Expanding Production When Product Demand Increases

Even while many companies today are temporarily closing down or reducing production, there still exist a number of businesses that are experiencing the opposite of the norm, seeing an increase in the amount of product they need to get out the door. Understandably, many of these companies are producing cleaners, hand sanitizer, foods, beverages, medicine and other products that are simply a necessity to consumers, regardless of what life may be throwing at us at the time.

For many packagers, the ramp up in production, temporary or not, may push the existing packaging machinery to the limit, making it difficult to get the required or desired levels of product out to consumers. While some situations may simply require the addition of another packaging machine, or an additional packaging line, there are often ways to increase the output of existing machinery.

From day one, many companies expect or hope for growth in the future, by expanding either their product line or the reach of their existing products to additional markets. Very seldom - if ever - does Liquid Packaging Solutions work with a business that simply does not want to grow, under any circumstances. For this reason, many packaging machines and lines are designed to allow for growth through upgrades, modifications or simple additions of certain packaging components.

For example, a company packaging cleaning products might be using a rinsing machine and liquid filler that both use eight heads to rinse and fill bottles, respectively. Once rinsed and filled with product, the bottles may move through a spindle capping machine before being labeled and prepped for shipping. When put in place in 2019, this packaging line may have produced around 16,000 bottles a day to meet the current demand for the cleaner. If demand for the company's product increases to where the line needs to produce 24,000 bottles a day in 2020, both the rinser and the filler can be upgraded to meet these needs.

Rinsing and filling machines are typically manufactured to allow for the addition of nozzles in the future. The company in the example could add two or more heads to each machine and increase maximum output, without purchasing additional machinery. The spindle capping machine, which was handling around 40 bottles per minute in 2019, can easily handle the additional bottles as it was built to handle a range of bottles up to close to 100 bottles per minute. In this example, the company uses current machinery to quickly up production without the need for new or additional equipment.

At some point, current machinery may reach maximum output, at which time other solutions will need to be considered. For those currently experiencing increases in demand, LPS will work with you to get the most out of your current equipment or to find other solutions for getting the products that are needed out to the people that need them. To explore different options with a Packaging Specialist, contact LPS Toll-Free at 1-888-393-3693 for a free consultation!