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Manual Case Erecting and Packing<\/h3>\nYou’ve done your market research, created a product that your customers love, and developed and implement world-class production with top-notch quality and now 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?<\/p>\n
The reality is that case packing, and the integration of end of line packaging\u00a0equipment, falls on a continuum from fully manual to fully automated. It\u2019s important to know what all of your options are so you can choose the best solutions for your specific situation.<\/p>\n
Manual Case Erecting and Packing<\/h3>\nBuilding and packing cases by hand have some obvious benefits that include:<\/p>\n
However, there are negatives to manual packing and erecting operations, most notably:<\/p>\n
Fully automating\u00a0case erecting<\/strong><\/a>, case packing<\/a>, and case sealing<\/a> sounds great in theory. This type of set up is used extensively\u00a0for high volume, low variation end of line situations. For these applications, automation reduces headcount and increases packaging line output.<\/p>\n If the products and packaging are very consistent and run at high volumes, then full automation may be the answer. Case and product variations, however, can cause problems like jamming the suction cups and stopping production.<\/p>\n Another downside of full automation is that the machines necessary to fully automate need to be purchased and integrated into your existing set up which is expensive and requires\u00a0skilled operators to set up, run, and maintain the equipment. There is also a time overhead\u00a0to design, build, integrate, install, test, and debug a fully automated system.<\/p>\n Once up and running full automation also requires maintenance and things like spare parts and downtime for preventive maintenance.<\/p>\n 100% automation also isn\u2019t possible for every situation. Something as simple as putting products in a box can have its challenges, particularly when the products are irregular, complex, or expensive. In these circumstances, conventional pick and place automation often doesn\u2019t work well or can be prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n What if\u00a0case erecting and sealing are automated, consistent, and the packing is done by hand?<\/p>\n A middle ground approach to automation allows the machines and people to do what they do best. The human\/machine\u00a0combination is the best of both worlds in that it incorporates what machines do best, rote work, and what humans do best, make judgments.<\/p>\n People are flexible and when guided by informed judgment\u00a0deliver adjustments on the fly. An operator can inspect products as they are picking it up, and then\u00a0insert it properly into a case or remove it from the line for future\u00a0re-work or inspection. People make adjustments on the fly and deal with a wide variety of situations without causing the line to stop.<\/p>\n A combination of people and automation works for low to moderate volume applications of up to\u00a010 cases per minute.<\/p>\n A few other things to consider when deciding on manual and automated case packing are:<\/p>\n There are potential issues with a mix of manual and automation; including, the need to maintain the automation, the need for some mechanical\u00a0infrastructure (like clean, dry air), and carrying spare parts for the automation.<\/p>\n Check out this video for an example of a hybrid approach\u00a0using both human and machine for maximum end of line packaging efficiency.<\/p>\nSomewhere In Between<\/h3>\n
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Manual vs. Automation: Questions to Ask<\/h3>\n
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