DC Velocity - February 2015

48 DC VELOCITY FEBRUARY 2015 www.dcvelocity.com t ec h n o lo g yr ev i ew

PA CKAG ING T E CHN OL OGY

will be an electronic “handshake” that signals the next piece of equipment to take over. If takeaway speeds or the timing of the electronic handshake aren’t correct, a machine could detect a fault and suspend operations. That’s why thorough testing—not just of each piece of equipment but also of the software—is critical, he says.

9Plan for exceptions. In an automated packaging system, errors like incomplete orders, out-of-register printing, and unreadable bar codes are rare, but they do happen. If you don’t design in a process for handling errors and rejects, the line will end up slowing or stopping every time there’s an exception, no matter how small, says Suffern. Basically, he says, you want a way to resolve problems and get a package back on the automated line with the least amount of disruption and the fewest touches. One option is to automatically divert exceptions down a conveyor to a workstation specifically set up to resolve errors, and then to reinduct the corrected package at the appropriate station on the line. Suffern has also seen systems that scan packing lists to identify missing items and then convey them to the packing station; that way, workers don’t have to leave their posts to complete the orders.

10Design for tomorrow, not just for today. If your packaging line has no flexibility built into it, you’re likely to encounter slowdowns when any change comes along, says Genco’s Smith. Equipment that can accommodate changes in box size, graphics, labeling, and other attributes will keep things moving without lengthy shutdowns. “You want to have limited changeovers with the least amount of time to switch over for your product mix,” he advises.

To get an idea of what may be coming down the road, Smith says, make sure you’re informed about new products in development, special promotions, and issues like theft prevention and entry into new markets that could prompt changes in packaging. “It’s a mistake to design for what’s happening now and not for where you need to be tomorrow,” he says.

THINK HOLISTICALLY

One last, important piece of advice is not so much about avoiding a pitfall as it is about changing the way you think about automation. Moris of Invata Intralogistics suggests treating a packaging line as a single, integrated entity, rather than as a collection of individual pieces of equipment. “[Automated packaging lines] are not just the sum of their individual components,” he says. “They become an entire machine in themselves.” By keeping that in mind, DCs can better maintain their packaging lines’ productivity and reliability. N