Choosing the Right Packaging Machine for your Business

If you are new to the world of packaging machinery then it is highly likely that initially you will find the range of equipment and terminology totally baffling! We aim to guide our customers through this process and help them to understand the differences in packaging types and how to make sure they are selecting the right machine for their business.

When we first meet with customers we really like to get to know their product. This helps us to make sure they are choosing the best machine for their current and future product requirements. A few of the key considerations include:

• Speed! How fast are you currently packing and how fast would you like to be packing? A variety of factors will affect this including how quickly can the actual product is produced – there is no point having a pouch filling machine that can fill 50 packs per minute (ppm) if you can only produce enough product for 10ppm. Order fulfillment – it is important to analyse your current level of business against predicted growth. How quickly is your business upscaling? Do you have any large orders in the pipeline? Other factors that will affect the speed are they types of product that are being packed, the packaging material that has been chosen and the way the product is sealed.
• Is your product dry, wet, fast flowing, slow flowing, light, heavy? Does it have any specific hygienic requirements e.g. dairy or pharmaceutical. All these things will affect the type of filling machine that you need and how fast you can pack your product. It will also dictate the type of packaging that you can use.
• Packaging type – Pouch or pillow pack, plastic or paper. How will people use your product? Do you need to produce a range of different size pouches – in which case it maybe important to easily be able to change the size of the pouch that you are packing. Our pouch filling machines are very easy to quickly change over sizes.

• How is your product sold? Will it be hung on hooks or standing up on shelves? We want your hard work to be rewarded and for your product to look as amazing as your vision for it. All our customers are entrepreneurs with big ideas for their business – if your product looks the part then it has a much higher chance for success. Sometimes our customers come to us knowing exactly what they want and other times we work with them to find the best solution. A good starting point is to view the packaging company, Lanker Pack’s website, we are distributors for their fantastic range of packaging.

The move from hand packing to automation can often happen very quickly, so it is important to be as prepared as possible. We recommend beginning the search for a new packing machine as soon as you think your business needs are going to change. This way you will be ready to order your new filling machine as soon as the business is ready.

We are always ready to help with advise so please call us on 01420 593 682 or contact Tom Poston tposton@intamacmachinery.com