Making Space for a Case Erector: How to Add Value with the Space You Have

For many operations and packaging managers, the idea of adding automation is immediately followed by a familiar concern: We don’t have the floor space. This perception is especially common when evaluating a case erector. The image of a large, complex machine requiring a dedicated production hall still lingers across many small and medium-sized facilities.

In reality, limited space is one of the most common — and most solvable — barriers to case erector adoption. With thoughtful layout evaluation, smarter use of existing space, and compact equipment designs, installing a case erector in limited space is not only possible, it is often the most efficient use of space available.

This article explains how companies can successfully integrate a case erector even when space is tight. It explores how to assess your current layout, how to reorganize manual operations to free up room for automation, and how compact integration strategies can deliver measurable productivity and ROI gains in small and medium facilities.

Contents

1. Why space matters when installing a case erector
2. Assessing your available space
3. How to optimize the space you already have
4. Integration strategies for small and medium facilities
5. The business value of a case erector in limited space
6. Conclusion
7. FAQs

Why Space Matters When Installing a Case Erector

Space is consistently the most cited hesitation when companies consider a case erector — often even ahead of cost or changeover concerns. Operations teams frequently assume that automation requires adding square footage, relocating entire lines, or disrupting existing production.

Three misconceptions tend to dominate early conversations:

• A case erector requires more floor space than manual case forming
• Automation inevitably introduces complex layouts and fixed installations
• Multiple case sizes always require larger machines with multiple magazines

In practice, manual case forming often consumes more usable footprint than a compact case erector ever will. Two to three operators building cases by hand typically occupy:

• A large assembly table (commonly around 4 ft × 8 ft)
• Case blank storage
• Walking and handling space
• Stacked finished cases staged for downstream operations

When these elements are mapped accurately, the combined footprint often matches or exceeds the footprint of a modern compact case erector. What feels like “free space” in many facilities is actually an inefficient manual process spread across disconnected zones.

Limited space does not block automation — unmanaged space does.

Assessing Your Available Space

Before evaluating specific compact case erector solutions, facilities should begin with a practical assessment of what they truly have versus what they think they need.

What You Think You Need vs. What You Actually Need

Many floor plans overestimate space constraints because they only consider open floor area while overlooking:

• Operator movement paths
• Temporary carton staging
• Duplicate workstations
• Underutilized vertical space

A proper assessment includes four core elements:

1. Operator Footprint

Each manual operator requires:

• Standing room
• Reach and turning space
• Clear paths for material handling

Two or three people hand-forming cases can extend far beyond the dimensions of the table itself once real movement is accounted for.

2. Case Blank Storage

Case blanks are often:

• Palletized on the floor
• Partially de-palletized onto carts
• Stacked near assembly tables

In many facilities, this storage alone occupies the same footprint as a case erector magazine.

3. Carton Staging

Finished cases from manual forming are frequently:

• Stacked in piles
• Accumulated at the end of tables
• Redistributed across lines

This staging area is rarely recognized as permanent space usage — but it is.

4. Flow Lines and Bottlenecks

Ask one critical question: Where do cases pause before being filled? That pause point consumes space, whether it’s acknowledged on the layout or not.

How to Optimize the Space You Already Have

Once existing space usage is visible, opportunities to restructure often appear quickly. Warehouse layout optimization for packaging does not require expansion — it requires compression and alignment.

A. Vertical Organization

Vertical space is one of the most underutilized assets in packaging areas:

• Install elevated case blank storage above manual stations
• Move supplies upward instead of outward
• Free floor space for continuous-flow automation

By lifting storage off the floor, facilities often recover multiple square meters without changing downstream processes.

B. Clearing Duplicate Processes

Manual operations often develop redundancy over time:

• Two tables performing identical tasks
• Extra staging “just in case”
• Backup storage that becomes permanent

By consolidating duplicated stations into a single automated process, space is reclaimed while throughput increases.

