Packaging
Contract Packer Sees Productivity Jump Following Meech Installation
Wednesday 28. April 2010 - Pontypridd contract packer Complete Core Business Solutions has increased the productivity of one of its vertical form fill seal machines nearly 15 percent following the installation of two Meech 915 ionising bars above the sealing plates. The Welsh company did not realise that static was slowing down throughput, as owner Stephen Nicholls explains.
“Complete Core Business Solutions was formed in 2006 and has since been very successful in providing filling, packing and distribution services throughout the UK for a wide range of industries. When we started, one of our biggest clients asked us to install two of their existing lines, which we operate on our premises to handle their work. One of these is a machine which overwraps the individual retail units with a plastic film. However, over a period of time the system became increasingly ineffective, to the point where it would operate for only around two minutes before the wrapping material ravelled, jamming the machine!
“We noticed that the equipment was fitted with a static elimination bar from Meech International and so called the manufacturer and an engineer visited the next day. We were extremely impressed by his professionalism. He quickly rectified the problem and offered to check our other equipment for potential static issues while he was on the premises. This was when we discovered that the vertical form fill seal machine was not performing as it should.
“Our engineers have spent hundreds of man hours altering the settings to keep these two machines running, but we had inherited the lines already specified and to be honest we did not suspect that static was behind the problems,” says Stephen Nicholls. “Some days they performed well and other days they hardly seemed to work at all.
“The Meech engineer came back within a week and fitted our vertical form fill seal machine with a demonstration static elimination system, so that we could see for ourselves whether this was the cause of lower than expected levels of productivity. The results were immediate and staggering. We ordered a permanent system for the vertical form fill seal machine and Meech fitted this soon afterwards. Throughout all our dealings we have been very impressed by the service and knowledge of the staff at Meech.”
Since fitting the Meech equipment output on the vertical form fill seal machine has increased from approx 39 to 44 bags per minute, while the need for attention by an engineer has reduced significantly and the quality of the end product has risen. Further trials will be undertaken to establish whether the lack of contamination of the plastic will improve the life of the hot wire and Teflon tape used to cut and seal the web into bags, which would therefore reduce consumables.
In addition to being a pioneer of static control technology, Meech is a leading manufacturer within the compressed air market. While its engineer was at the Pontypridd factory, he noticed that compressed air was being used to move bags. The installation of a specially designed Meech nozzle subsequently reduced the volume of compressed air used in that line by 75%.
Complete Core Business Solutions has continued to expand its business even during difficult market conditions and last year opened nearby a 10,000 sq ft warehouse. This has enabled the company to add storage facilities to the filling, packing and distribution services it already offered and for many customers it now handles automatic distribution of web based orders. The vast array of products it receives come from as far away as Japan and range from food and liquids to blister packed soap and shampoo for backpackers to survival kits for submariners.
“You might assume that there isnt much demand for a pre packed kit to help you survive if you escape from a submarine, but we supply them to navies around the world! says Stephen Nicholls.