If your packaging line still relies heavily on manual labor, you know how slow and expensive this can be. In the past, any type of specialty packaging required human intervention, since packaging equipment was not yet advanced enough to handle the intricacies…but not anymore! Our state-of-the-art packaging equipment is now able to consistently manipulate a wide variety of packaging types and styles, making now the perfect time to automate your packaging line! Need more convincing? Check out our top 5 reasons to automate your packaging line today:
1. More Profits
Profits are what it’s all about, right? Packaging line automation is by far one of the best ways to boost those profit margins and start using expensive labor for things that equipment can’t do. With a fully automated line, your output speed will increase while your error rate and line downtime decrease. And did we mention that automation leads to less operational waste and reduced overhead expenses? While the upfront costs of installing a fully automated line may be large, they pay for themselves quickly in saved time and resources.
2. Higher Quality and Consistency
That reduced error rate means more consistency in your products as they are packaged and shipped out. Consistency is essential to a positive repeat customer experience and shows that your brand is professional. It also gives the image of higher quality and promotes a positive customer experience.
3. Lower Expenses
We’ve already mentioned several of the ways packaging line automation can cut expenses, from lowering your error rate to decreasing operational waste. But a huge way that automation saves money is by allowing your most valuable resources, your employees, to spend their time working on more complex tasks that automation equipment cannot handle. This redistribution of labor slashes expenses and gives your employees more satisfaction at work as they are no longer stuck in monotonous, repetitive jobs.
A lesser-known fact is that in certain situations, automating your packaging line can actually lower your energy usage, saving you on overhead costs. Add to this by installing a solar system, and you’re on your way to a net-zero operation.
4. Safer Operations
While profits are important (we couldn’t run businesses without them), safety is everything. When you have human beings working on your packaging line, it is your responsibility to ensure those people are working in a safe environment, so they can go home to their families each day. The best way to stop injuries from equipment operations is to limit the amount of human contact required. Automating your packaging equipment, paired with remote operation, is in everyone’s best interest on most packaging lines. Safer working conditions equals fewer worker’s compensation claims, too, which could save you thousands.
Another element of packaging line safety came to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic – sanitation. Sanitation on your packaging line is not always talked about outside the food or pharmaceutical industries…but it should be. Sanitation needs to be on every line manager’s mind while doing rounds, and any sanitation issues should be immediately remedied. Another great thing about automated packaging equipment is that the limited human contact with the packaging material and functional parts of the machine means fewer opportunities for germ transmission. Note that regardless of the level of automation, equipment should be regularly cleaned and maintained for best performance and cleanliness.
5. More Satisfied Customers
We’ve touched on this a bit already, but it’s worth saying again. Packaging line automation improves consistency, boosts the customer’s quality perception, fosters a unified brand image, and gives customers a positive product experience that will have them coming back for more. Because what’s worse than purchasing something, and it’s showing up with damaged packaging and product? Now you’re dealing with the hassle of a return and finding a replacement. Well-constructed, precisely-built packaging prevents this scenario and turns that customer into a repeat instead of a bounce.
Team Up with Econocorp to Automate Your Packaging Line
Econocorp offers fully-automatic and semi-automatic packaging machines customized to the needs of each customer. We work with a variety of industries and offer customized equipment solutions that fit seamlessly into your line. Call us at (781) 986-7500, email info@econocorp.com, or contact us online to find out more.