Time to Upgrade Your Secondary Packaging Operations for Wipes?
Edson is known for its case and tray packing solutions for the converted paper and diaper markets, including wipes for baby, feminine hygiene, cleaning and sanitation, automotive and other uses
Wipes of all shapes, sizes and uses are seeing a boom in popularity that shows no signs of slowing down. For example, antimicrobial wipes for hand and surface sanitation took off as a go-to cleansing option during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Overall, the market for wipes, including wet wipes, forecasts strong sales in the years to come. Analysis by Data Bridge, a market research firm, estimates an expected growth rate of 6.81% for wet wipes through 2028. As these sales continue their ascent, now is the right time for manufacturers to explore automating their secondary packaging operations to meet demand.
This is an area where Edson adds value, especially to the small and midsize manufacturers of wipe products. Edson is known for its case and tray packing solutions for the converted paper and diaper markets, including wipes for baby, feminine hygiene, cleaning and sanitation, automotive and other uses.
An offshoot of the pandemic is people left the workforce and have been slow to return or found other opportunities. This dynamic results in ongoing staffing challenges affecting numerous industries, including converted paper manufacturing. The labor shortage is one of the main reasons currently driving interest in our case packing solutions as industry grapples with finding enough people to work production lines.
Automation can help solve these staffing issues. It is not surprising that the more successful converted paper companies have already automated much of their primary packaging operations. But for some, that’s where technology ended, instead relying on hand-packing processes to fill and seal cases. While that strategy of finding enough temporary and part-time employees to staff secondary packaging has worked, those days are in the past. These companies are realizing it is time to complete the loop and extend automation to their end-of-line operations as well.
An immediate benefit secondary packaging automation brings companies is being able to reallocate those employees to other areas where they are needed more. Case forming and packing are monotonous, repetitive tasks, and that type of unchallenging work is why some people cut their employment short. Automating these processes provides dependable, consistent, and accurate case forming and packing performance that is difficult to match when done manually. Automation reduces the number of employees needed to complete taskings, while relocating them to areas where they can be more beneficial to the company.
Over the long-term, companies do realize solid return-on-investment from automating their case forming and packing processes. Depending on the size of an operation, that ROI can be achieved in as little as one year. On a manually-staffed secondary packaging line with five employees, adding an entry-level machine that can be operated by one person can quickly justify an ROI that is real and obtainable.
The newly released 4000TL Robotic Top Load Case Packer, is an entry-level machine for wipe manufacturers looking to bring automation into their end-of-line packaging. The 4000TL is a cost-effective machine that uses a FANUC M-710iC/50 robot to provide a flexible top-load case packer to efficiently handle specific applications of wipes in HSC cases at rates up to 12 picks per minute. The 4000TL is engineered for easy changeovers and is intuitive in design, allowing employees of all skill levels to operate it. As a company expands its production, the 4000TL has the flexibility to grow along with them. Additionally, its simplicity allows one employee to easily operate four or more machines at the same time, further maximizing efficiency and their ROI.
The popularity of wipes is here to stay for the near future. Proven technology for secondary packaging is available now to help companies focus on issues that may be holding them back from achieving their sales and production goals. Why wait another day? Edson can evaluate applications and give specific recommendations that will help companies reach newfound levels of efficiency in the packaging of their wipes.
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Susan Marshall is the General Manager at Edson. She can be reached at susan.marshall@promachbuilt.com; https://www.edson.com/.
