BY TOBY GOOLEY, SENIOR EDITOR
PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY
THE PROCESS OF PICKING, PACKING, AND SHIPPING AN ORDER CONsists of a series of steps that occur in a defined sequence. Whether that process
is completed correctly and on time depends on how well each step is carried
out. When automation is involved, an additional factor comes into play: Success
also depends on how well the various pieces of equipment used in the process
are integrated with each other. In the case of an automated packaging line, that
means getting each of the machines—carton erectors, shrink wrappers, void fillers, labelers, document inserters, carton sealers, conveyors, and the like—to do
its job at the right time and at the right speed.
What if a packaging line doesn’t achieve that perfect synchronization? At the
very least, backlogs and equipment jams could develop; at worst, the line might
stop altogether. It doesn’t take much for that to happen; just one mistake or
oversight can undermine productivity and reliability.
To find out what could go wrong and how to prevent it, we talked to a systems
integrator, a packaging engineer, a third-party logistics (3PL) company executive, and a manufacturer of packaging equipment and systems. Here are their
tips for avoiding 10 common packaging line pitfalls.
1Keep your supplier in the loop. The surest way to bring a packaging line to a halt is to run out of corrugated cardboard, labels, thermal forms, foam cushioning, plastic wrap, or other consumable materials purchased from
suppliers. That’s generally not a concern when it’s business as usual. But if,
say, you launch a new product or experience a significant bump in sales, your
suppliers might not be able to handle the additional demand, cautions Tyler
technologyreview
Just one mistake on an
automated packaging
line can slow the whole
operation down or
even bring it to a halt.
Here’s how to keep
that from happening.
I
M
A
G
E
C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y
O
F
I
N
V
A
T
A
I
NT
R
A
L
O
GI
S
TI
C
S
and how
to avoid them
packaging line
pitfalls … 10
