Secondary Packaging Automation: Is it Time?

The technological landscape is rapidly evolving across all manufacturing sectors, which can create angst among decision-makers about when to invest in new advancements. They don’t want to invest in an expensive, unproven system, yet they don’t want to be left behind by their competitors. This tug-and-pull could compel them to invest in a system they don’t need or rely on legacy equipment and manual processes that leave them further behind. 

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The global packaging machinery market is expected to grow to $56 billion from $45.9 billion by . This will partly be driven by investments in case packers as manufacturers look for ways to reduce production costs and improve throughput by eliminating inefficiencies and downtime in their secondary packaging operations. 

While these processes have traditionally been carried out manually by human packers, automation offers the operational flexibility and reliability that manufacturers seek, especially as consumer demand requires more packaging options with high-speed precision. 

This article focuses on tell-tale signs that a manufacturing company should automate its secondary packaging line. If you are experiencing any of these signs in your secondary packaging operations, it may be time to find an automation partner to update your line. 

High Labor and Material Costs

Labor shortages, high turnover, and diverse packaging requirements have raised labor and material costs to the point where automation is needed for many packaging environments. Humans make mistakes, but these errors can add up to significant material costs and waste over time. Errors on the floor are caused partly by high turnover, which challenges manufacturers, too, because of the associated recruitment and training costs. 

Modern automated case packing systems are designed to increase throughput and minimize human touch by adding precision to the line, from forming to packing the desired packaging material. Automated systems can also support many materials, like corrugated cardboard, which may be more cost-efficient or sustainable. 

As case packing systems become more advanced, with vision systems, quick changeovers, and advanced algorithms for packaging flexibility, they reduce the need for manual labor, lowering total labor costs. Experienced workers who want to advance their careers will be more likely to stay on if new opportunities in the company arise with automation.

Inconsistency in Product Quality

Product quality is critical in ensuring customer satisfaction and repeat business. Inconsistent product quality can lead to customer complaints, returns, and reduced revenues. Failure to address the issue of inconsistent product quality can harm a company’s reputation and competitive advantage. 

Automating the secondary packaging line can help improve product quality by catching product defects, reducing manual packing errors, ensuring accurate labeling, and enhancing consistent packaging and product presentation. This should mean fewer customer complaints and product returns.

Need for Greater Line Flexibility

Consumer preferences and trends constantly change, so some companies may hesitate to invest in expensive case packing equipment. Decision-makers may fear the equipment they purchase will become outdated or irrelevant quickly, and their fears are often confirmed when they invest in inflexible technologies. Another concern they have about automation is facility space. Some case packing systems can be large and require significant space where none is available.

Still, companies that need to package products of varying sizes, shapes, and weights may find manual secondary packaging challenging, especially when training new employees on changeovers and process adjustments. Customizable automation solutions and modular systems are some options that can increase your line flexibility while futureproofing your equipment investment.

• For example, the Gantry 300 Swing case packer can easily pack products into RSC or retail-ready cases, trays, and other containers. With a quick changeover between recipes, the Gantry 300 Swing can run pouches, bags, cartons, and more at high speeds without impacting productivity. 
• Space can be challenging, but our sales engineers are experienced in finding compact solutions when space is a luxury. Their recommendations may enable you to streamline your secondary packaging processes to free up more space than you thought was possible with your existing line. 

Increased Safety and Regulatory Compliance Requirements

Manual processes with human involvement are prone to errors, such as mislabeling, packaging quality inconsistencies, and contamination. Vision guided robotics and other quality control tools can ensure a consistent product count and weight, detect slight flaws and defects that impact product quality, and produce accurate labeling, improving quality, product safety, and compliance. 

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Manual processes also put workers at risk for injury from overexertion or performing tasks they’re not trained to do correctly. Automation systems can improve worker safety by minimizing the need for humans to perform hazardous or repetitive tasks that increase their risk. Safety controls, lighting, and alarms come with all our standard systems and can be adjusted and tailored to a customer’s needs.

Frequent Downtime Related to Maintenance Challenges

The lifespan of any packaging equipment can vary greatly depending on factors such as the type of equipment, its frequency of use, maintenance, and care, and technological advancements in the industry. Regular maintenance and repairs will extend the equipment's life cycle and performance. Still, high turnover and lack of training have impacted companies' ability to manage maintenance independently, especially as new technologies are introduced to the line. 

To keep secondary packaging equipment running at optimal efficiency, some packaging machinery manufacturers offer aftermarket services to support their customers’ maintenance needs to ensure equipment performance. BluePrint Automation offers an Asset Health and Reliability Program (AHRP) for our new and existing equipment in the Americas. This program allows customers to increase asset health and address minor issues before they lead to more significant system failures. It enables us to build an ongoing relationship with the customer and extend the life cycle of their BPA equipment. 

Wrapping Up

Automating the secondary packaging line can help companies reduce labor and material costs, increase productivity, enhance efficiency, and improve product quality. Awareness of these signs will help them determine the right time for automation. However, new advancements, evolving needs, limited floor space, and budgetary constraints can still make it challenging to fully understand the right system for a particular line. 

Decision-makers who focus on strategically evaluating their organizational needs rather than succumbing to the latest technology or trends will achieve the best outcomes and ROI. 

If you're interested in learning more or considering secondary packaging automation in your plant, BluePrint Automation can help. We have the expertise to partner, design, and manufacture packaging equipment to meet your needs. Contact us today, and let us help you with your business. You make it. We pack it.

The packaging process is costly and time consuming, but with new technology packaging is more efficient. Packaging automation not only saves you time, it also saves you money! All industries can benefit from implementing automation into their packaging process. There are many different types of packaging equipment to help your employees, so you can be more productive and lower labor costs or reduce material consumption.

Shortcuts:

• What is Packaging Automation?
• The Benefits of Packaging Automation
  • Improved Quality Control
  • Improved Production Speed
  • Lower Labor Costs
  • Reduce Physical Stress on Employees
  • Consistent Product Protection
  • Cost Savings Over Time
• Packaging Automation Equipment

Lower Labor Costs

By automating the packaging line as much as possible, companies ensure that workers are only being hired when they are needed and can reassign labor to other areas as needed.

Labor can be expensive and fluctuating, making it harder to calculate your budget for the packaging sector and cost of packaging per product. Automated packaging solutions are standardized, typically with a fixed price for the machinery as a set amount of packaging per product that makes calculating easier. By reducing labor requirements, you can find a use of employees where the business needs it more.

Reduce Physical Stress on Employees

In manufacturing and packaging it’s common for employees to perform repetitive tasks over a long shift. Some often develop musculoskeletal conditions due to the repetitive stresses of packaging. Worker safety is improved when using automated packaging. Adding automation to your packaging line reduces or removes human input to complete these tedious, repetitive tasks.

Consistent Product Protection

People get tired, this often results in a lack of focus and will lead to mistakes in your packaging process that can result in product damage or an unnecessary increase in packaging materials usage. An automated system will minimize waste and ensure a consistent amount of material is used to protect your product each time.

Cost Savings Over Time

Many organizations put off automation because of the initial investment of the machines. The truth is that automation can save you money over time. Not only does it save on labor costs as mentioned previously, but it also helps you save on the cost of consumables. Our packaging experts will work with you to understand your product and your challenges. Working together, we will determine the right packaging equipment to address your specific challenges. An estimated return on your investment can be calculated to understand efficiency gains and how it will benefit your company.

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