Checklist for Packaging Equipment Supplier

Packaging automation is an investment in your product and your business. Beyond protecting and showcasing your product, packaging machinery can have a significant impact on your operations&#; efficiency, speed to market, labor costs and more.

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Given the stakes, selecting the right packaging automation partner to assist you with selection, installation, training, and maintenance is as critical as identifying the right equipment for your application. Whether you are considering packaging automation for the first time, expanding your packaging capabilities, or making an upgrade, the following even 8 considerations will help you identify the best packaging equipment partner for your operation and needs.

1. Objectivity and Selection

Your product and your business are unique.  The equipment supplier you choose should take time to understand your objectives and your process.  If you have other automation in place, they should offer you a line layout analysis to confirm expected productivity enhancements, or to help you anticipate any potential packaging line changes that could impact your efficiency and labor needs.

While equipment manufacturers can excel in a specific type of equipment they manufacture, a packaging equipment distributor with relationships with a broad range of best-in-class manufacturers brings a broader perspective.  Access to a variety of equipment options ensures you will benefit from both selection and objectivity to help you select the exact solution to address your needs. The supplier should also have working experience with how various technologies, and equipment types from different manufacturers work together.  This provides a perspectives that results in the optimum package for your application.

2. Warranty

A warranty is a manufacturer&#;s written guarantee that details what you should expect in terms of equipment condition and their responsibility should there be an issue with the equipment&#;s quality or performance. The best packaging equipment supplier will work with you to ensure you have maximum protection against equipment or parts failures early on in your equipment ownership, and work alongside you to hold manufacturers accountable for following through should you experience a problem.

3. Service

Uptime is critical to productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.  Opt for a packaging equipment partner who can provide you with confidence that they will respond when you need them, not just when their regular visit to your area is scheduled.  Keep in mind the service technician&#;s travel is typically added to your service invoice.   Local technical services can speed up availability, and shrink large travel and lodging bills.

The equipment supplier you select should invest in certifying their technicians through training on-site or at their manufacturing partners&#; facilities to ensure their knowledge and skills remain sharp and current. Ask about their training regime, what they do to maintain their certification, and how they stay abreast of innovations.

Confirm you will have access to a dedicated, fully staffed team of certified, factory-trained technicians that can handle all of your packaging equipment service needs regardless of manufacturer. This will eliminate the need to manage multiple service teams to take care of the breadth of your packaging equipment needs.  In addition to reliable service, when you have a single point of contact for your equipment service, your team and that the equipment supplier build relationships and familiarity that can lead to improvements across your packaging lines.

Although repairs are best accomplished in person &#; there are times this isn&#;t possible.  Make certain the supplier you select can provide service remotely through the or video-conferencing technology.

Enquire about the strength of the relationship between the packaging equipment supplier and the manufacturers they represent.  The quality and strength of that relationship can yield benefits when unique parts, not on hand in the supplier&#;s service department, are required to keep your line running smoothly.

4. Training

Keeping packaging productivity high is dependent on your team&#;s ability to operate the equipment with ease.  Confirm thorough training will be provided for your operators, led by factory-trained instructors.  The best packaging equipment partners will provide a certification plan to ensure your operators can replicate the machine&#;s operations once the trainer has left your premises.

Hands-on training provides optimum understanding, and the ability to coach and confirm an operator&#;s ability to execute a task.  During the pandemic, your equipment supplier should be available on-site where needed and allowed, following all proper CDC and company protocols.  If on-site training isn&#;t possible, they should have the demonstrated ability to provide both service and training virtually via web, and by if necessary.

Further, inquire about resources your team can use for reference like manuals and video resources. Your partner should secure and keep these updated for you.

5. Financing and Leasing Options

Given the competitive edge provided through speed to market and your responsiveness to customer needs and expectations, the ability to put equipment and upgrades to work for you quickly can be the difference between surviving and thriving.

Your equipment supplier should provide solutions that allow you to take advantage of new capabilities even if you&#;ve depleted your CAPx or maximized your annual equipment spend.  If this is the case, look for a supplier with leasing options that minimize or eliminate the need for upfront capital. If the need for a packaging capability is shorter-term, ask if they provide equipment rental options.

The best suppliers will offer creative solutions that allow companies with good credit and in good standing to take advantage of new capabilities provided by equipment.  One such way is to put the cost of the equipment into the consumables to mitigate the need for upfront capital.  Once the cost of the equipment is satisfied, the cost of the consumables is adjusted to reflect current market pricing.

