A sixth generation family-owned business dating back to 1845 has helped develop integrated technology that will increase the shelf life of everyday products found in grocery stores.

Cross Bros. Company was founded 165 years ago on Mill Street in Rochester. The firm is now located on Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road in Henrietta, with an off-site and test facility on Townline Road in Brighton.

What began as a power transmission company for industrial applications has evolved into integrated technology.

Cross Bros. recently integrated the ARPAChefestus modified atmosphere packaging machine. It is cutting edge technology relatively new to the United States that extends the shelf life of packaged foods.

"What it does is it replaces the air contact within any kind of given package and replaces it with either nitrogen or any other chemical. And what it does is increases the shelf life of any given product," said Bob Frost, vice president. "So what could be three days now is 18 days."

The ARPAChefestus consists of three different machines built in three different countries: the United States, Israel and Japan.

Cross Bros. engineers wired them together and wrote a program to make them work in unison.

"I had to with the suppliers of the equipment, understand the electrical circuit so I could interface all the equipment together so when programming we could communicate between the different machines and make sure that it's safe as well," said John Demitrovic, controls engineer.

Once on line in supermarkets, the ARPAChefestus will be a money saver not only for the customer, but also for distributors.

"Local food distribution companies are usually regional and have to service their customers on a two to three day basis can now expand their territory and potentially service a larger territory with the same amount of people and visit those on a 10 to 14 day cycle," said Dan Cavanaugh, Sr. project manager.

Cross Bros. said representatives from supermarket chains have been in to view the ARPAChefestus with an interest to buy.

The machine will be on display at the EastPack trade show June 8 through the 10 at the Javits Center in New York City.

Cross Bros.