Initially, the cheapest packaging machine can look like the safest capital decision, especially when getting started with automation. But once the equipment reaches the production floor, manufacturers can discover expenses that were never reflected in the original quote.
Downtime can consume production hours, while equipment that needs more operator attention or frequent maintenance can add costs over time. An oversized or overly advanced system can create a different problem by taking up valuable floor space or adding complexity the operation does not need.
At Econocorp, we work with manufacturers to understand what their operation actually requires and identify equipment that fits those needs. Looking beyond the purchase price gives leadership a better way to evaluate how the equipment may perform over its working life and what kind of return it can deliver.
In this article, we’ll cover:
A lower purchase price can lose some of its advantage when keeping the machine running requires more time and attention than expected. Troubleshooting, maintenance, or lengthy changeovers can pull employees away from other work and reduce the amount of time available for production.
The effects can spread beyond the packaging machine itself. Upstream production may eventually need to slow while the line catches up. Recovering that lost output can also put pressure on production schedules.
In our article on calculating the total cost of ownership for secondary packaging, we looked more closely at these operating costs and why they belong in the TCO calculation.
When leadership compares equipment, the initial quote is only one part of the decision. A machine also needs to handle the work expected of it without allowing operating costs to gradually absorb the savings from a lower purchase price.
The highest capacity or most advanced machine is not always the best investment for a secondary packaging operation. A useful question to start with is: What does this application actually need from the machine?
At Econocorp, right-sizing includes matching the equipment investment to the secondary packaging requirement. Production demands may call for flexibility across SKUs, a particular footprint, or enough capacity to support anticipated growth. The machine should provide capabilities the operation can realistically put to work.
Unused capacity still has to be purchased, and unnecessary complexity can affect how easily the equipment fits into day-to-day production. Keeping the investment aligned with the application can help manufacturers make better use of their capital and support a stronger return over time.
Once we understand the production need, the engineering work can focus on the application itself.
Customers provide cartons and products early so we can evaluate the actual materials the machine will run.
We review how the equipment will fit into the production line, including layout and orientation.
Those steps help us keep the equipment focused on how the customer actually plans to run it. The goal is to apply engineering where it improves the fit of the machine and avoid adding complexity that offers little practical value.
Sometimes the engineering work has already been done.
Our Rapid Delivery Program uses pre-approved configurations for applications that fit established program parameters. When an application qualifies, much of the machine configuration is already established, which can shorten the equipment process.
Rapid Delivery options for select machines include a TwinSeal in 2–4 weeks, an E-System 2000 in 4–8 weeks, and a Spartan in 12 weeks.
Those timelines matter when secondary packaging is already limiting output. The investment cannot begin contributing to production until the machine reaches the floor and is running. A longer lead time can leave that bottleneck in place even after leadership has decided to address it.
We explore that production constraint further in Scaling Your Production: When to Invest in Secondary Packaging Machinery.
For manufacturers dealing with a packaging bottleneck, a qualifying Rapid Delivery configuration can help put additional capacity on the line sooner.
A packaging machine will spend far more time on the production floor than it will on a purchasing spreadsheet. That is where the value of the decision ultimately becomes clear.
Strong ROI starts with choosing equipment that suits the actual application and applying engineering where it adds value.
Contact us to discuss the requirements of your secondary packaging application.