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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
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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% |
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Steps in a packaging automation project
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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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Multiple choices allowed |
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| Technical support | 53% |
| Previous experience with vendor | 51% |
| Vendor reputation/known brand name/longevity | 49% |
| On-time delivery | 37% |
| Product availability | 37% |
| Breadth of product line | 20% |
| 24x7 service and support | 18% |
| Vendor's partnerships | 16% |
| Offers remote, diagnostic support | 16% |
| Global support | 10% |
| Specialized product line | 8% |
| R&D/innovation | 8% |
| Other | 2% |
Ethernet protocols supported
| Multiple choices allowed | |
| EtherNet/IP | 90% |
| Modbus TCP | 43% |
| ProfiNet | 43% |
| Foundation Fieldbus | 20% |
| SERCOS III | 15% |
| PowerLink | 10% |
| EtherCAT | 8% |
| Other | 8% |
