Like many companies, Bogle Vineyards was challenged with finding a way to increase production without increasing labor costs.
For wineries, this starts with evaluating the handling of the wine bottle on the line. Moving these bottles with precision and speed is what allows all the components of a bottling line, such as filling and corking, to run more efficiently and to maximum application speeds.
“When I came to Bogle, I noticed our change parts were mostly outdated and couldn’t run high speeds because the parts were so loose that bottles would run out,” Vimal Narayan, Bottling Operations Manager at Bogle, said. “But the problem often is OEM suppliers are expensive and have long lead times [for change parts], so having worked with Morrison before, I called the guys there and the partnership just grew.”
When demand for wine increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Narayan looked to his partnership with Morrison to help Bogle get an additional 10,000 cases a week, without requiring additional overtime hours, or additional shifts from employees. This 5% increase in output was achieved quickly by utilizing Morrison Container Handling Solutions’ bottle handling improvements.
If the stars and guides on your line are built specifically to encase the bottle precisely, this often allows wineries to run at higher speeds, giving them the edge needed to bring increases in output.
“I know Morrison is a good partner to overcome line issues, meaning if we can’t sort labeling or bottling out, they can provide a solution to give us flexibility,” Narayan says.
With 11 years in the wine industry, Narayan has learned the ins and outs of production. He seeks partners that are going to make achieving his operational goals easier.
“Morrison is price friendly and the lead times are often half the time than what we get quoted from other OEMS,” he says. “But more than that, their quality is just better and gives us better flexibility and more control over how the bottles run. We see more efficient and accurate filling and better placements of our labels among other things.”
From design to installation, Morrison brings its Support Built In® promise to every customer. With every customer and partner, they come measure the machine with an electronic measuring tool that creates a working 3D model of the machine. This allows engineering at the home office to design parts that fit that specific machine, taking the current production environment and needs into consideration when designing the parts to maximize performance and functionality.
Morrison designs the parts, stocks the materials, and runs multiple manufacturing shifts to allow for shorter lead times. After parts have been manufactured and assembled, an engineer installs parts and makes sure they are operating as needed.
Narayan noted, that when bottlers are looking to increase productivity, they need change parts that are durable, because they often “take a beating.” This is just another key ingredient when deciding which parts to purchase in the market.
“Everything from the service to the quality is just better with Morrison parts,” Narayan said.” I mean, even the hardware on the parts are put together with steel bigger than OEM rods – plastic is more durable – and I love the etching on the parts that uses whatever verbiage we need to better identify parts during changeover.”
To make changeover and storage simpler, Morrison also offers Parts Carts that will organize and store the change parts safely, a solution Narayan is looking to implement as well, that will provide even more changeover support.
Every bottler knows replacement parts may be needed at some point; crashes will inevitably happen or parts are damaged when off the machine. With their commitment to customer service and operating multiple shifts, Morrison supports their customers when parts are needed quickly, often having the parts on site within 24 hours after order if an emergency situation arises.
“I don’t feel like we are just a customer with Morrison,” Narayan says. “I feel like we are true partners in the industry and being able to rely on that support has been great as we continue to achieve our production goals.”
