Packaging Machinery - Considerations for Automating

Not every product that is packaged and prepared for the end user will require automatic packaging machinery, but those that hand package products are the exception, rather than the rule. By adding efficiency, consistency and reliability, packaging machinery helps to prepare thousands of products in just about every industry on a daily basis. But how does a company know when the time is right to add automation? Below are a few of the factors to consider when thinking about adding automation to a packaging process.

Demand and Labor

When demand for a product grows, it may become difficult to employ enough people to meet that demand, as the cost for enough hourly or salaried employees necessary to keep up with the demand may simply become unsustainable. Packagers need to look at both the demand for their product and the payroll necessary to meet that demand to decide if automation could offer a cost-effective and efficient solution versus hand packaging products.

Time Consuming Processes

The entire packaging process need not be automated all at once. For those hand packaging, filling, capping, labeling or some other piece of the process may be far more time-consuming or resource-consuming than the other processes. Packagers may, for example, automate their capping process if most of the packaging day is spent twisting caps onto bottles once filled. These machines can then later be integrated with additional machinery as demand increases, allowing the packaging line to grow with the company needs.

Space

The space available for packaging machinery is always a consideration for automation as well. Packaging equipment can be as simple as semi-automatic tabletop machinery to fill, cap label and otherwise prepare products. These machines take up little space, but will require an operator to interact with the machine for each cycle run. Inline automatic equipment will require more floor space, but also less operator interaction to complete the process. Custom equipment can also be manufactured where space or other factors require unique solutions.

Budget

Finally, the packager must of course consider their budget and the short and long-term costs of packaging equipment. Semi-automatic equipment can provide extra speed while still requiring some manual labor, while automatic packaging machines and custom equipment can add significant speed to meet demand while also significantly reducing manual labor requirements. Of course, as the automation level increases, generally the cost also increases. Liquid Packaging Solutions offers solutions for just about every budget for packagers both large and small.

Packaging specialist at LPS are available to explore different options and assist in identifying the best solution for packagers from a wide range of industries. To learn more about automating your packaging process, call LPS at 1-219-393-3600 today to discuss your own project with no obligations.