KANSAS CITY, MO - Koch Equipment LLC, long time manufacturer and distributor of food packaging and processing equipment, announced today the introduction of their new MATRIX™ Crossweb package labeler. Designed to meet or exceed the AMI Sanitary Design Criteria, the MATRIX can be installed on virtually any form/fill/ seal rollstock machine in use or in production today.

Koch Equipment has long been known for the success of its Crossweb® labeler machines which are specified by more rollstock equipment manufacturers and end users than any other brand in North America. The MATRIX represents the next generation in terms of speed, sanitary design features and ease of inspection and maintenance. According to Roger Wakeman, product manager, "the MATRIX, has been designed and engineered to deliver label applicating speed increases up to 33% in the demanding environments of today's packaging plants."

The MATRIX features an innovative, open and easy access design combined with angled and rounded surfaces to promote water runoff. "Manufactured from stainless steel and machined PET-P and Delrin, the MATRIX sets a new standard for cleanable machine design and offers almost all of its surfaces visible for inspection", said Wakeman.

Available initially for top and/or bottom package labeling applications, prototype and pre-production versions of the MATRIX have been cycling in several production environments within America's Top 20 US meat producers for the last 12 months on a test basis. Film labeler versions of the MATRIX are now in pre-production operation and are expected to be introduced by late Spring.

Koch Equipment LLC is a full line manufacturer and distributor of equipment for meat production, food processing, packaging and labeling. A one-stop shop for vacuum chamber packaging machines, skin packaging machines, modified atmosphere packaging machines, labelers, rollstock parts, accessories and service as well as a full range of processing equipment including stuffers, bowl cutters, injectors, mixers, grinders, tumblers, dicers, slicers, smokehouses, and kill floor equipment. For over 120 years, Koch Equipment has been the name more packagers and processors trust for their equipment needs.

For more information, contact Koch Equipment, 1414 W. 29th. St, Kansas City 64108 or by phone at (800)-777-5624 or visit their website at www.kochequipment.com