A Brantford, Ontario bell pepper grower was using up to 40 employees in their packaging process to hand-bag peppers. Because of this, the produce grower had a slow and costly output full of inconsistently-packed bags.
A Crawford Packaging Specialist was called to assess the situation and identify any opportunities for optimization. The answer became clear after an audit of the produce grower’s existing process: a flow pack machine could help drastically reduce labour costs while also ensuring a consistent final product. Specifically, the VR-8 Flow Wrap Machine was a clear fit for the grower’s needs. Its design and capacity allow for high-speed wrapping, label application, and custom conveyor orientation.
The implementation of the proposed solution caused a drastic change in the grower’s throughput and cost. From the previous 40 employees needed to pack pepper bags, they were able to bring the number down to 12, re-allocating the unused labour to other areas of the facility. Similarly, they saw a 50% increase in packaging speed, and a dramatic impact on the quality of the final product.
A bell pepper grower in Brantford, Ontario needed a more efficient packaging process for bags of peppers. Their method of using up to 40 employees to hand-pack was slow and costly – as well as ineffective in producing a consistent product quality.
Crawford Packaging sent a Specialist to review the grower’s process and identify areas of improvement. After seeing the large need for labour to pack bags, it became clear that a flow pack machine could dramatically help the grower improve its bottom line. This automation system would do the majority of the work, meaning that only a fraction of the current labour would be needed.
The Specialist suggested a VR-8 Master Flow Wrap Machine. Thanks to its easy controls and vast customization options, the VR-8 can complete complicated packaging tasks quickly and efficiently.
The VR-8 Master is a quick, efficient, and easy-to-use flow wrap machine that’s versatile to compensate for your product’s specifications. With a universally-adjustable forming tunnel, you can change pack size easily – all on one machine. Choose from polypropylene, paper, cellophane, combination film, aluminum or shrinking films and start packaging simpler.
Thanks to the ability to delegate labour more efficiently, productivity has increased by 50%. Now, workers can spend more time on the product, instead of taking time to package it.
The speed at which the automation process allows for peppers to be packaged is much higher than the previous, hand-bagging method. Thanks to this, the products are also fresher, as they can be packed quicker.
One of the primary goals of the assessment was to optimize on labour. As a result of the new method, labour on the packaging line has been reduced by 70%.