YPS: First automated packaging line delivers improvements to board manufacturer

A leading fibre cement board manufacturer has taken its first steps into automated packaging, improving product presentation, increasing capacity and reducing reliance on labour. The company has purchased a sleeve wrapper and shrink tunnel from Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS) that are designed to achieve a consistent seal on even its lengthiest products.

With customers including the best-known national DIY chains, the cement boards had to be wrapped to a consistent, shelf-ready standard. The packaging produced had to be robust to ensure that every board would progress through transit to its destination in prime condition, as the board edges can be vulnerable to damage.

The longest boards produced are over 2.4m and the shrink wrap needed to be to the same standard for these long products as for the shorter products in their range. The boards are also very slim, so the proposed system had to be able to detect the products on the line, despite this.

Previously, banding had been used to package the products, rather than shrink wrapping. As a result, the company’s team were unfamiliar with the shrink wrapping systems available and were looking for expert guidance.

The YPS Team brought its expertise to bear to propose a system that would be ideal for this operation.

An inline sleeve wrapper and shrink tunnel were proposed and supplied by Yorkshire Packaging Systems. To meet the customer’s exact needs two modifications were included:

• Extended in- and out-feed conveyors were supplied to handle the longest of their products. This specification allows the whole product to be in the shrink tunnel at one time, creating a consistent shrink across the entire product length.
• A light curtain was fitted to guarantee detection of the slim products, which also contributes to a consistently excellent finish.

YPS recommended and supplied high strength shrink film to provide the required durability for transport and product presentation.

As with all equipment supplied by YPS, the sleeve wrapper and tunnel are covered by an included service contract for preventative maintenance, over and above the extended two year warranty, delivered by our own team of dedicated engineers.

The customer has been delighted with the results from the new line, achieving the required production speeds and improved product presentation they needed. However, it’s the continued support they receive that has really impressed them.

The board manufacturer’s Engineering Manager said: The service we received from YPS – and continue to receive – has made the move to an automated packaging line very easy. The team proposed an ideal system, machinery and materials, that is giving us the results we were looking for. The support from YPS’ engineers is a huge bonus for us, knowing there are experts there that can help with anything that comes up and even the large stocks of spares that YPS hold gives us confidence that we are supported every step of the way.