Lantech Blog

You've done your market research, created a product that your customers love, and developed and implement world class production with top notch quality.....there is only one thing left to do. Pack the boxes and ship the product. What are my options for case erecting, packing, and sealing? Should we just manually build and load the boxes, or should we completely automate?

It’s no secret square cases pack, stack and palletize better when they're erected with 90-degree corners. They also ensure that a product’s primary and secondary packaging looks good when it arrives to your customers or sits on a retailer’s shelf.

But here’s a secret you may not know:

The Law of Unintended Consequences Is Alive and Well

Erecting cases with a machine doesn’t automatically guarantee an increase in productivity. Without proper planning and consideration, a case erector can cause unanticipated problems and even turn out to be counterproductive. In the worst situations, production is constantly interrupted to recover from unplanned downtime or machine jams.

In a recent interview with Planet Lean, Jim Lancaster, Lantech CEO and owner, sat down with Roberto Priolo to discuss his new book The Work of Management.

When you’ve been manufacturing, and distributing stretch wrappers as long as we have - since 1972 - it’s inevitable that a pattern will begin to emerge in the kinds of questions people ask you. There are a number of questions that most buyers, at one point or another, have about their specific stretch wrapping needs and the machine that will work best for them. However, before most buyers get to those specific questions they often have questions about the reliability and quality of the machines in general.

From containment force to film tails, there is a lot to know if you want to achieve the efficient stretch wrapping necessary to minimize damage.

From cereal to concrete, stretch wrapping plays an important role in the shipping journey of many kinds of products. In our industry, we often say that anything can be stretch wrapped. Some items just need special considerations and planning before they are wrapped, but for the most part, you can stretch wrap anything.

No matter what kind of product you make, packaging and shipping are crucial steps with big impacts. You produced your product yourself and enthusiastically brought it to market, but how can you get it to your client in one piece? We’ve had years of experience packing and protecting—it is our goal to get your product from A to B without a scratch. Square packing is one of our best kept secrets...

When was the last time you saw a cockroach crawling out from under your baseboard or fridge? Last month? Last year? It’s more likely you saw an image of one (or several) in a scary movie. We don’t usually see them. They’re invisible, hiding behind baseboards or under the fridge, waiting for us to go to sleep so they can come out. As much as we hate to admit it, they’re always around.

This is a guest post by Adam Cahill from Supply Pointe.

Do you ever find yourself needing to ship an item that simply won’t fit inside a box trailer?  Well, sometimes, you just need to think outside the truck. If what you need to ship won’t fit, or you’re facing pick-up and drop-off difficulties, a flatbed trailer might be your solution. Flatbed trailers are ideal for oversized or otherwise unwieldy cargo, and they can be an efficient and affordable way to move a load. However, because the cargo won’t be enclosed, special consideration must be taken to ensure it’s appropriately covered and secured.