As ecommerce sales rise, many brands find they need to better automate their in-house fulfillment and shipping processes. Luckily, packaging machinery manufacturers are stepping up with creative solutions.

At the 2019 Pack Expo Las Vegas show, Signode Industrial Group LLC demonstrated a new packing system specifically for ecommerce. Two machines synched into one system to showcase the company’s vast offerings for “optimized and customized transit packaging solutions,” according to a brochure. The same literature presents 15 different products for ecommerce across the company’s many brands. Now unified under one global organization, these well-known and respected brands encompass products for pack, bundle, unitize, warehouse and transport functions.

The semi-automatic duo-machine system shown in the booth gives companies a sustainable option that helps optimize the size of the case and minimizes the amount of packing materials needed to protect the shipment.

The 30-second video above shows a carton being bundled onto a flat piece of corrugate with an H. Bohl orbital stretch wrapper. The film wraps around the product as many times as programmed and holds together with simple friction so there is no adhesive or tape needed. Products can be placed on this carrier “tray” in various configurations prior to wrapping. This is critical because most online orders are for multiple items.

The tray automatically moves out from the wrapper and is then manually packed into a waiting case by folding the tray into thirds to create a bottom and two sides. Many products can be well protected for shipping with this design without additional cushioning. But the tray could also be designed to fold different ways, including a Z-fold so the product is suspended in the center of the box instead of sitting on the bottom.

Once filled, the case is manually pushed into a Little David SP-304 case tape sealer.

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MinnPack 2019 (Oct. 23-24; Minneapolis) is where serious packaging professionals find technologies, education and connections needed to thrive in today’s advanced manufacturing community. See solutions in labeling, food packaging, package design and beyond. Attend free expert-led sessions at multiple theaters around the expo.