Case Study: Morrison Grouping / Collating / Sleeving Custom Packaging Solution

INDUSTRY: Household | OPERATING SPEED: 320 CPM | CONTAINER: Trigger Febreze

Customer Container Handling Challenge: This co-packer and CPG company came to Morrison to discuss a multipack Febreeze line. Originally utilizing 32 people to hand pack the Febreeze into cardboard boots at stations, the packaging process was slow, labor intensive, and didn’t present the containers in attractive packaging with the right marketing appeal.

This team wanted to increase productivity.

Morrison Solution: Morrison was able to automate the entire process through our custom design team with a total grouping, collating, and sleeving solution.

How it works: The initial 1-2 lane dividing screws separate containers for the different pack requirements. Once in the appropriate lanes, the containers are metered and oriented. If you look at the containers underneath the machine, it is visible that the containers are rotating/spinning. This takes place to lock the handles in a uniform orientation.

Once oriented, the timing screws group the containers for the different pack formations. After the containers are grouped, the overhead pucks/pallets lower and grab hold of the containers. These pucks maintain a tight package and control the containers as they are inverted to be upside down.

Once upside down, a sleeve is applied to the package to keep the containers together. By applying the sleeve, Morrison was able to eliminate the cardboard boot. This not only saved the customer a lot of money, but it created a more attractive package because graphics could be placed directly on the sleeve rather than using a cumbersome boot.

The Bottom ROI Line: Our solution repurposed all the assemblers into different roles and delivered a system capable of running 2-pack, 3-pack, and 4-pack variations.

Equipment Description:

This system will accept up to 3 separate product infeed lanes of Febreeze cans and produce bundled packages of 2, 3 or 4 containers which are shrink sleeved together and discharged to an outfeed lane. The graphic to the right shows the general layout of the machine with its major equipment subgroups.

The system accepts one lane of product from production on Lane 1 and up to two other lanes that are from inventory on Lane 2 and Lane 3 with a maximum combined speed of 320 containers per minute. The containers are grouped into the appropriate pack configuration by the infeed timing screws and then oriented with trigger trailing by the discharge timing screws. After collation, the containers are picked up by the over head lug conveyor, inverted, and transferred through the sleeve applicators and steam tunnel. The containers are then up-righted and released onto a discharge conveyor.