Packaging automation is an emerging technology that will change the way companies send out their products. Packaging automation will enable companies to enhance the customer experience, improve stockroom efficiency, and provide improved revenue management.

The transition to packaging automation in the supply chain is happening. Some companies are already using it, while others are just exploring the possibilities.

Why are so many companies moving forward with automation? 

With the advent of automation, the manufacturing industry has made much progress regarding efficiency and quality. The use of automation software is also increasing because it helps manufacturers connect with their suppliers and customers better.

The following are some of the most important things you need to know about packaging automation.

The first thing is that automated packaging is growing at an exponential rate. Soon enough, automation equipment will replace all manual work in packaged products.

Second, there are many benefits associated with this kind of automation, most notably quality control. When manufacturers automate their production process, they can work more efficiently and effectively than before.

Lastly, with automated packaging, companies can reduce costs dramatically if they look for ways to optimize their machinery and space usage. It will not only increases profit (by producing faster) but also increase the Sellable-Stock space, which you can deliver more quickly to your customers.
How would I know if I could set up automation?

We have simplified it into 3 steps to set up packaging automation in your supply chain.

The first step is determining what you want to automate. This includes the product, process, and packaging type you are interested in.

The second step is to identify how much time each step of your process takes. It’s essential to see how many hours it takes for your team members to complete each task. This enables you to account for it properly when implementing packaging automation software.

The third step is to set up a pilot project if possible, before making complete changes or investing in new equipment or software designs.

Our customers commonly apply one of these 2 kinds of automation in their line.

Semi-Automation by leveraging reduced workforce

By partially automating your packaging line, you can reduce the number of human workers in your warehouse.

This leads to better performance in meeting or exceeding your KPIs. Automation also helps reduce the likelihood of transmission of viruses such as COVID, flu or cold viruses.

Semi-automation often is the option for our customer who is exploring automation as a pilot project to gauge and taste what automation can do to their packaging lines. This is also when our customers set up an evaluation tool to identify the priority to the process that needed automation the most, which will lead us to the following type of automation.

Full-Automation with minimal workforce

This would include all fully automated packaging machines to turbocharge the productivity and squash the total worker on-site to a bare minimum. These workers are usually the technician and operators tasked to ensure the machines run smoothly at all times and do periodic maintenance and material loading.

This is by far one of the most expensive and complicated options available. But once you are up and running, you can have a small team manage the entire operation.

With the emergence of Industrial 4.0 and IoT, automation lines set up today will enable the managers and stakeholders to have complete visibility on the packaging line at the comfort of their office.

How can I be sure that automation will benefit my company?

In a nutshell, automation always benefits companies, especially those who are growing. The possibility of all kinds of automation makes this whole “automation-able” process identification exciting and rewarding.

However, we know that this process is usually daunting, especially for customers who are new to automation. 

With Syspex’s 30 years of experience and countless projects in various industries, we have successfully implemented, we always strive to provide the best outlines to our customers to evaluate and decide which automation is needed to maximize their investment.