In a world where seven out of ten consumers are influenced by packaging in their purchases, it’s no wonder that package machinery is important to companies. At your plant, making sure you have great packaging is as important as making sure that your packaging fits your entire production process. If your machine isn’t making work easier and everyone more productive, it’s not worth the money you’ve spent on it.
There are a number of things to consider when finding the right machinery. We’ve put together a guide to help you consider what to look for in your next machine.
Is This Your First Piece of Equipment?
If this is your first piece of equipment, you’ll have to do lots of training on how to make the most of it. All of your staff will need to learn how to use it for the first time.
However, if you’re replacing an older piece of equipment, it can help to find something similar. This way, your staff, maintenance, cleaning, and safety teams will know what they’re doing from day one.
Make sure that you’re hitting maximum productivity with the equipment that you’re using. There could be new innovations that multiply your current productivity.
When it comes to productivity, Roberts Technology Group has improved on even the best work done with machines by Marchesini, IMA, and Marden Edwards. Talking to the manufacturers of the equipment will give you a better understanding of what works for you.
It’s never a bad idea to hire an independent technical consultant to come in and assess what you need.
Think About Your Goals
Take some time to assess what you want out of your business. Some companies want to increase productivity. Others want the chance to be more innovative with their packaging.
If your machine is part of some long-term plan to get your products into new markets, you need different things than someone looking to do things faster. All of these details are going to make a difference as to what kind of machinery you buy.
The minimum and maximum sizes of packaging are going to make a difference. If you have speed requirements for producing your smallest and largest packages, that will also have an impact. When different packaging types are important, you’ll need a machine that has a lot of versatility.
Packaging machines are more versatile than ever. However, there’s no machine that can do absolutely everything. Ensure that you prioritize your goals so that your setup is able to handle the most vital elements of your packaging needs.
Think About More Than Price
Price matters when managing any kind of business. Your bottom line is going to be impacted by any major machine purchase. However, when it comes to manufacturing or packaging equipment, you really do get what you pay for.
If you go short on price, you’re going to be giving up other important elements of a packaging machine. It’s inevitable that over time, you’ll incur wear and tear. This will require after-sales support, spare parts, and assurance that any issues with the machine will be covered by the manufacturer.
There are lots of high-quality machines that are low-cost but might offer you the limited capacity to hit your goals. It also might mean that you don’t have a strong relationship with the manufacturer. Manufacturers Roberts Technology Group will stay in touch even more than other manufacturers like Scandia Package Machinery.
Having a relationship with your vendor will ensure that you’re able to implement upgrades when necessary. They’ll also be able to provide help training your employees. These things don’t usually appear as part of the price tag but can have a major impact on your machine’s lifetime productivity.
Consider Financing
Financing is a reality of buying anything for your business. Depending on the type of business that you run and the success of your company, you might need to consider financing options.
Purchasing it outright allows you to own the equipment. It means you can amortize the cost over time.
Some financial institutions will finance more than the cost of the equipment to ensure that you can integrate it and also cover shipping. With leasing, you get the chance to pay it off over time and stay financially flexible. You won’t own the equipment and it might end up costing more but it’s better for a new business.
Put a Plan Together
Give yourself time to shop for, purchase, and implement a new system. You should never make this a last-minute thing. There are a lot of decisions that go into buying packaging machinery and getting it installed properly.
Lead time and price are important but shouldn’t be the leading factors for making any business decision. Trying to do something quickly and for a low price isn’t a great way to set up such an integral aspect of your business as packaging.
When you have a plan, you also will have a complete packaging line designed and laid out. This plan needs to be executed in phases. This ensures that you’ll see quick ROI from the beginning and be able to take on more complex projects later.
The modularity of your packaging line is vital to ensuring that you have something that’s scalable and easy to implement. If your plan isn’t easy to implement from day one, it’s going to be hard to see that important ROI that you need during the early phases of packaging.
Package Machinery Should Be Easy to Implement
When you’re looking to find the next piece of package machinery for your plant, make sure you consider both your customers and your staff. There’s a sweet spot to hit in ensuring that both parties are happy with the performance of your machine.
If you’re looking at equipment from the leading manufacturers today, contact us for help sorting out which is the best for you.