FLEXIBILITY ON THE LINE
By Maria A. Ferrante
EVER-EVOLVING DESIGNS HAVE FORCED PACKAGING MACHINERY TO BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE.
You adjust. You put in your backup players and dig deep into your playbook. You ask your team to step it up a notch and up and you go for the win.
In the world of packaging, as situations change and demands increase, the equipment you have been relying on for years may not be able to step up. Retailers now dictate what consumer packaging goods (CPG) companies will be delivering, instead of CPG companies selling the retailer what they manufacture.
That’s when you need to go to your playbook and dig deep. Look at what you have and evaluate how effective your packaging line is at delivering what your customer wants.
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The modular construction of George Gordon and Associates Accuwrap FG-2000W (see above and left ) allows for removal of all modules for expediant changeover and flexibility for future line changes |
“We see this happening in all industries, beverage, food, personal care,” McPheely says. “As customers are increasing the scope of their line, they are decreasing everything. We are trying to manage the paradox.”
Hartness approaches flexibility with the goal of removing all non-value added functions. “We are looking to simplify the machines for no tool changeover. We try to eliminate change parts, eliminate lubrication on lines. We design lines that use 30 to 40 percent less space,” McPheely says. “We do not allow bottles or containers to touch each other. We have developed what we call a Dynac-centric line. We look to place machines very close together with our Dynac accumulation system in between to eliminate the bottleneck that can be caused by the conveyer between the filler and the labeler.”
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The FlexsysPAK concept from ATS Automation allows packaging customers to adapt to different carton, blister or tray styles. |
To bring increasingly flexible solutions to customers, Hartness looks at the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) ratio. OEE is obtained by multiplication of three ratios: 1) Availability ratio – time for which equipment was available for operation divided by total calendar period for which OEE is being calculated; 2) Quality ratio – Quantity of “A” grade material produced divided by total production; 3) Performance ratio – rate of production divided by capacity of machine to produce.
The line itself does not need to be simple, but it needs to be simple to operate. “A line needs to be simple to operate. If designed properly, and the OEE is at a high level, a packaging line can be simplified to accomplish the overall goals,”McPheely says.
Customers are taking the weight out of the package and coming up with more creative designs, McPheely says. Packaging lines should be able to respond to these changes and provide flexible solutions.
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Stations on FlexsysPAK can be utilized or bypassed, depending on the particular project. |
In the beverage area, a case of soft drinks used to be 24 cans on a flat, shrink-wrapped tray. Now, the carton itself looks different – it is cube shaped. This gives the beverage company more shelf appeal, but how do you adapt your manufacturing line to go from tray packaging to tiering 12-ounce bottles of beer or soft drink into a carton, asks Tom Jensen, engineer, technology evangelist, business development from Elau Inc., a technology provider based in Chicago, Ill.
“We see a lot of this flexibility happening in labeling applications,” Jensen says. “In the beer market, we are seeing many of the paper labels being replaced by clear plastic self adhesive labels or shrink sleeves. The labeler needs to be flexible enough to handle the different materials, at the push of a button.”
Some machinery manufacturers take flexibility to an extreme level. “SIG Combiblock has introduced the Combishapes concept into the European market. The machine can create, build and fill 40 or more package shapes on the same line,” Jensen says.
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"WE ARE HEARING MORE ABOUT ADDING FLEXIBILITY IN PACKAGE TYPE THAN PRODUCT TYPE. -John Kowal, Elau |
“We are hearing more about adding flexibility in package type than product type. This goes along with the figure of merit that there are ten SKUs based on package for every one SKU based on formulation. For example, a SIG Combishape line can run 40 plus carton shapes but may be dedicated to orange juice variation,” says John Kowal, global marketing manager, Elau Inc.
So with all this flexibility in demand, what strategies does a CPG company employ to meet market demands?
STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE FLEXIBILITY
Just as there are many plays you can pull out of a playbook, there are many strategies you can employ in order to maximize flexibility on your line.
- Minimize the number of machines on a line.
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"IF DESIGNED PROPERLY, A PACKAGING LINE CAN BE SIMPLIFIED TO ACCOMPLISH THE OVERALL GOALS"
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The more machines, the more complexity, the more difficult the changeover can be. “A filler capper combination has a smaller footprint and will make the line simpler in terms of the number of machines,” Jensen says.
It is also important to have machines that can handle a range of sizes. “The PSC Mateer Burt inline filler, for example, can handle a range of dosing for dry coffee and tea in single-serve packs – single-serve is a capability that is only going to be more important in the brewed beverage category,” Kowal says.
- Minimize the amount of conveyance between machines.
Transporting packages or product from one machine to another can create a bottleneck. “If there is a bump in the conveyor system, a bottle can fall over causing downtime. Take a close look at where the conveyance meets the machine. Product sometimes gets jammed together,” Jensen says. “Conveyance is the most difficult part of changing over the line. A servo-driven case packer can be changed over in minutes, but it might take 20 minutes or more to changeover the conveyor.”
