Packaging keeps products safe and makes them look attractive. Although it is the final step in your production line, it is the first thing your customers see. So, it needs to be attractive and consistent to be effective.

Manual packaging can be time-consuming and cause employee fatigue. Further, it may lead to a waste of packaging material and inconsistency. Moreover, it may not be cost-effective.

What Is Packaging Automation?

Packaging automation is using automatic or semi-automatic machinery at various stages of the packaging process, such as filling, wrapping, labeling, and palletizing. Almost all industries can benefit from it, especially since material handling can be challenging in this age of rising e-commerce.

Many types of packaging machinery, including wrappers and palletizers, are available these days. You can use any of those, depending on your product’s specifications.

Advantages of Automated Packaging

Whichever automated packaging machinery you choose, you can be assured of many or all of the following advantages.

Quality: Automated systems are accurate and consistent because they have precise, standardized settings. They help improve product quality, cycle time and operations in general.

Productivity: Manually packaging pallets, boxes and other products can be difficult and time-consuming. Your workers may become tired from the repetitive, monotonous and strenuous activity. Machines can work much longer at full efficiency. They also offer much higher speeds.

Product care: Using the right machinery, your products can be securely packaged. For example, a good stretch wrapping machine will ensure that the products are well-wrapped and safe from contamination. This increases the durability and shelf life of products.

Employee safety: Studies show that 20 percent of forklift accidents are caused when people walk on warehouse floors. Similarly, manual wrapping and palletizing can cause cuts, tears and back injuries. By introducing automated packaging systems, you can make your warehouses safer. You can ensure that your operators remain on the forklifts and also avoid other injuries.

Expenses: Although it may seem expensive, the benefits of automation include recovering the costs in a matter of months. You may also be eligible for tax benefits, such as the write-offs and depreciation under Section 179 of the Tax Cuts and Job Act of 2017.

Automated packing ushers in increased productivity. Machinery can perform more tasks in less time than your employees. This saves time and labor costs. You can also save on packaging material and storage space, thus, making shipping and handling more cost-effective.

Many automated processes have a self-vacuuming function to remove dust and dirt in the machines. This means there is no real need for costly maintenance.

Low wastage: Machines are economical in using packaging material. They cut the material precisely and maximize its use by using well-defined patterns. This streamlines the packaging process and reduces waste of materials.

Sustainability: Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) now manufacture packaging machinery with sustainability in mind. Such machinery not only offers good return on investment (ROI), but also is beneficial for the environment. They use fewer materials and have lesser greenhouse gas emissions.

Specialized packaging: If you have many products and different packaging sizes, a semi-automated solution would suit you better than a wholly automated one. Regardless of how diverse your products are, you can find suitable packaging machinery for it. Moreover, by automating packaging, you can change the outline for a case or pallet quickly.

Customer confidence: People buy products if they are pleasing to the eye. One of the other advantages of automation is having packaging with accurate information. This creates a good impression and helps promote the brand. Moreover, consumers are able to keep machine-wrapped products much longer than by refrigeration alone. This increases the demand for items packed by machinery.

Automated packaging makes your products cost-effective, safe, and appealing. You should choose automatic packaging machinery that suits your brand and products. This will help you to expand operations, while ensuring employee safety and profitability. Get in touch with Norlift today for more information and a quote.

Information provided by Robopac USA: https://robopacusa.com/advantages-of-automated-packaging/