How Erector Changeover Points Affect Your Bottom Line

Published May 22, 2019

Making changes to your automated packaging equipment can be a daunting process. The hesitancy to move forward and introduce new machinery is understandable, especially in light of industry insights that changeover is still one of the top challenges for the CPG industry. Often, making a shift towards a new, improved process by implementing new machinery—like an improved case erector—brings an expected jump in overhead costs, increased downtime during the setup process, a steep learning curve for machine operators, and perhaps the biggest expenditure of all: lots of time.

These production aspects work together to help or hurt your bottom line. The wisest way to ensure that changeover works for you, eventually boosting your overall outcome or strengthening your operating process, is to pick a superior machine to ease the manufacturing shift and produce a stronger overall performance in the long run.  

Avoiding Unnecessary Changeover Costs

Every secondary packaging manufacturer and CPG or SPA producer wishes there was a trick to bypass changeover costs altogether, allowing companies to minimize wasted time and resources and to quickly and efficiently get back to doing what we do best. In reality, though, there is no way to avoid changeover costs altogether. Trying something new will always result in a short-term loss as you adjust to the new system these changes create. However, by choosing to implement changes in a smart, well-informed manner, you can eliminate unnecessary costs.

Take some time to understand the true operating costs of your facility, to gather insight and advice from production experts, and to analyze the existing strengths and weaknesses in your production line. Running through these diagnostics allows your team to approach the idea of changing your production line with a more open—and informed—mind. If these steps are not taken, the evaluation and installation process may be rushed. Then all too quickly, costly, long-term mistakes are made in favor of maintaining positive, short-term results.

Investment Over Impulse

In the current competitive production industry, product producers are making a shift towards offering more diverse case erector and sealer options that can accommodate shorter product runs. Older machines originally set up for a single product or specific production line cause significant slowdowns, resulting in higher overhead and lower efficiency.

Replacing a machine so it supports the sealing of alternate products or automates a changeover keeps well-oiled lines running longer and reduces the time lost when switching to another product. Whether you are building a whole new production process or improving an existing one, it’s critical to think about your long-term goals over your short-term objectives in order to make the wisest investment.

Looking for an Erector That Can Minimize Changeover?

Consider your current case erecting equipment as you answer these questions:

     – Does your equipment erect your cases fully and with dependability?

     – Does it run reliably, without jamming, breaking down, and affecting your efficiency?

     – Does it handle your cases firmly enough to control them, but with delicacy so that they go undamaged?

     – Does it prioritize the safety of your operators and run so smoothly that operators are freed up to spend time adding value in other parts of your operation?

If you aren’t confident in the answers to one or many of these questions, INSITE’s thoughtfully designed case erectors could be the key to approaching your changeover with confidence.

With a track record of proven success, INSTE can confidently introduce you to what we believe is the best automatic case erector on the market. With a simple, clean, and minimalistic build designed to handle a large range of case sizes while accommodating enormous variations in the number of cases that can be sealed per minute, INSITE’s case erector is safe, dependable, efficient to operate and effortless to maintain. Converting case blanks into fully erected, bottom-sealed cases, our case erectors perform this simple action with a precision and grace that will bring joy to every secondary packaging producer.

At INSITE, we work hard to make your work easy. We set out to create a better alternative to existing case erectors, with higher usability and a simpler changeover process. Re-designed from the ground up, INSITE’s case forming machines were borne from the idea of infusing an old function with new life and are untethered by old technologies and previous products.

Invest with INSITE

If the thought of implementing a new case sealer or erector in your production line is daunting, contact INSITE today. Our packaging automation experts will walk you through every step of the implementation process. From your first call or email to our 24/7 customer service team to maintenance visits that ensure your case erector continues to perform at top capacity, investing in INSITE is an investment into your success. We can’t wait to hear from you!