6. Preparation for the Unexpected &#; Preventative Maintenance

When you&#;re in the middle of a production run, the last thing you need is unexpected downtime for repair &#; or worse; the expense and disruption caused by waiting for parts, rework, or emergency service.

Ask about the equipment supplier&#;s preventative maintenance capabilities.  Preventative Maintenance agreements assure that your equipment will be maintained proactively, and serviced preemptively at agreed-upon dates to keep your packaging lines operating at peak performance.  In this scenario, the supplier&#;s technicians take responsibility for your equipment performance to reduce unplanned overtime, rejected products, scrap, and the likelihood of larger-scale repairs.

Using the same discipline for understanding service capabilities, inquire about the scope of their abilities to provide this service across your packaging lines.

7. Financial Stability and the Customer Experience

Ask about the company&#;s history, growth trajectory, and innovations. In the best of times, financial stability is an indicator of the level of service and attention you can expect from a supplier.  In a pandemic environment, your packaging equipment supplier&#;s viability is all the more important.  Their financial health will inform the resources, staff, and availability to you to support your purchase and your packaging operations.

Ask for references from customers who have implemented similar equipment solutions.  Listen for their satisfaction with installation, service, support, and the sense of urgency that they experienced from the equipment supplier.

8. Innovation

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Your business and the environment you operate in are dynamic. Opt for a packaging equipment partner that invests themselves in your success well beyond the immediate equipment need.  Choose an equipment supplier that has demonstrated their commitment to innovation with their customers.  Ask for examples of solutions that made their customers better marketplace competitors, and explore the value-added solutions they bring to your organization that will do the same for you.

Selecting the best packaging equipment supplier for your operations has far-reaching consequences.  The right packaging partner will ensure the right equipment to optimize your packaging and your packaging operations.

Contact us to ask us your packaging equipment questions and to learn how SupplyOne simplifies packaging equipment ownership to save you time, money, and cash flow.

Choosing the right packaging equipment and supplier can make or break a project. There are so many different variables in your decision that choosing the ideal equipment and supportive packaging partner can be challenging. You not only need to think about your present needs, but future innovation to optimize your production.

Where to begin? In this article, we examine seven essential questions you must ask any prospective supplier when evaluating your options to ensure superior system performance that for your unique production needs and maximize your return on investment (ROI).

1. Is My Potential Packaging Machinery Supplier Qualified & Reputable?

There are dozens of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to choose from in the packaging space. Each one offers solutions that can package your products and provide high throughput to meet modern demand.

However, before committing to a long-term partnership, ask yourself:

&#;Do your prospective suppliers have a solid, installed base? Have them demonstrated the ability to consistently deliver successful results on your considered application or something similar? What does their after-sales support look like for you?

According to Gartner Research, 74% of customers expect more from brands &#; not just around product performance or durability, but in how brands treat their customers, employees and the environment. 81% of customers refuse to do business with or buy from a brand that they don&#;t trust.&#;

2. Has the Supplier Performed a Thorough Audit of My Line?

There are several different packaging methodologies, packaging platforms, and material options. It will always benefit you to discover whether or not your potential packaging machinery supplier can accommodate your current production process AND how they will scale it in the future.

If you&#;re developing a new product or overhauling your production line to meet modern demand, it is essential that you work with a team who can hit the ground running, offering you complete guidance, expertise, and understanding of your present and future needs without taking up time playing catch up and costing you more.

This streamlined partnership requires comprehensive communication between your operations, marketing, purchasing, engineering teams, and the prospective supplier. If they haven&#;t seen, or asked for, complete details of your facility and equipment, and drawn up complete plans on how their solutions fit your manufacturing floor, keep searching.

Your packaging machine partner must understand and address all limitations proactively at the earliest intervals so they can offer efficient, fully-developed equipment and service options.

3. Do They Understand My Specific Requirements?

Be as specific as possible when sharing your requirements so that suppliers can develop options for your project. Has your proposed packaging machinery supplier reviewed your Request for Quote (RFQ) with a fine-toothed comb, indicating clearly where they can meet your needs and where adjustments may need to be made? You are making a long-term investment of time, trust, and resources. Accuracy and completeness are imperative as the foundations of your new relationship.

