Things you need to know before upgrading your packaging production line
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Upgrading your packaging line can be extremely beneficial for your manufacturing process. If you are thinking of upgrading any part, your packaging machinery is a great place to improve efficiency and reduce costs in many ways.
Here are 5 things to consider when upgrading your packaging line to ensure you are on your way to success.
1. Find your biggest drawback
Write down a list of the disadvantages you are facing with why they are and how they can help the company make more money / more effectively. You may not have many, and you may have a few pages, but it is important to identify those drawbacks.
Inspecting your entire packaging line and identifying the machinery in use causes great damage. Expansion problems and costly repairs can cause productivity issues and contract progress to fail to keep up with customers. Let's also find out the causes.
Do your operators and direct employees do repetitive tasks that automation can handle? This is another opportunity to improve your efficiency and reduce costs.
Usually in the final stage of the production line is the packaging stage, manual work will be difficult for your business development. This part of your production line has great potential to improve productivity and efficiency. Automation is usually inexpensive and can be paid off within a year, with few manual labor.
When summing up all the drawbacks, you should prioritize their severity. This helps you determine the most effective location to upgrade.
Space
One of the main factors leading to the need for upgrading machines is limited space. If your business grows beyond the capabilities of your facility, you start having storage problems and a range of safety issues for your workforce.
Consider automating some or all of your packaging processes to eliminate the disadvantages found. Newer machines are often more compact and more efficient. Automated machines require less labor to complete the goods, which can eliminate safety concerns caused by the limited space for your workforce.
Labor
When your product gains market share, you must definitely recognize the impact of additional labor on your investment costs and ultimately your revenue. The workforce is a very common drawback because the staff cost is not low in your production.
High demand for your products will require more shifts and more people to keep up with customer requirements.
Automating even part of your packaging line can return itself fairly quickly, especially when reducing your labor costs.
Analyze your labor costs for each part of the process and compare these costs with the estimated costs of the upgrade.
2. Recognize and determine budget range
If you initially plunge into new low-cost machinery without looking into details, performance, machines that are suitable for your line. That is a wrong choice.
Discuss your machine weaknesses with management (who is responsible for budget allocation) early. Be prepared with some estimates
The expected output that an automatic packaging machine will have for your productivity. Think about how it will solve the drawbacks so you can have a real conversation about capital investment to improve your overall performance.
When the budget is determined, you look to the packaging equipment suppliers to talk about actual needs, future plans, you will look at which machinery does not match and choose the exact destination of yourself.
3. Know your requirements
You should buy new packaging machinery that will fit your needs in the long run. Consider 5-10 years later, can the equipment you are upgrading support bandwidth as you grow?
Will the new piece of equipment interest you improve productivity if this is a drawback?
Consider your product line and market. Are there any obstacles your packaging will face over the next ten years that might require significant packaging design changes that will affect your production line and the machinery you choose?
You need to strive to achieve a quality customer experience with packaging that adds value to your brand to thrive in a consumer-focused market.
If so, try finding adaptive machines to easily change the different types and sizes of labeling and packaging quickly. Consider your smallest and largest packaging size when looking at a machine that can run products of multiple sizes.
4. Talk to a supplier who understands your business
The more your packaging machinery supplier knows about your current production and your entire business, the better they can assist in changing machinery to deliver the greatest return on investment.
On the same note, if the provider you are working with does not discuss your disadvantages before you bring them up and they will not ask questions to learn more about your business - is they really Give you the best solution? If you do not feel supported by the provider you are talking to, find more providers.
No products are the same, so don't fall into the assumption that a stranger to your business will be able to give you the best solution for you. Effective packaging solutions will be customized according to your current process and your future development vision; but only if the provider has complete clarity from you before providing the solution.
5. Do not buy based on price
The relationship you have with your supplier is an important consideration in your purchase process. The value they provide you in the long run can outweigh the additional cost by a long shot.
Lower costs may seem attractive on paper, but do they take care of you for the long term? Make sure the price you are paying for your machine is worth the value you will need to grow your business.
Will the provider provide installation and training for your operators?
Do you have any ongoing technical support if needed?
What about a preventive maintenance plan to keep the machine working properly?
These value-added benefits can be huge in terms of savings as they become available, so don't miss out on the small additional cost to miss them.
In some cases, you can even find additional savings with your machinery supplier if they also provide the packaging materials you will use. If you are really lucky, you will work with a supplier who can help you in many aspects of production. Not only does this provide additional convenience, it is not uncommon for discounts on multiple purchases.
Long story, not simply buying based on price.
Investing in upgrading packaging machinery is a big step towards growing your brand and business, so the most important thing is to prepare ahead of time. Understand the 5 topics above and how they relate to your activities and you will be on your way to success.
