Most Recent Trends in packaging production and packaging machinery

Today manufacturers of packaged goods are faced with a whole series of new challenges. The change in consumer needs and demands, driven by the increasingly diverse needs of all consumer groups, such as singles, people without dependent children and smaller family units, are likely to be the biggest disruptors. This divergence in consumer desires requires more flexible lines to manage fewer and shorter runs of multiple product types.

But that's just the beginning. In an initiative aimed at improving the safety of the food industry, the US Food Safety Modernization Act has brought some of the biggest changes in government oversight in recent times.

In many cases, the result has been the need to use new production and packaging equipment. And, for existing devices, it has become more important than ever that manufacturers are able to keep up with these changing demands through a trained and committed staff, using the latest production solutions. However, some consumer packaged goods companies may struggle to address how to achieve the production levels and packaging efficiencies needed to meet these challenges.

One of the solutions is to start using some of the main technological advances that are emerging. Robotics packaging, automatic packaging machines, smart packaging and digital printing are just some of the technologies that can make an operation much more flexible and profitable with fast response times that mean savings in related expenses.

Another way is to take advantage of some of the new informational tools that equipment manufacturers have developed to create a clearer picture showing how a piece of equipment or a new technology can increase efficiency in an operation. These include a comprehensive total cost of ownership guide developed, as well as a total team effectiveness benefits calculator.

?

Rise of the robotic packaging machines

Several innovative technologies are now claiming their place and have the potential to bring important new efficiencies to production and packaging lines. The first, and perhaps the most exciting, is robotics. Although robotic solutions have been available for production line applications for years, a new generation of more agile and collaborative robots is emerging. Some of these robots can work in conjunction with production personnel. That is, they no longer have to be separated by bars or railings since more and more they are able to work together with the equipment with little or no risk of malfunction that could injure workers.

The result is not only a more efficiently designed workplace but faster lines and improved safety records. After all, robots can be assigned to the most dangerous tasks in an operation.

According to the 2022 Food Processing Operations Trends Market Research Report by PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, robotics is currently used in 30 percent of processing operations, and in 94 percent of packaging machine operations, an increase in use is predicted in both areas.

For example, today's food manufacturers assign robots to incoming palletizing, product handling and placement, tray loading and in-line blow molding. According to the report, in the packaging machine and packaging automation lines, robots are used for sorting, orientation, overwrapping packaging, cartoning and box packing, palletizing and packaging of various items or references.

According to this report, in the next three to five years, professionals in the sector can expect human-robot collaboration to become increasingly common. It is not surprising that the food industry is still further away than other sectors in the adoption of robotics, which means that the technology still enjoys a great margin for growth. According to the International Federation of Robotics, in 2023, the food sector ranked fifth in the use of industrial robots, behind the automotive, electronics, metallurgical and chemical, rubber and plastics sectors.

?

Time for an improvement?

Not ready to make the leap to robotics yet? The inclusion of some kind of automation can bring impressive benefits in terms of efficiency.

In a traditional operation, after each roll of labels, an operator has to stop the machine and replace the roll. But, if we incorporate an automatic splicer, the production will continue without it being necessary to stop and change the rolls since they are already loaded. For an operation, this can mean a saving of one minute or more for every hour of production. If we look at it this way, the investment in a more sophisticated labeling machine will pay off in less than a year.

?

Packaging is getting smarter

Other advances, such as smart packaging, also have the potential to increase the efficiency of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. Smart packaging encompasses a wide range of emerging technologies, but one of the most attractive for a food company is related to the tracking and traceability of individual reference numbers as they progress through the supply chain.

Washdown solutions in packaging machines is also extending the shelf life of fresh food products, further increasing the efficiency of the supply chain.

Calculate your cost of buy packaging machines

The next step is to know when to invest in any of these new solutions and when it makes more sense to upgrade existing equipment. This is where the total cost of ownership playbook and the total equipment effectiveness benefits calculator can come in handy.

The packaging and processing machinery guidelines for CPG and OEM is a comprehensive guide that includes a checklist. It breaks down the ongoing costs that affect the actual running cost of the machinery, from design and application to maintenance and environmental issues. It allows consumer packaged goods companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to move the discussion beyond the initial purchase price to focus on the true investment and value of the machinery.

A second tool, the total equipment effectiveness (OEE) benefits calculator by ELITER Packaging Machinery helps companies find opportunities to increase efficiency on the manufacturing floor. The calculator, which is offered in the form of downloadable worksheets, can be used to determine direct labor wages and overtime, raw material ingredient and packaging performance, and reductions in unplanned shutdowns.

Given the rapid changes and the challenges they pose to consumer-packaged goods companies today, their managers need to prepare strategies carefully and be creative to find solutions.?