Frontline Packaging Limited has recently completed the successful supply and installation of a specially adapted semi-automatic pre-set case taper for Berkshire International at their factory in Norfolk.
The customer was manually packing sheets of industrial cleaning wipes in to extremely large cases and needed to automate the process in order to improve line speeds. Frontline Packaging offered a loan machine on trial so that Berkshire could see if it was up to the task. ‘Frontline were very accommodating,’ explains Dan Trapnell, Berkshire International Plant Manager. ‘Once we had the machine in the factory we loved it and wanted to keep it. It has helped us speed up the end-of-line packaging process, reduced the amount of boxes on the factory floor and saved us space. We’re really pleased with it.’
The machine needed some bespoke modifications to be able to handle the extra-large case sizes that were carried out by Frontline Packaging’s engineers. A modified infeed was built and clamps fitted to hold the cases steady during packing to allow the operator to fill the cases with both hands. It now takes the operators much less time and effort to pack the cases, and using machine tape has reduced the cost and amount of tape used.