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ATS's Lyoscan system provides single pass, high-speed inspection of lyophilised (freeze dried) products and vials. |
- Look for modular solutions.
Packagers must now “pack on demand” which means shorter runs for individual SKUs. Some strategies that consumer packaged goods companies are employing are modular equipment that can roll-in/roll-out as needed, multiple permanently installed equipment, easily programmable inter-machine transfer conveyors, flexible equipment, manual labor in-house or contract , according to Edward Goldman, senior vice president, Foster-Miller, Waltham, Mass., during a presentation at the Conference at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.
Packaging machines are taking cues from the processing end. George Gordon Associates (GGA) has introduced the AccuWrap wrapping system to meet their customer demands for flexibility in pizza wrapping.
“A wrapping machine for pizza needs to be able to run a sixteen inch crust, punch in a new recipe, change the forming box and the pitch of the conveyor without tools,” says Ron Downing, vice president marketing/sales, GGA based in Merrimack, N.H. “The electronics on the AccuWrap will even prompt the operator on the necessary steps to accommodate the new product like the right film to put on the machine with a lock out to keep the machine from running until the operator has confirmed they have completed the items.
“Entering a recipe automatically sets parameters such as the temperature and speed. Those items needing operator attention are posted on the touch screen. The whole process of changeover takes no more than ten minutes.”
Modular machines can allow you to adapt your line to different situations with ease. “Up time means more product shipped at no additional overhead cost. The flexibility and modularity of the AccuWrap helps the customer to gain a competitive advantage,” Downing says. As needs change, modules can be added to the AccuWrap later for new configurations.
Krones is also offering modular solutions. “With our modular labeling equipment, the customer has the choice to run today with pressure sensitive labeling, tomorrow with film wrap-around and tomorrow afternoon with cold glue spot labels. That is all made possible by inventing the highly sophisticated modular concept of interchangeable labeling solutions,” says Lutz Frerichs, regional sales manager, Krones Inc., Franklin, Wisc.
- Servo technology and open architecture.
Servo technology is being used in the majority of packaging machines designed for flexibility. “Flexibility comes back to the servo. With a mechanical solution, you may have 24 settings to change, whereas with a servo it is a push button setting,” says Kowal. “Servo technology is enabling a lot of the flexibility we are seeing in today’s packaging machines.”
In addition to servos, the ability of the packaging machines to communicate effectively can enhance flexibility.
“The concept of proprietary networks has to go away. With today’s technology, you no longer need a complex supervisory scheme to make things work,” Jensen says. “I encourage customers to adhere to an open standard. If one machine does not talk to another, you need additional hardware or software to make the connections. This adds expense, reduces efficiency and limits your ability to be flexible.”
Supervisory control can add $70,000 to $200,000 per control to a line, says Kowal. “Today’s control systems can communicate up to the MES (manufacturing execution system) without an intermediary system. This really simplifies the control structure and addresses the need for transparency. A simplified control system will give you the ability to calculate how efficient a line is and figure out where the bottlenecks are – giving you the flexibility to increase production by eliminating the bottleneck.”
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The flexibility of Hartness' Dynac Centric line allows machines to function as independent cells. |
Servo technology can be effective at all points on the packaging line. ATS has developed a servo-controlled pallet conveyor system for pharmaceutical applications. Unlike conventional chain or belt driven conveyor systems, the ATS Supertrak pallet conveyor system consists of programmable pallets, each carrying product in its pallet fixture.
“Each pallet is driven by the linear servo technology embedded in the system track. The direction, acceleration, speed and position of a pallet can be programmed or slaved to third- party equipment controllers independently from other pallets,” says Laurence Oldacre, manager, business development, ATS Automation Tooling Systems based in Cambridge, Ontario. “As a result, individual pallets can be programmed to match the speed and cycle time of the third-party process module or station it enters – providing continuous and indexed operations that can run simultaneously on a single system platform.”
- Consider robotics.
“Robotics can be a very useful tool. In the last ten years there has been a shakeout in the market. Prices have gone down, capabilities have gone up,” says Goldman of Foster-Miller. “But, robotics is not a panacea, the application must be right.”
Robots work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Goldman points out. They work in hostile environments that can be hot, cold, dusty,and smelly. They are capable of lifting heavy loads continuously. They rapidly, accurately and repetitively move to the same location.
On the flip side, the end effector (gripper)/work piece interface must be designed to be extremely reliable. Cycle times are limited by distance/acceleration/speed requirements. The working area must be guarded.
“Robots can change their own tooling. The footprint can be pretty small,” Jensen says. “For the right application, robotics can be extremely effective. Robots are particularly suited for end of the line packaging, such as for creating mixed pallets.”
