No matter what type of printing, label, or packaging business you have, it creates waste. A lot of it. All the leftovers of your trimming, slitting, and die-cutting processes must be collected, sorted, moved, and disposed of. Every day, all day.
Have you ever considered how much time and effort this takes, and the huge impact it has on overall productivity? Maybe you have, but weren’t sure what to do about it. Or maybe you’ve become so used to how your waste is handled that you’ve simply accepted it as an irritating but inevitable part of the process.
Either way, an automated waste management system will not only save you time, trouble, and cost, but it will help you unlock greater business potential. The result? Better process efficiency. More time to focus on quality and production. Less risk. Faster return on investments. And more freedom to grow.
Here’s how.
Stop wasting time and resources
Ok – you are manually handling your waste now. You may think it gets the job done well enough, but let’s take a closer look.
Firstly, talking about ‘manually handling waste’ may simply refer to you winding up waste or putting it in a bin next to your machine before taking it round the back. Not so bad. However, the problems start to mount up as your operation grows and you start producing waste on a larger scale.
It doesn’t take long before things start to interfere with your process. Waste quickly becomes a constant hindrance – endlessly stopping your presses or slitting machines to put on and take off rolls, moving bags and bins from one place to another, cluttering your workspace. Maybe you’ve allocated staff solely to this task, which not only uses valuable resources and time (after they’ve taken it out and got a coffee on the way back), but also exposes them to risk of injury from heavy lifting or forklift-related accidents, which are common.
It is also possible you’ve had to reduce the operating speed of your production equipment, to make the amount of waste they produce more manageable. Slowing them down is hugely frustrating when you have paid such a high price for machines with high throughput capabilities! It’s like buying a Ferrari then towing a caravan behind it.
Automation drives productivity
At the end of the day, your focus is on maximizing productivity. Getting the most efficiency and output from your production process. Working smarter, not harder.
Many business owners assume that this is achieved with more equipment. But these are incredibly expensive machines. What if, for a fraction of the price, you could get greater throughput from your existing hardware and eliminate the barriers caused by manually handling waste? The money you save could then go into purchasing new printing presses, slitters, extruders, or other equipment, and growing the business.
The most effective way to achieve this is with an automated waste handling system.
We all know the benefits of automation. It’s why you’ve invested in automated equipment in the first place. When it comes to waste, the process should be invisible. Efficient. Reliable.
No longer would you need to pay people to do it, which, if truth be told, is not a desirable task and inevitably leads to job dissatisfaction and often a lack of care and attention. This can increase risk of injury, which can result in expensive compensation claims and lower output through a reduced workforce.
An automated waste handling system means your team can instead focus on maintaining quality, meeting customer orders, and keeping your premises clean and tidy. Crucially, your expensive equipment can also operate at full capacity, helping you to complete customer orders in good time.
Not only does this give you the most value from your investments, but it also helps you to plan your workload better; if you know your production equipment is running at a constant speed, you can more accurately predict how long it will take to complete a task.
Lastly, there’s the issue of sustainability. With an automated system, your waste can get sorted into the right categories for recycling, and you’ll also save significant CO2 by minimizing transportation volume through more efficient waste packaging.
Unlock your business potential
The advantages of an automated waste handling system are extensive. We’ve seen many businesses like yours benefit from them in many different ways. There are, as we’ve discussed, the clear productivity, time, cost, and risk savings. But how does this translate in other ways?
One customer, for example, saved so much time that they no longer had to work weekends to meet customer orders. Another was able to double the length of their rolls of label material, from 1500m to 3000m, which meant half the time spent on stopping and restarting their printing presses, as well as the savings on wasted virgin material.
“This has not only made waste management easier but has also had a direct impact on the operation of our machinery with higher throughput in all processes concerning matrix and web stripping. With added benefits for ergonomics and reducing the number of heavy lifts our employees do each day, it makes the Lundberg Tech MatrixCompactor system a success from day one.”
To summarize, the main reasons to consider an automated waste handling system are:
- Greater productivity
- Better ROI from printing presses, conversion, and packaging machines
- Fewer workplace accidents
- Resources can be focused on product quality, not waste handling
- Prepare waste for a more sustainable process
All this adds up to a more efficient and effective process, which means greater productivity and profitability. And THAT means your business is in a stronger competitive position.
If you have never considered upgrading your facilities to include an automated waste handling solution, now could be the perfect time. For such a small investment, the payback is enormous.
To explore how your business could benefit, talk to us. We can help you to understand the difference it could make, and what would be the most practical solution for your needs.
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