Packaging is a specialty that manufacturers in virtually every industry must address. To some, it means skids, shrinkwrap and labels. To others, it includes complex "recipes" of materials, sizes, cartons and containers. Control Engineering and Packaging Digest set out to investigate this dynamic market through the Automation in Packaging Benchmark Study, a three-part, year-long research project conducted by Reed Research Group. This 360° overview of the state of packaging automation reveals the technology, market drivers and business issues affecting packagers, equipment builders and system integrators.
In Vol. 1, published in April 2008, research results came from the packagers and brand owners themselves. Vol. 2, published in August, focused on packaging equipment builders.
This is Vol. 3, and it focuses on system integrators. This small, but influential group provides hands-on help for system design, manufacture and installation. They also offer multi-industry insights to help packagers obtain the optimal solution for automating their production.
Complete results from all three volumes of the Automation in Packaging Benchmark Study, as well as other resources based on the research, can be found online at www.controleng.com/automationresearch or www.packagingdigest.com/automationresearch. Watch for release of the Webcast summarizing and contrasting all three studies in mid-December.
Types of automation
Package handling
69%
Palletizing/unitizing
69%
Conveying
65%
Cartoning
63%
Labeling
59%
Marking/coding
55%
Product inspection
53%
Fill form/fill/seal
51%
Casing
47%
Robotics
45%
Overwrapping
33%
Other
2%
Multiple choices allowed
Areas where integrators claim automation experience
Multiple choices allowed
HMIs and industrial PCs
80%
Motors drives and motion control
78%
Application and programming software
71%
Instrumentation and control components
65%
Networks and communications hardware and software
55%
Process and advanced control
53%
Machine and embedded controllers
43%
Steps in a packaging automation project
1. Opportunity identification
2. Conceptual design
3. Detailed design
4. Installation/implementation
5. Troubleshooting
Most important automation and control product attributes
Multiple choices allowed
Reliability (e.g. performance)
55%
Price-to-performance value
45%
Quality/durability (e.g. long lasting)
39%
Easy to use, install and maintain
31%
Compatibility with existing systems
27%
Product specifications
24%
Long term cost of ownership
18%
Price
18%
Scalability
10%
Enhances speed of changeover (line)
10%
Products performed well during in-house testing
4%
Offers development tools
2%
Lot tracking/tracing capabilities
2%
Other
2%
Which brand-related characteristics are most important when evaluating automation vendors?
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