Seven steps to more efficient packaging operations

by Neal Magaziner

These days, there are new technologies, advanced materials, innovative products and improved processes coming at us seemingly without end. So, there’s almost no limit to the ways in which a packaging, distribution or manufacturing operation can improve efficiency, enhance quality and brighten the bottom line.

But, in a world of fierce competition, at-risk margins and limited resources, you can’t have everything. Here are just a few tips and products that every packaging professional should consider — no matter what their size or industry.

Get a new lease on life
Increasingly, companies are turning to leasing as a tool to stay ahead of the technology curve and conserve capital. Periodic payments allow for simplified budgeting that avoids complicated depreciation schedules. 

Lease payments can finance not only the purchase price, but other costs such as freight, installation, training and maintenance support. Many leases also allow equipment upgrades during the lease, as technology advances or as your needs grow. 

Leasing can even save money at tax time, since 100 percent of lease payments are tax-deductible, unlike many loan payments.

Raise the bar
Bar code, that is. Bar coding has become a given in most industries, even where it was once thought impossible or impractical due to product size or materials. So, as long as you must…here are three fast tips for doing it right.
• Use high-quality print media: thermal transfer where labels may be exposed to heat, intense sunlight or exposure, vinyl in harsh environments.
• Avoid color. Many bar code scanners can’t read it.
• Slow down! Print speed is inversely proportional to print quality, so run printers at the slowest practical speed. I know, I know — late deliveries are bad for business. But, taking back a refused shipment is worse.

Have a conversion experience
Are your case sealers still running with glue, staples or water-activated tape? Stop! If the hot liquid reservoirs, clogged applicators and belts, leaky catch pans and staple damage don’t kill you, the downtime will. 

Fortunately, 3M Packaging Systems makes a great taping head conversion system called AccuGlide that can easily convert most existing equipment to pressure-sensitive tape. You can keep your existing equipment and still save on cleanup, maintenance and material cost (not to mention hazmat disposal).

Instantly expand your horizons
Do you ship heavy, odd-shaped and breakable (or sensitive) items such as electronics, hydraulic assemblies or other fragile products? Then, this stuff is pure magic. Instapak Quick foam packaging from Sealed Air starts out flat, then after a few seconds in a special warmer, expands to perfectly conform to the shape of the item being packed and the box it’s packed in. 

No more foam "turtles," "peanuts" or giant dunnage hoppers — just a few seconds and a single laborer, and every cubic inch of airspace is filled. 

It gets better. Instapak Quick compacts to 10 percent of its expanded volume in a landfill, is CFC and HCFC-free and can be processed in municipal waste-to-energy facilities. The company even provides 20 worldwide locations that will take back used material.

Be an airhead
Our customers have had great success with the Airplus system from German manufacturer Storopack. This ingenious and very compact unit (about the size of a microwave oven) creates air-filled cushioning from tubular film. The machine instantly inflates a film strip, seals it to the desired length and connects each "air pillow" with a perforation, allowing each one to be torn off and used (or stored for later). 

The units can be outfitted with flexible programmers, allowing automated production, plus control over the length of individual cushions, degree of inflation and the number to be produced in a given run.

Throw in the towels
In manufacturing, routine wipe-downs, accidental spills and chronic leaks are inevitable. The age-old solutions: shop rags of inconsistent size, shape or material (some completely non-absorbent and therefore useless) or rental shop towels with variable quality and cleanliness. 

WypAll X cloth towels from Kimberly Clark offer a great solution. One jumbo roll can replace up to 75 pounds of shop rags, saving space and cost (not to mention trips to the tool crib or supply room). They’re durable, reusable and offer excellent absorbency of oil, grease, solvents and water.

Step all over your best work
You place your machinery on it. Your shipping department drives (or drags) heavy loads across it. Your employees spill everything from hydraulic oil to lunch on it. It’s your floor. And, it’s one of your more important and (pun intended) overlooked assets.

A protective floor finish enhances appearance, improves safety, eases maintenance and extends life. Whether you use a mop, reservoir/applicator system or pressure sprayer, here are a few tips to get the most out of the process.
• Do a thorough cleaning and trash removal job before starting. Otherwise, all you are doing is sealing dirt in.
• Apply finish to small areas at a time and work quickly. This avoids "lap marks" caused by uneven drying
• This one may seem obvious…but, always use "Wet Floor" signs. It will avoid accidental falls, and keep fellow employees off your fresh work while it dries and seals.

Once again, this list only scratches the surface of the many exciting and beneficial resources available in the packaging industry today. Still, these are great places to start.

Want another? Contact your local independent packaging industry manufacturers’ rep agency. They spend their professional lives learning about the latest tools, innovations and processes in this industry, and then bring them to your doorstep.

Neal Magaziner is executive vice president of Hughes Enterprises, a distributor of packaging, labeling, product identification and other automated machinery and related supplies located in Trenton, N.J. More information on the company can be found at www.hughesent.com.

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