Here are five benefits a case erector can offer your company.

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1. Increases productivity

The average worker erects three boxes every minute. A basic case erector can produce 10 boxes per minute. That’s a productivity increase of 233%. Faster machines increase productivity even more.

To make 2,500 cases, it takes almost 14 hours of time to erect them by hand. With a case erector, your time is reduced to only four hours. What could you do with ten extra hours?

2. Reduces staff hours

Similarly, if you find you’re adding workers to the packing area because they can’t all keep up, you may discover that by having boxes being made quickly and easily, your packers work much more efficiently. That means you can reduce the number of people working in the area, reduce overtime, or reassign the labor pool, so the extra people can work elsewhere.

3. Reduce repetitive strain and the possibility of injury

Anyone who performs the same task over and over again knows the pain of repetitive strain injury. And, believe it or not, you can get a large and nasty paper cut from a cardboard box (No, really! A brand new edge is like a dull knife.). Using a case erector greatly reduces the risk of workers injuring themselves, or suffering repetitive strain injury.

4. Reduces inventory

If you’ve ever had your workers erect dozens or hundreds of boxes in anticipation of a large shipment, you know the headaches of trying to find space for all of those empty boxes. You’re basically paying to store a whole lot of empty! Each box takes up floor, storage, and even walk space, if you have to regularly pre-assemble box
es just to keep up with a large product flow.

We’ve talked in the past about the inventory muda (waste). Since you know that pre-ordering raw materials or pre-erect finished products wastes space, you’ll understand how pre-erecting boxes does the same thing.

5. Reduces shipping damages

In a previous blog post on case erectors, we talked about how hand erecting cases can often lead to unsquare boxes, which are weaker when stacked on a pallet. But square boxes can withstand heavier weights, which means they are less prone to shipping damage. Using a case erector can help ensure products arrive intact and undamaged.

The main objection to case erectors are that they jam easily and cause downtime. When in a production line, erecting a high number of cases daily, this can be a major frustration. There are four primary reasons case erectors jam:

1. Blanks are not fed correctly into the magazine.

2. Irregularities in the blank from the carton supplier.

3. The mechanical forces of opening the case and folding the flaps.

4. Transporting the formed case through the machine.

Find out how to can overcome these problems and what to look for in a case erector that will not only erect perfectly square cases, but will also not jam.

Want more information on Carton Erector? Feel free to contact us.

A case erector might seem like an unnecessary extravagance. But when you look at the extra cost and time lost in unproductive work, overtime, and injury, you begin to see the benefit a case erector can bring to your company.

7 Benefits of Automated Case Erectors

Published December 19,

With few exceptions, startup companies and small CPG manufacturers start with at least some capital investment in equipment. However, full automation of their end-of-line packaging tends to come later.

Although both manual and semi-automatic case erectors are fairly common for a growing company, there may be some costs when relying on these methods and some benefits to gain when switching to fully automated equipment.

What are manual & semi-automatic case erectors?

A manual case erector is a simple tool, a 90-degree wedge where the worker inserts the opened case blank to achieve perfectly squared corners while they secure the bottom flaps with tape or glue.

With a semi-automatic case erector, the worker opens the case blank by hand and inserts the case into the machine. The case erector then automatically folds and seals the bottom flaps in preparation for packing.

When is the right time to invest in an automated case erecter?

The decision to invest and build out a secondary packaging line isn’t an easy one. It takes planning and analysis to make sure this addition will bring meaningful improvements to your throughput and efficiencies.

These are common indicators that a manufacturing firm is ready for an automated case erector:

• Decreased ability to meet demand with the existing configuration
• End-of-line bottlenecks are slowing throughput
• Increased inventory damage as a result of poor product packaging
• Increased maintenance on existing equipment

When searching for a solution to these issues, read the 5-step guide to choosing a case erector

Why choose an automated case erector?

Here are seven ways an automated case erector can improve production.

1. Increase speed

Both semi-automated and manual case erector models rely on human hands to open and manipulate the case blanks, and this time-consuming operation is eliminated with an automated case erector. Even if you have an A-team on manual case forming, one worker can build 2-5 cases a minute. However, an automated case former can produce up to 30 per minute, improving throughput immediately.

2. Reduce backlog

Building cases by hand is time and labor intensive. Before packing, workers must first assemble a sufficient supply of built cases. This not only adds production time, but it also takes up valuable floor space. An automated case former can build cases on an as-needed basis, which frees up space on the floor for other purposes.

3. Ease of operation

Unlike a manual or semi-automatic method, there is little to no handling of the corrugated cardboard blanks during formation with an automated case erector. The machine opens, squares and seals the bottom of the case. All you need is an operator to load the blanks and enter dimensions, and the machine does the rest.

4. Faster changeovers

One hesitation to investing in new equipment is the need for skilled operators to complete a changeover. Today’s automated case erectors are designed to complete changeovers in minutes. When multiple different-sized cases are required for a given line, executing fast, easy changeovers will reduce downtime and give your operators time to focus on more productive tasks. Look for a machine that uses fewer parts and components. This reduces your downtime even further as fewer parts means less maintenance.

5. Smarter uses for labor resources

For much of the past decade (COVID-19 era excluded), a labor shortage and historically low unemployment have created challenges in the manufacturing space. A Deloitte study forecasts 2.4 million unfilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S. between and . Forming boxes and cases for 8-hour shifts can be a difficult role to fill and maintain for any length of time. Automation of case forming frees up time that would otherwise be spent on recruiting and screening for a high-turnover role. It also enables more strategic use of personnel resources.

6. Reduce injury and repetitive strain

When workers form and seal cases for 8-hour shifts, the repetition can create strain injuries in tendons of the arms, wrists, shoulders and hands. In the long run, repetitive strain injuries can reduce productivity, increase time off for treatment and recovery, and decrease satisfaction at work. In the manufacturing space, any opportunity to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury benefits worker health and productivity. Automation of case formation reduces exposure to employees as well as the company.

7. Reduce damage to inventory

Automated erectors can form cases and seal the bottom flaps with high precision. This accuracy reduces the risk of skewed case corners and missed applications of adhesion. Machine-built boxes mean straighter stacks and less opportunity for damage during shipment.

For more helpful information, check out this article: Looking to automate? Top features that contribute to OEE]

Case Erectors

If you’re looking for a fully automated case erector that provides effortless set-ups, quick and trouble-free changeovers, consistently square cases, fewer wear parts and less maintenance, consider INSITE. Our equipment design includes innovative use of robotics, active case squaring and elementary operator controls to simplify your case-forming application.

For more Carton Packing Machineinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.