Maximizing Productivity and Efficiency: The Importance of Selecting the Right Shrink Wrapping Equipment

Packaging plays a vital role in today’s fast-paced business landscape, ensuring product protection, preservation, and presentation. As the packaging industry continues to grow and adapt to changing market demands, it’s crucial for companies to stay ahead and offer exceptional packaging solutions. To provide insights into this dynamic landscape, we have developed Packaging Talks – a series of conversational panels with Crawford’s packaging experts. Whether you’re a business owner, a packaging professional, or simply curious, our panels aim to offer valuable information and inspiration. 

In the first installment, we chat with Craig Gray, Crawford’s Packaging and Automation Specialist, about best-in-class shrink-wrap equipment.

Can you please explain why selecting the right shrink-wrap equipment is so important?

Absolutely. It’s all about productivity and downtime. These two factors are closely intertwined, yet many companies tend to overlook them once they’ve acquired a new piece of equipment. When it comes to downtime, there are two aspects to consider. Firstly, there’s the reliability of the equipment itself. Is it running smoothly or constantly experiencing breakdowns? Secondly, there is this time when the machine needs to be turned off for changeovers to accommodate different package sizes throughout the day. It’s frustrating to see staff just standing around while a mechanic performs maintenance, resulting in the machine being inactive for periods ranging from 10 minutes to an hour or more. The thing is, downtime has a significant impact on a company’s bottom line, but it’s often disregarded or underestimated.

In light of what you just said, can you tell us more about the advantages of BVM lines when compared to other similar-purpose machines?

If we focus on downtime, the advantage of the BVM equipment is that it can store up to 100 recipes. This means we can technically handle 100 different packaging configurations without the need to change any parts or make adjustments. It’s a straightforward process where the recipe is programmed into the PLC (programmable logic controller), which then remembers the settings. So, let’s say we’re going from packaging one bell pepper to three large English cucumbers. The machine recalls the specific settings you had for that packaging. With just a few button presses, you can adjust the equipment’s speed, the width of the package guides, the sealing temperatures, the dwell time for the film, and even the physical height. From a retail perspective, it’s important to have the plastic seal centered on the product, whether it’s a bell pepper measuring 3 1/2 inches tall or a cucumber measuring 1 1/2 inches tall.

The machine remembers all these parameters and automatically adjusts everything, including the forming plow. This feature is unique because very few companies offer a forming plow that can handle a wide range of different products. And it’s not limited to produce alone. The same machine can handle a 6-pack of masking tape, an 18-pack of tea light candles, or even 6 bottles of Coca-Cola without trays. No additional parts need to be purchased, and the machine can run them using thin gauge polyolefin film, PVC film if necessary, or low-density polyethylene film commonly used in the water bottle industry.

When you pick up a 6 or 12-pack of plastic water bottles, for example, the machine adjusts accordingly without any parts changeovers. It takes care of the heat, dwell time, speed, and all the necessary adjustments. This greatly reduces downtime and eliminates the need for millwrights or mechanics to come and perform changeovers. Instead, our technicians will train the operators to handle the process, allowing them to take ownership of the equipment and save valuable time in manufacturing.

So, what I’m hearing, BVM lines are high-performance, extremely versatile, and flexible. Right?

Right, but there’s even more to it. Now, with everything shifting towards just-in-time systems for consumers, we have systems in place that can handle 24 packs of tea light candles without trays or slip sheets. This means we have successfully eliminated 100% of the cardboard, resulting in a remarkable reduction in the amount of cardboard waste generated for blue box pickups each week. It’s truly phenomenal.

But let me tell you about something even more impressive. I was at a customer’s site two weeks ago, and they have two BVM Genius machines running which they use for vinyl record albums. Their main requirement was that the finished product had to meet several criteria. First, the film had to be flawless, with no wrinkles or marks, making it impossible to tell the front from the back. Second, the package had to look like a sheet of glass, ensuring a pristine appearance. Furthermore, the seal had to be precisely on the edge of the record album, which is quite challenging to achieve using inexpensive equipment. If you’re running a box of cinnamon buns that is 3 inches high, the seal position is not a big concern for the consumer. However, when it comes to vinyl records, which are making a comeback, having the seal on the edge of the record is critical. Just imagine the thickness of a record, about 1/4 inch. We were faced with the challenge of meeting these requirements, and I’m proud to say that they now have two systems running, operating 16 hours a day, with virtually no rejects. Every single vinyl record that comes out of the machines looks absolutely beautiful.