It takes time, money and materials to package products for safe and damage-free transit. But it is estimated that 2% of all products are still damaged during transport, worldwide. This makes it essential to look for packaging solutions that ensure products arrive at their destination without damage. In this blog, we highlight 3 key points that play a major role in keeping products free from in-transit damage.
1. 90-Degree angles on erected cases
To reduce the risk of transport damage, it is important that products are well packed and the full stacking strength of the case is utilized. Of all products transported, 1% are damaged due to poor case erecting. This damage occurs when cases are not formed with 90-degree angles, which makes it harder to pack products securely and causes the case to lose a lot of its stacking strength. Erecting a perfectly square case with 90-degree angles is fundamental to preparing products for successful shipment.
In addition, cases that are not erected perfectly square can jeopardize the efficiency of your packaging line processes. Poorly formed cases can become jammed downstream, which can damage both products and machinery, and cause costly downtime.
2. Buying the right case erector
It is important to look for a case erector that is flexible enough for your packaging needs. Several factors play important roles during the packaging process and all must be considered when buying a case erector:
- The products to be packed
- The current forming process and how many employees are needed in the process
- The number of boxes per hour/day/shift needed
- The number of shifts per day
- Differences in case sizes
- Printing on the cases
- The type of cases
- Closure of cases
- Product damage during transport
- Packaging environment or layout
- Number of packaging lines
3. The importance of a good case erector
Certain technical features can make a big difference in the quality of the formed cases, especially in their squareness. After all, not machines are the same. A good machine ensures full control of the case during the entire erecting process, thereby guaranteeing 90-degree angles. This ensures quality and makes machine jams less likely to occur. It is important to consider the following components and features when buying a good case erector:
- Blank delivery system – Malfunctions may occur when blanks are not correctly fed into the machine
- The pickup frame – This is where the blank is unfolded and positioned at 90-degree angles.
- Transport through the machine – The case should be pushed through the machine without too much resistance and kept at 90-degree angles
- The closure system – It is especially important to keep the case in a square position, as additional resistance forces are applied to the case when it is closed
- Case handling – The automatic case erecting process can be considerably disrupted by the cases themselves, due to incorrect gluing or incorrect cutting. A good case erector should be able to handle these types of cases, without jamming.
To learn more about what to look for in a packaging solution, download our free eBook.
