It’s not the weight, it’s the volume, which is why efficient ecommerce packaging ships as little air as possible. For shipments in corrugated boxes, the workhorse of online retail commerce, right-sizing the box reduces the volume and amount of packaging.

Which is why Ranpak introduced the innovative Cut’it! Evo several years ago. Once the products are packed, the machine determines the highest filling point of the box, cuts excess corrugated, and automatically applies a glued lid, resulting in a box ready for palletizing or shipping.  Results include a smaller optimized box; faster and leaner operations; and lower shipping costs. Also, the “waste” packaging that’s trimmed is readily collected by the customer for recycling. It has been successfully used by several customers.

In early June during LogiMAT, the international trade show for intralogistics solutions in Stuttgart, Germany, the company unveiled the completely redesigned next generation of the Cut’it! Evo in-line packaging machine. It boasts improved reliability and productivity and easier operation and maintenance and these new features:

Ranpak's Luc Smeets, Director of Marketing – Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), shares these additional details.

Status and availability.

“The version we demonstrated at LogiMAT is the redesigned next-generation solution, updated to meet ever-changing market trends. Today, a significant number of our next-generation machines have already been deployed across multiple customer profiles and geographies in advance of our formal launch. The next-generation version will formally launch in upcoming months.”

Operator requirements.

“As an automated solution, Cut’it! Evo’s output can be easily maintained by a single operator. It is simple to operate, and multiple machines and peripheral equipment can be managed within a single operator workflow, improving efficiency. Daily maintenance is limited to cleaning of the machine. The operator also needs to refill the lid blanks, while the autofill option on our hot-glue melter keeps glue at the precise level required. Glue refill and knife change need to be performed once a week or a few times per week, depending on the usage.”

Savings in labor and packaging materials.

“Cut’it! Evo can save the labor of up to 10 packers per line. In addition to the labor savings as compared to manual operations, a primary benefit is the reduction of box size and the ability to pack an average of 25% more boxes per truckload, thereby reducing the number of trucks needed by as much as 25%.

“In other words, packers are shipping less air since there are no unnecessary voids in the boxes, eliminating the need for excessive void fill. The result of implementing Cut’it! Evo a smaller box; faster, leaner operations; and lower shipping costs with optimized box sizes.

“Easy-to-open tamper-proof parcels with tear-off strips further enhance the customer unboxing experience.

“To facilitate easy shipment returns, a lid with a tear strip and a glue strip can also be used. Distribution and fulfillment centers experience ease of integration and operation of end-of-line packing solutions that speed system deployment and require less skilled operators in a tight labor market. This is particularly relevant during periods of peak production and labor demand, such as the holiday season.”

Quicker return-on-investment.

“Due to the benefits listed above, benefits include reduced labor, reduced box size, and throughput — up to 15 boxes per minute — achieving positive return-on-investment (ROI) relatively fast. Customers can reach a positive ROI in as little as 1.5 years. With the new generation’s improvements in design, we expect ROI within the same time frame or even more quickly due to the many enhancements in the new system.”

Accelerates sustainable packaging gains.

“Sustainability and productivity benefits include the ability to pack an average of 25% more boxes per truckload, also reducing the number of trucks needed by as much as 25%. There’s increased throughput with the ability to deliver ready-to-ship boxes at the rate of up to 15 per minute. Additionally, sustainable packaging provides an enhanced consumer experience.”

Customer testimonials.

Quotes from customers using the previous generation of the Cut’it! Evo. “As the newly redesigned system is deployed to the field, we expect to see even more positive customer feedback,” Smeets points out.

Medpets: “We are now able to process all orders during our daily peaks with only four packing stations instead of 20,” says Bart Jakobsen, supply chain manager of Medpets. “ROI was exceptional, paying back in just 1.5 years instead of the expected 2.5 years.”

Omoda reduced labor costs, and they also reduced package size, saving on materials and shipping. The previous system was shipping up to 50% air, with an impact on both sustainability and shipping cost. Smaller voids reduced the CO2 footprint and improved the customer unboxing experience, including an easy-to-open carton, and packaging that could be easily closed and returned.

Customer satisfaction is a high priority of Bax Music. The three most important factors when it comes to their online business are: throughput, packaging material cost, and product protection. Ranpak helped Bax Music determine that the larger/fragile items they are packaging would be protected and cushioned using Ranpak's PadPak LC pads that drop into the box automatically. The orders that only required void fill are filled using FillPak converters. This allows the Music Store to ship up to 1,000 orders a day. These inline solutions offer the speed and product protection this customer needed, while keeping packaging cost at a minimum.