With this information, the supplier will start to consider various options that will meet your requirements and make helpful suggestions on how to optimize your production line. Be sure they are asking essential questions from the onset, including:

1. What is your run speed requirement? How many packages per minute? Do you expect the need for increased output in the future?
2. What type of environment will the equipment operate within? (ex. refrigerated manufacturing, clean room, ambient space.)
3. Define your package requirements &#; ex. MAP and if so, what is the required residual? Have you selected materials & material suppliers?
4. Sanitation requirements? (ex. identify IP rating for wash-down, sloped panels, standoffs, 3A, UL, CSA, etc.)
5. Do your products require specialty trays, films, inserts? Supply .DWG & .DXF, .STP, photos & samples if they already exist.
6. Compare long-term operating cost vs. initial purchase price. Lower initial costs do not translate into lower Total Cost of Ownership. (TCO)
7. What languages are required on the Human Machine Interface (HMIs)?
8. Is your plant standardized on a controls/automation system?

4. Is the Equipment Robust Enough to Withstand Full Production?

Before acquiring a packaging machine, you should consider both its durability and longevity. Be sure your packaging machinery supplier provides you with an understanding of how the equipment is built and how it will operate under various conditions.

Advanced packaging equipment has several moving parts that operate independently or simultaneously at any given packaging interval. A robust design that will help minimize vibration &#; and the problematic and expensive downtime vibration can create from fatigue, stress fractures, bearing issues, and loose wiring &#; over time.

Additionally, you should always inquire about other essential equipment and manufacturer-related details, including:

• Durability and operation under wash-down environments and the effects of rigorous cleaning
• Historical spare parts costs from like-kind manufacturers and equipment to estimate annual parts expenditures
• Past customer experiences concerning the applications and the supplier
• Expected efficiencies when the line is running at full capacity

Ideal packaging supply partners will offer these details readily.

5. How Flexible and Versatile Is the Packaging Machinery?

Some production lines have dedicated equipment for each product SKU. Others include changeover for their equipment, accommodating various SKUs across production shifts in the same facility. Determine what your specific needs are for your unique production line and SKUs and ensure the prospective equipment matches and exceeds those needs.

Too often, producers invest in applications that lack the versatility to produce a broad range of SKUs on the same equipment. They lack the capabilities to change sizing, shape, or formatting (MAP, skin pack, vacuum) and so must submit to downtime &#; costing them up to an astonishing $26,000 per hour &#; or invest more time and resources trying to find and install separate packaging machinery to facilitate production.

Take the time upfront to determine whether the equipment manufacturer taken the time to design and develop methods to decrease the time needed to change over belts, films, trays, materials, infeeds, programming, buffers, etc. Simplicity of changeover will lead to higher uptime efficiency and shortened training time for operators. Optimized flexibility and versatility to allow new packaging format possibilities and new sources of revenue for your operations.

7. Is the Packaging Machinery Supplier a Good Candidate for a Long-Term Partnership?

An equipment purchase is much more than an exchange of money for goods. It is declaring a commitment to a long-term collaboration between two organizations.

Packaging and automation equipment can continue to produce for upwards of 20 years, so you should select a supplier who strives every day to help improve your bottom line.

In determining the right fit for a long and lucrative partnership, have a list of quintessential questions you can ask your potential supplier to make your decision clearer in shortest amount of time. These questions should include:

• Does your selected vendor offer preventive maintenance plans?
• Are you confident that they can get a service technician on site quickly if needed?
• Can they help troubleshoot remotely?
• Have they built training into the installation?
• Can you get training periodically as your turnover rate may be relatively high?
• Do they have an inventory of equipment should we need something quickly?
• What is their on-time delivery percentage for spare parts?

 Packaging Machinery & Partnerships: A Unique Journey of Discovery

Choosing the right packaging machinery and supplier will always be unique to your operations. Your equipment, and the OEM that provides it, will always depend on specific factors such as your product, facilities, desired throughput rate, available resources, scalability demands, and more.

The key to a successful choice is to stay inquisitive at every turn to determine what packaging machinery supplier can provide the best fit for you. Their ability to address your questions, satisfy your concerns, and offer lasting value in every interaction will be the key to optimizing your systems and bringing your business to new heights of success.

Contact Harpak-ULMA Packaging today with your equipment, installation, and service inquires. Together, we&#;ll help you discover what the ideal packaging machinery partner looks like and provide unparalleled packaging solutions to exceed your expectations.

Are you interested in learning more about automatic packaging line supplier? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!