C. Compressing Manual Stations

Manual tables grow over time:

• Added fixtures
• Extra carts
• Temporary stack zones that become permanent

Once a case erector replaces manual forming:

• The table disappears
• Finished case stacks disappear
• Operator walking paths disappear

The result is a compact, fixed footprint with predictable material flow.

D. Merging Steps into One Footprint

A case erector merges several manual steps into one controlled zone:

• Case forming
• Squaring
• Bottom sealing

This consolidation alone often offsets the full machine footprint.

Integration Strategies for Small and Medium Facilities

Modern case erector integration is not limited to long, straight automated lines. Compact layouts allow machines to fit into spaces previously considered unusable.

A. L-Shaped Lines

An L-shaped layout is ideal when:

• The filling line runs along one wall
• The case supply direction needs to turn 90 degrees

Advantages:

• Uses corner space efficiently
• Reduces linear floor demand
• Maintains simple operator visibility

B. U-Shaped Lines

U-shaped lines are common in:

• E-commerce fulfillment centers
• Small-batch manufacturing

Advantages:

• Short walking distances
• One operator can monitor multiple steps
• Compact circulation of cases and products

C. Inline Parallel Solutions

For facilities with:

• Robotics
• Drop packers
• Fully automated downstream equipment

Compact inline machines can be installed directly within existing lines using parallel alignment to avoid extending the total line length.

D. Modular and Mobile Case Erectors

Modular machines can be:

• Wheeled between lines
• Used across different production cells
• Temporarily positioned during peak demand

This flexibility eliminates the need for one permanent installation location and adds operational elasticity without consuming extra floor space.

The Business Value of a Case Erector in Limited Space

When space is constrained, every square foot must justify its value. Few machines deliver more return per unit of floor space than a case erector.

A. Packaging Efficiency Improvement

Manual case forming introduces:

• Variability
• Inconsistent squaring
• Fluctuating production speed

A case erector delivers:

• Consistent throughput
• Controlled sealing quality
• Predictable case supply to downstream packing

This stability allows upstream and downstream processes to be tuned for higher overall equipment effectiveness.

B. Labor Optimization

Two to three manual operators are often reassigned after case erector installation. Those labor hours shift from:

• Repetitive manual forming to
• Value-added packing, inspection, or fulfillment tasks

This labor reallocation frequently drives the fastest return on investment in small warehouse automation case erector projects.

C. Reduced Congestion and Safer Work Zones

Replacing manual stacks and roaming carts with a fixed machine:

• Reduces pedestrian traffic
• Shrinks forklift crossover zones
• Improves overall shop-floor safety

Safety-driven space reduction often unlocks additional layout efficiencies beyond the packaging area alone.

D. Measurable ROI in Small Operations

Even in low- to mid-volume lines, measurable returns typically come from:

• Lower labor costs
• Increased uptime
• Reduced bottlenecks
• Lower scrap from mis-formed cases

See how one company made the switch from manual forming to automation. The solution was so successful that they installed nine other case erectors to duplicate the process and ended up saving $750,000 per year in labor costs. Read the case study here.

Conclusion

Space should never be the reason automation is postponed indefinitely. In many facilities, the space required for manual case forming already exceeds the footprint of a compact case erector — it is simply distributed inefficiently. By rethinking vertical storage, eliminating duplicates, compressing workstations, and selecting space-saving packaging automation layouts, companies consistently integrate automation without expanding their building.

A case erector does far more than save labor. It stabilizes flow, improves packaging quality, increases safety, and delivers measurable returns even in the smallest operations.

For organizations facing growing demand, rising labor costs, or tighter delivery timelines, the question is no longer whether there is enough space, but rather how effectively existing space is being used.

To explore how compact automation fits your layout, consider reviewing Lantech’s case erector portfolio and related resources.

By focusing on intelligent layout design and selecting the right compact case erector solution, facilities of any size can unlock automation without expanding their walls — and with that, unlock higher efficiency, stability, and long-term value.