Revised packs remove hard to recycle materials

Crowcon (Swindon)

Brief

• To rationalise number of current packs
• To remove foam from current solution
• To streamline lineside packing of product

Design

Our customer originally packed four different sized products in four completely different packs. All had different sizes outer boxes, different fittings and one included stratocell foam. All were packed on similar production benches in the same area with processes evolving over time and becoming erratic.

Our customer wanted to rationalise how many different packs they had. The main drivers were efficiency and space saving, and a hope to have a universal outer and fitting which would decrease storage and increase packing efficiency. Our customer also wanted a solution that was fully recyclable removing the foam from the pack.

Our design team created a single die cut fitting designed to fit/protect four different sized products. This was manufactured in B150KT. An outer FEFCO 0427 box was designed and manufactured from the same material.

The fitting can fit four units, which are all different sizes, but fit within a standard outer size.

Design features such as pop locks and reversed supports give flexibility to keep the product suspended in the pack, whilst the legs/supports on the external face of the fitting keep the pack supported with the outer 0427 box.

The new design has streamlined the packing procedure for our customer.

Outcome

The fitting is very easy to assemble around each of the products, and as each packing/assembly station is responsible for one product line the operator only needs to learn one pack routine.

The fitting was smaller than the old solution for each product and fits better on the production benches. This fulfils our customers lean production requirements

The new fitting keeps the product as secure as the existing solution, takes four different packaging fittings/boxes/foam into one solution, and removed the need for any foam, making our pack 100% recyclable without compromising strength and product protection.