Consultancy from Storopack reduces the overall costs of protective packaging

Thinking beyond the purchase of packaging materials lowers costs and increases the efficiency of processes. An established English manufacturer of chocolate commissioned Storopack to review the protective packaging solutions of its products.

The new layout and equipment in the packaging area has increased productivity by more than 50 percent and saved 45,000 Euros annually on packaging material. This quantitative and qualitative improvement was successful, because an analysis of the actual situation took an in-depth look at the overall warehouse situation into consideration – i.e. the software, the working processes and working conditions as well as the products and their protective packaging.

Instead of twenty offline packing stations, the protective packaging is now fed directly over the roller conveyor. Utilising the free floor space created from the online packaging station, an additional order picking shelf for fast moving items was introduced using Storopack’s working comfort principles.

The original twenty machines used for manufacturing protective packaging material were replaced by just two AIRplus® GTI’s, producing air-cushions fed into a storage silo (hopper) via a sensor controlled operating system. An automated carton sealer at the end of the packaging line was also recommend and installed to improve productivity and reduce costs. With this automated setup, only one employee is necessary for the average 500 shipments dispatched each week in off peak seasons.

During peak season (Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day) when up to 6.000 orders are received per week, only two packers are needed to work at the void fill station dispatching the goods along with additional PAPERplus® Chevron Systems. This provides the packers with on-demand paper padding to protect sensitive shipments such as individual gift items.

The equipment was designed with the future objectives of the business in mind and already has an integrated option for an increased packaging rate, allowing up to four employees to handle the shipping capacity in peak periods. Additional stand alone systems are also available for seasonal / promotional periods where increased through put is required.

The project began with a fact find meeting between Storopack’s Business Development Manager and the Warehouse Personnel to ensure input was received from every party involved in the process. Because of this, a strong partnership was formed between the two companies and the information gained became the building blocks for the project. After gathering the data from the Management Team and the Logistics Department, Storopack compiled and evaluated the basic findings, including the product range, equipment used and the layout of the available storage space. The project team held regular meetings to discuss the progress of the project and as part of their brand awareness campaign, a promotional message printed on the airbags was born.

The team at Storopack UK who supervised this project demonstrated the potential achievement available when using a well thought-out consultative approach. Instead of just considering the packaging requirements of the business, the complete warehouse operation was evaluated to ensure all objectives were considered and an optimum cost effective solution was delivered. The “Storopack process” does not end with the implementation of the new solution. After-sales service and support are paramount so that future improvements and new challenges can be addressed using the consultative approach of the protective packaging specialist.

Source: Storopack