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The Importance of Upgrading Packaging Machinery

In an industry that is so fast-paced in nature, staying ahead of the curve is the best way to keep your packaging business afloat. Here at Korpack, we work to stay ahead of the curve by bringing innovative ideas to life and providing quality services consistently on time, keeping our promises, and maintaining lasting relations. While these commitments are at the core of who we are, our true success lies in the state-of-the-art equipment we utilize daily. At Korpack we’ve found that upgrading machinery comes with several benefits, including increasing effectiveness, saving on costly repairs of older units or systems, and decreasing lead times. In this article, we’ll highlight the many benefits of upgrading equipment and how to do so in 2022: 

Increase Efficiency

More efficient packaging equipment will set you apart from competitors. Modern, efficient packaging equipment means less waste, fewer errors, and improved consistency all around. Packages that are assembled or folded on old packaging machinery are more prone to misfolds, measurement errors, and waste of valuable material.

At times, older packaging equipment may not even have the functionality to do more than just fold materials, leaving humans to do the work instead. Humans have natural unreliability in their actions making errors on the job quite common. Most human errors occur due to some type of miscommunication and a failure to follow company procedure causing problems along the production line. So unless you upgrade to a more capable model, you’ll need extra machinery and labor to handle labeling, taping, etc. to avoid man-made errors.

Upgrading equipment increases effectiveness by automating mindless tasks that otherwise would be performed by employees. This will allow you to cut your labor budget and apply it to other areas of the business–for example, hiring new employees or paying current employees more to perform more thought-intensive jobs.

Reduce Unnecessary Costs

Not only does new machinery increase effectiveness, but it also saves you tons of money in the long run. With any piece of machinery, keeping up with regular maintenance is standard practice. Newer machinery will no doubt be easier to maintain because it has yet to experience the wear and tear that comes with long periods of use. Older machinery is more likely to break down, leading to a world of problems.

Machines keep your business running, and unplanned downtime can impact your business’s bottom line significantly. Repairs can also become costly due to several reasons including limited availability of spare parts, little support from the original machine manufacturer, or, most commonly, the cost of obsolete parts. Obsolete parts, components, or equipment are no longer available from an industry parts supplier, or they can only be replaced by refabrication. Since obsolete parts are difficult to obtain, prices fluctuate often. Keep that up and you’ll find that your business is spending more money than necessary on maintaining equipment that should have been upgraded.

Decrease Lead Times and Increase Revenue

With upgraded equipment comes a more streamlined process allowing for quicker turnaround time for your customers.

A majority of machines today are categorized as smart machines and digitally connect processes for automated, proactive decision-making. Roughly 55% of manufacturers are already incorporating smart devices and/or embedded intelligence to increase the speed of in-house operations. The pace of the packaging industry is faster today than ever — and will be even more rapid tomorrow. Your business must stay in line with what competitors are likely implementing into their production processes.

Quicker turnarounds on orders also mean an increase in revenue. If an order of 200 custom boxes takes a week to fulfill with outdated equipment, your business is missing out on potential customers. Newer, high-quality machinery could cut that lead time of a week in half, therefore giving you more time to complete orders for other customers. 

Take Your Packaging to the Next Level

Overall, updating machinery has far more benefits for your business than it does cons. 

Other benefits include:

  • Improving safety and security – Older equipment, even if it’s well-maintained, can present safety risks. If an employee is injured on the job, your business will be hit with a hefty charge due to worker’s compensation and other costs.
  • Competitive edge – In an industry that is quickly changing, staying up to date with technology will give your business the upper hand.
  • Expansion opportunities – Production will increase with newer equipment making it possible to expand your business with less effort and in no time.
  • Tax incentives – Spending money on purchasing new equipment may make you eligible for tax benefits like tax write-offs, grants, and deductions.

Investing in new or upgraded equipment is essential to growing your packaging business. This is the year to take your business to the next level.

How to Upgrade Your Packaging Machinery

At Korpack, we’ve always done things a little differently than you might expect. This is not your stereotypical slow-moving, old-fashioned packaging company. We pride ourselves on being FAST. Fast-moving, fast to quote, fast to react, and fast to adapt to new technologies. This business outlook is what has kept us motivated to always utilize the latest and greatest technology for our services. If your packaging business is not operating to the standards you’d like, this year is the best time to make that change.

Not sure where to start? We have a variety of machinery options to explore on our website. From case erectors and tray formers to conveyor lines and tape dispensers – we have it all.

Browse our full catalog of Machinery and Automation Solutions.