Top 5 Areas To Focus Your Attention as a Contact Packager.

Performance, flexibility, and turnaround time are a few of the most powerful ways contract packagers build a competitive advantage. But where do contract packagers turn to solve some of the challenges, they face to enhance their capabilities and be the best partner possible for their customers?

Contract packagers who collaborate closely with an experienced changeover and container handling expert have a distinct advantage in meeting their customers’ demands. Improved changeover efficiency, enhanced container handling, and ultimately getting more value from their existing lines are among the most cost-effective investments for contract packagers. Enhancements such as increased functionality, adjustability to handle multiple or difficult to control containers, or fast repeatable changeovers may be enhancements that aren’t frequently available in OEM equipment and change parts making a changeover and container handling specialist an essential part of improvement.

Here’s a closer look at some of the competitive advantages provided for contract packagers and their customers by improving changeover efficiency and container handling capabilities.

One of the most valuable benefits contract packagers provide their customers is the ability to quickly adapt to changing market demands, whether because of volume fluctuations or introducing new containers. For contract packagers, to get more from their existing packaging machine assets this is a significant benefit which allows them to adapt quicker to their customers demands with out having to wait for new equipment while allowing that money to be used in other areas of their business. Flexibility and scalability are competitive advantages that require good management of packaging capacity and wise equipment investments.

Revitalizing packaging equipment through new parts and components that extend functionality or improve performance is frequently a cost-effective and speedier alternative to investing in new or multiple systems. A change parts specialist like Septimatech designs and manufactures multiple parts, components, and machine-to-machine solutions that help contract packagers achieve fast repeatable changeovers, get new customer products up and running fast, eliminate container handling challenges, and more efficiently package multiple products.

Septimatech has a track record for helping contract packagers get the most from their packaging equipment for optimal machine flexibility. Septimatech can add value in your ROI analysis by helping you investigate the possibility of replacing parts and components instead of purchasing complete machines. Our knowledge and experience with multiple machine manufacturers makes and models, container control, and risk management frequently leads to more cost-effective solutions with quicker turnaround time.

Ensuring consistent quality and requirement compliance is the number one priority shared by contract packagers and their manufacturing customers. It’s also the number one priority of change parts and container handling specialists. Quality is a result of good communication, experience, expertise and understanding your needs. Contract packagers work closely with their customers to define quality, performance, and inspection standards. High quality change part providers do the same for their contract packaging customers.

Efficient interaction between your packaging machines and your containers depends on your change parts. Any modifications to change parts and feed screws should be supported by precise measurement, simulations and testing to ensure consistent handling, proper positioning, and container motion. Septimatech uses digital measurement equipment to create a 3D model of your machine while at your site. All design concepts are validated with advanced simulation of container travel to ensure precise motion and tested for fit and finish.

Precision-crafted change parts are easier to install and adjust. Accuracy and consistency are important to maintain efficiency and prevent production issues. Parts that use quality materials perform better, last longer and help reduce the possibility of product or machine damage. Improvements in durability, performance and noise reduction are frequently a result of matching the right material with the desired outcome. Material differences and related outcomes are some of the key reasons packaged goods manufacturers turn to change parts specialist’s vs OEMs for replacement components.

Quality and production improvements because of our change parts is one of the compliments Septimatech receives from contract packagers and manufacturers the most.

Improving packaging changeover efficiency is one of the most powerful ways for contract packagers to increase uptime. Any time your line is not producing products at optimum levels, even during planned downtime, you’re losing significant money— tens of thousands of dollars per changeover. Adjustable changeover solutions for guide rails and multiple lanes allow one person to adjust large or difficult to access sections of a line from one location, reducing setup time from hours to a few minutes or even seconds. Labor can be reallocated to other production or changeover needs.

Solutions range from manual, centrally adjustable systems to fully automated systems that integrate with existing controls and provide valuable data for OEE transparency.  The most efficient and cost-effective manually adjusted systems typically have a hand wheel or crank equipped with digital counters that allow precise, repeatable adjustments — either single-sided or dual- sided. Some manual systems can be upgraded to provide multiple vertical and horizontal adjustments to fit a wide range of containers.

Quick Change Parts promote common changeover solutions for setup, operations, and maintenance across all packaging machines regardless of make and model. Contract packagers standardizing on Septimatech Quick Change Parts for multiple changeover sequences, enjoy improved machine performance, reduced product loss, faster changeovers, and less downtime. Increased changeover efficiency also improves line flexibility, ability respond to market demands for new containers, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Space is frequently at a premium for contract packagers who must maximize profitability and production in small spaces. Numerous adjustable and modular solutions with a small footprint deliver high throughput and improved performance. Modifications or upgrades to change parts, feed screws, feed screw drives and how a product conveys at accumulation points, curves and tight wheel bend corners frequently improve production output.

Solutions like Septimatech Easy Adjust Tight Radius wheel bend corners are the most efficient and effective container control and changeover solution for space constrained corners available today. Easily installed on existing conveyors, Easy Adjust Tight Radius wheel bend corners are a maintenance free way to adjust a corner to a 6-inch radius to accommodate any container type, shape, or size—empty or full.

When you need new change parts, lead time is crucial to preventing unnecessary downtime and avoidable costs. A part supplier who understands your SKU demands and performance expectations reduces your risk of long lead times and receiving poor performing change parts. Septimatech has excellent turnaround time on OEM replacement and Quick-Change Parts. Choosing the right partner is the first step in building a long-term relationship that can improve your line’s efficiency and effectiveness, as well as your bottom line.

Choosing the Right Partner:

Change parts and container handling specialists with a wide range of industry and machine experience that understands your business challenges is instrumental in helping you achieve peak performance. Your change part supplier should have track record of success in similar or identical applications. Look for a change parts manufacturer who also has extensive experience completing retrofits and upgrades on a variety of OEM equipment. Experience and expertise with a wide range of equipment at various stages of its lifecycle can be invaluable in helping you achieve optimum results and value.

Additional expertise in lean manufacturing, ergonomics, and strategies to maintain production efficiency across your packaging line will also help you achieve optimal performance throughout the lifecycle of your containers and equipment. Change parts manufacturers with strong service and line assessment experience can help you prepare for future changes to your line and strategies to improve handling, production, maintenance, and changeover repeatability and efficiency.

How Septimatech Can Help?

Septimatech changeover and container handling solutions provide contract packagers with increased line and machine flexibility, enhanced performance, and faster changeovers. Our solutions help contract packagers maximize production and speed to market for their customers, while reducing many of the risks associated with multi-container changeovers, tight production space, demanding production requirements. Septimatech has enhanced container control and performance on more than 2,700 different machine models on hundreds of lines worldwide. We provide quick responsive service and support so you can focus on working with your customers.

Talk to us in person at CPA ENGAGE, February 20-22 at the Contract Packaging Association Annual Meeting, Wyndham Bonnet Creek, Orlando, Florida. Fill out the contact form to the right or call us:  +1-519-746-7463 or toll free +1-888-777-6775 should you have any questions.