- Reduction in wiring and control cabinets. “Cabinets are going from floor mounted to machine-board and sometimes drawer-mounted. Ultimately we see an operator panel with some control electronics and everything else dispersed,” says Kowal. “Reductions in wiring not only save costs but eliminate many potential failure points at each termination. The more self-contained modules become, with single centralized control that recognizes the addition and removal of modules, the more literally plug-and-play flexible a machine and line can become.”
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
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"SMALLER CUSTOMERS, IN GENERAL, HAVE AN INCREASED NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE DEMAND FOR A DEDICATED LINE." -Lutz Frerichs, Krones |
To optimize costs, major brands from the large consumer packaged goods companies, in general, run on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis.
“Beverage companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coca-Cola all have dedicated bottling lines with no downtime due to product changeover,” says Frerichs from Krones. “Smaller customers, in general, have an increased need for flexibility. They do not have the demand needed for a dedicated line.”
Although, as Oldacre points out, even for high volume products, machine flexibility is still required.
“End-users do not want to paint themselves into a corner with inflexible equipment. They are after flexibility in case forecasted product demand does not materialize and the equipment needs to be deployed for an additional product to achieve even greater asset utilization.”
When designing a line, the key is defining what you want to accomplish. “Input from all areas including engineering, marketing, purchasing, etc. is key” Frerichs says.
Often times, the characteristics of the product itself can limit flexibility. “In the carbonated beverage area the physics of filling often limit flexibility. You need to optimize on your main bottle, but if you change the bottle height you may have to adjust the speed of your machine. You may run 20-ounce bottles at 500 bottles per minute; you cannot run a two-liter at the same speed because of the foaming characteristics of the product. In order to run the different size bottles at the same speed on the same machine, you would have to oversize the machine – or you have to make the decision to reduce speed on the two-liter promotional bottle.”
Project planning is paramount to a successful line design. “The key to designing a flexible packaging line is from the point of view of system optimization. The key to optimizing a packaging line is to put aside any preconceived notion of what is important and conduct thorough analysis at the beginning of a project,” Oldacre says. “This can be achieved through the Total Cost of Ownership model which looks at everything from initial capital costs to the cost of real estate and utilities; operator maintenance training and skill level; material costs; the cost of part changeover; service and spare parts; and even the cost of reconfiguring a system for new product types.”
If the Total Cost of Ownership model is applied to the consideration for speed, for example, you will find that measuring a system’s performance on speed alone can be very misleading, Oldacre says. Most obvious, it does not make sense to purchase one piece of equipment that can process 400 parts per minute if, down the line, another operation can only process 200 parts per minute.
At this point, you have to make the decision to either add in a buffer zone to hold the excess product from the first operation, or buy a second, slower piece of equipment to keep up with the first. Then you have considerations about how much floor space is used up by the buffering system or by a second machine.
“Another pitfall with the lure of speed is that the faster a piece of equipment operates, the tighter the tolerances must be on the parts being processed. This will add to your material costs over time, thereby increasing the total cost of ownership,” Oldacre says. “Furthermore, the frequency and complexity of changeover can quickly erode any benefits of buying premium high-speed equipment – especially if the equipment is not flexible in either its mechanical or control system design.”
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"THE KEY TO DESIGNING A FLEXIBLE PACKAGING LINE IS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION." -Laurence Oldacre, |
The speed of the machine may also dictate the life expectancy and/or cost of the equipment.
“More robustness in design and material may be required for a system to operate at a high rate and still maintain the machine’s long life,” says Oldacre. “Spare parts to replace wear items may be required more often and frequent equipment breakdown could result in a greater loss of product with a high speed system.”
TODAY’S LINES, TOMORROW’S FLEXIBILITY
While the luxury of adding a newer, more flexible line is ideal; there are times when a company needs to look at adding flexibility to an existing line.
“Many times we do not always know what we own. We learn what is needed for the original installation and believe that is all the machines are able to do,” says GGA’s Downing. “Investigate the possible options of the machine you own, read the manual.
“Call the solution provider and ask if there are any upgrades that can add flexibility. Many machines like the AccuWrap are designed to accept upgrades and many manufacturers design upgrades for retrofit.”
Conducting Dynamic Simulation analysis is one way of increasing flexibility on an existing line.
“Such analysis is a very useful tool when working with complex operating scenarios and can help pinpoint where problems are by observing accumulation and buffering behavior; determining the optimal operator head count and related activities around a line and analyzing overall line performance to determine areas of improvement,” says Oldacre.
In order to get the best results from the model, it is important to have access to “mean time between failures” (MTBF) and “mean time to repair” (MTTR) data as inputs.
In addition, you must consider the expected human interactions as per the frequency of loading packaging materials and the human load and unload requirements. These two elements designing an entirely new packaging should be inputs to the model and will line, there is a winning game plan for all help to generate the most reliable and situations. realistic results.
Whether you are retrofitting an existing line or have the luxury of designing and entirely new packaging line, there is a winning game plan for all situations.
Maria A. Ferrante is editorial director of PMT magazine and has been writing about the packaging industry for over a decade.
