Your production equipment is the backbone of your business – but it comes at a high cost. That’s why, no matter if you run a slitter, packaging machine, printing press, or another type of machine, it’s vital that you maximize its value and return.
The trouble is, the waste your machines create – if not managed properly – results in serious bottlenecks to their capabilities, and consequently to your productivity. Stopping production to deal with trims, matrix rolls, or even clogs to your waste handling system are major disruptions to throughput that add up significantly over time in lost revenue.
Fortunately, there is a simple answer. For a relatively small outlay, an automated waste handling solution can streamline your machine’s efficiency, which translates directly into greater profitability for your business.
Increase efficiency, not costs
Finding ways to increase output from your existing machines, rather than purchasing more of them, simply makes financial sense. If you have 20 machines, for example, and you can increase their efficiency by 5% in a way that costs less than a new machine, it is a far smarter way to grow.
One way this can be easily achieved is with an automated waste handling solution. This is a system that takes the waste matrix from your label press or the trims from your slitting process (or any other type of waste-creating process), cuts it into the size you need for disposal or sorting and recycling, and deposits it in a container that alerts you when it’s full.
From start to finish, it is seamless, continuous, and has zero human involvement.
Driving return in label production
Automated waste handling solutions can significantly boost your overall productivity. Let’s look first at what this means for label production.
Presses and converting machines for label production can create large matrix rolls that must be removed and taken to a waste container. Every time this needs to be done, your operator must stop your machine, take off the roll, carry it somewhere for disposal, come back (potentially stopping for a coffee and a chat on the way), restart the machine, adjust it for colors (which consumes a lot of virgin material), and run the process again.
Let’s say this takes at least six minutes. This may seem unimportant; but look at it this way – do this once an hour, every hour, and you suddenly have a 10% reduction in efficiency. With an automated waste handling system, this issue can be largely reduced as the waste matrix is continuously removed, with no human involvement, and zero interruptions.
There are other benefits too. By continually removing the matrix, you can use larger mother rolls, which need changing less frequently and give longer production runs. The gentle vacuum system it uses to do this also solves the problem of irregular web tension making your matrix roll unstable, which would otherwise require you to slow your machine down to compensate for. You are also able to run with much more narrow margins on the matrix without the risk of the web breaking, allowing you to produce more labels per square meter.
What’s more, an automated process saves you in labor costs and minimizes health and safety risks for your workers, which can have serious financial consequences. It also reduces transportation costs as your waste will be cut to smaller size, thereby reducing its overall volume.
Solving issues for trim extraction systems
Now let’s look at some other areas where an automated solution can improve trim handling for slitting, converting, extrusion, and other trim-generating processes.
In some cases, waste trims are winded in the same way as a matrix, but due to the size and thickness of the material it doesn’t take long before they get large, cumbersome, and potentially result in unwanted stops. Alternately, the trims are often removed simply by blowing them into a bin next to the machine, which is bulky and creates a lot of noise, dust, and mess.
In much the same way as outlined above, an automated solution completely negates this as the waste trims can be efficiently and continuously removed with no interruptions. It also helps to free up floor space and create a neater and cleaner working environment, which also makes everything more attractive if potential customers visit your premises.
It is also important to note that not all waste handling solutions are equal. If, for example, yours does not have a well-designed method for cutting and transporting the trims, the system can clog. This can be extremely disruptive, taking half an hour or more to fix so production can continue.
Furthermore, different waste handling solutions require different amounts of energy to run. We have seen examples where production facilities use as much as three times more energy than needed to blow the waste away. Each time, Lundberg Tech was able to provide a more efficient system that could run their operations with much lower energy cost.
Improve bottom line results
Businesses often don’t realize how much of an impact waste has on their production – but it is significant. An automated waste handling solution is one of the most cost-effective, hassle-free, and reliable ways to increase efficiency and throughput, which has a direct impact on bottom-line profitability.
If you want to explore how automating your waste handling process can help you to get more value from your investments, and profitability from your operations, talk to us.
Contact us to learn how we can help you with a waste handling solution tailored to your needs.
Information about Lundberg Tech products for your process.
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