Engineering a Complete Packaging Line for Any Project

At Liquid Packaging Solutions, packaging equipment is built on a daily basis. From projects for food and beverage to shampoo, chemicals, oil, pharmaceuticals and more, each machine or packaging system must meet the needs of not only the products being prepared, but the needs of the packager as well. For this reason, each machine or system manufactured by LPS will be customized for each individual packager.

To engineer the ideal packaging system for each individual project, communication between packager and manufacturer at an early point in the process is crucial. The more information collected and shared, the easier it is to reach the finish line and put efficient, reliable equipment on the production floor. Below are a few of the key factors that will help determine what equipment will work best for any project.

Products and Packaging

Of course, packaging equipment must be able to handle each and every liquid being run by the machinery. Different filling equipment can be manufactured for thin liquids or thick liquids. In addition, different principles can be used to fill bottles to a specific level, volume or weight. However, knowing the different sizes and shapes of the packages themselves, including bottles, caps, labels and more, will play an important role across all of the machinery. Equipment from conveyors to rinsers, fillers and cappers must be manufactured with height and width adjustments that will accommodate the range of bottles and components used for that given project.

Space

Packaging machinery can be built to work on a tabletop, though speed will be limited for such systems. Equipment can also take up hundreds of feet of floor space when a project is automated from bottle loading to pallet wrapping. Understanding the space that is available is necessary to engineer packaging equipment that will not only fit on the floor, but also leave space for storage, movement and any other activities that may take place in the plant.

Labor Available

As noted above, tabletop equipment can be manufactured to help package projects. These machines are semi-automatic in nature, in that they require an operator to interact with the machine for each cycle. In other words, each time a bottle is filled, for example, the operator will need to place the bottle or bottles and activate the fill. Automatic equipment will still require an operator to set up and monitor the machinery, but they will not be required to interact with each cycle. A semi-automatic packaging system may require several laborers to meet production deadlines. Automatic machinery will require less labor and, obviously, produce more product faster.

Demand and Future Growth

Demand will drive the speed of the packaging system. Most packagers will automate their packaging process in order to speed up the production of product and meet market demand. However, focusing only on demand at the time of automating can lead to a short useful life for machinery. Most packagers will strive to increase the demand for their product, or even add new items to their product line over time. For this reason, packaging equipment will typically be manufactured to produce more than current demand, allowing the machinery to grow with the company. In addition, many machines can be manufactured to allow for future upgrades, such as addition fill heads, to increase the output of product in the future.

Budget

As a general rule, more speed equals greater costs when it comes to packaging machinery and few, if any, businesses have unlimited cash on hand for equipment. However, with tabletop equipment, fully automatic equipment and literally thousands of options and combinations in between, a packaging system can almost always be built to meet the specific needs of a project on a reasonable budget. Here again the ability to upgrade different machines can allow a packager to start smaller and save cash for other aspects of the business while having the ability to add to equipment in the future. Some semi-automatic machines can even be upgraded to automatic production when the demand eventually warrants such a jump.

By considering these factors along with any unique characteristics of a packaging project, LPS can engineer an affordable, reliable and efficient solution for just about any business. To discuss your own project with a Packaging Specialist at LPS, simply fill out the quick connect form found on the LPS website or call toll free at 1-888-393-3693.