Everyone knows at least one horror story about human error in the supply chain. An absent-minded employee overlooks a safety hazard; one forgets to wash his hands leading to the contamination of a product. While manual labor is prudent for highly detail-oriented processes, other processes which require mere repetition can be completed far more meticulously through automation.
This is certainly the case in the world of packaging. While not every human element of the packaging process will lead to manufacturing horror stories, manual techniques employed within production can lead to time and money consuming inefficiencies. Be it through employment of an improper packaging method or employee omission, there are many areas in which improvements can be made.
Optimizing packaging machine performance
Food and Beverage Packaging Magazine reports that global demand for packaging machinery is expected to grow to nearly $42 billion by 2017 based on predictions from the Freedonia Group. Markets demonstrating the highest probability to make capital investments in packaging automation within the next five years are the food manufacturing and the pharmaceutical industries. The Food and Beverage Packaging Magazine reports that the US will account for about one-sixth of the world demand of packaging equipment through 2017.
Machine maintenance and compliance essential to packaging success
Packaging Digest emphasizes that factory-automated packaging machines can either run efficiently and generate savings for a company or they can be unproductive and lose money. When packaging machines are not operating at their peak performance, it is estimated that they can cost a company between five and 20 percent in productivity every year.
It stands to reason that proper maintenance is vitally essential to process demands - and the company wallet. Proper assembly of parts and gears, compatibility of sealing mechanisms with outside chemicals and oils and the handling of each moving part within the production line are each integral proponents to successful maintenance of packaging machinery. Advancements in mechanical parts are allowing machines to operate at higher speeds, increase durability and promote sanitation essential to many industries.
The benefits of machine packaging automation spans across markets. Through packaging automation companies can replace expenditures on labor, warehousing and damage control with more efficient, systematic and sustainable processes.
