bespoke system design, FORDS helped McCormick achieve:

Absolute Seal Integrity – guaranteed hermetic seals ensuring product freshness and consumer confidence – helping McCormick deliver “The Taste You Trust”, their promise at the heart of every jar.

High-speed Reliability – with a dual-line system capable of running at 500 caps per minute.

Production Resilience – thanks to a two-machine setup designed to minimise downtime.

Smart Support – with remote access enabling instant diagnostics if issues arise. This means errors can be identified and resolved quickly to get lines back up to speed.

Future Flexibility – with equipment tailored to today’s packaging but adaptable to tomorrow’s developments. Remote monitoring also makes predicative maintenance possible meaning even greater production efficiency in the long run.

This project with McCormick highlights what happens when meticulous preparation meets customised engineering. By investing heavily in testing and futurology upfront, FORDS was able to deliver a sealing solution that not only solved today’s challenges but positioned McCormick for tomorrow’s packaging demands.

“FORDS collaborated closely with our team to meet delivery timelines and strict engineering requirements, providing outstanding support every step of the way. Despite a constantly shifting tariff environment, they remained adaptable and responsive, ensuring a smooth process from start to finish.

The equipment has performed reliably throughout our launch, and their advanced sealing technology continues to set our product apart from competitors still using traditional sealing methods.”

Nate Esterline, Senior Manager, Americas Engineering, McCormick & Co.