When a fulfillment center revived a case erector that had sat idle for years, getting the machine running again was only half the job. The boxes that were previously assembled by hand would require some tuning to work well when being machine built.
The Challenge: Automating a Manual Packing Line
Tri-Pac, Inc. has provided third-party warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution services from its Downingtown, Pennsylvania headquarters since 1985, with a second facility in South Carolina. Its clients range from major retailers and home shopping networks to growing ecommerce brands, and Tri-Pac handles their merchandise from receiving through final shipment. Like many fulfillment operations managing high order volumes, Tri-Pac’s packing process was largely manual.
When Dave Lewis joined Tri-Pac as Operations Manager, he set out to bring automation into that process. Rather than starting from scratch, he resurrected a basic Pearson case erector that had been unused for years. The machine feeds flat boxes, opens and folds the boxes, then tapes the bottom flaps. Getting an old machine running again is one challenge; making sure the boxes running through it actually cooperate is another. Knowing the experience and skill they have working with boxes on automated lines, Dave reached out to Acme Corrugated Box for help.
The Solution: Tuning Boxes and Equipment Together
John Marchant, the Acme Packaging Consultant, and Jeff Bittner, Acme’s Technical Sales Representative, visited the Tri-Pac facility to see the case erector and its boxes firsthand. Jeff gathered the machine’s original literature to help guide the process of bringing it back online, then watched closely as boxes ran through it to see exactly where things broke down.
From there, the focus shifted to the box itself. Over the course of the better part of a year, John and Jeff made several visits, tuning box structure, adjusting board grade and scores, and making sure that box orientation was consistent for feeding. These refinements made it possible for the boxes to run through the case erector more efficiently. At the same time, the team worked directly on the case erector to get it running as well as it could.
The Outcome: A Case Erector That Runs Consistently
With box variation minimized, Tri-Pac’s case erector now runs consistently. Acme has kept Tri-Pac on the same board grade and paper combination for every order since, because that consistency is what keeps the machine running the way it should.
“Acme’s vested interest in helping us improve efficiency, along with its ability to make rapid box modifications, resulted in these machines being brought back to life in a relatively short period of time,” Dave explained.
There is still work ahead. The case erector is old and better technology exists. The machine would benefit from a professional tuning to address a handful of issues that Acme identified along the way, and Dave agrees.
The Acme Difference
What made the difference for Tri-Pac wasn’t a single fix, it was staying with the problem until it was solved. John and Jeff didn’t diagnose the issue and hand off a recommendation. They kept coming back to the floor trying and testing until the case erector ran the way Dave needed it to. That kind of follow-through goes well beyond a typical box order. It’s what happens when a team is willing to stay on a problem past the point most vendors would call it done. It also meant seeing the challenge the way Tri-Pac saw it. Understanding what it would take to keep Tri-Pac’s line running shaped every adjustment Acme made along the way. The fix wasn’t generic. It was built around how Tri-Pac’s operation works, not just what the box was supposed to do in theory. That kind of patience and attention isn’t incidental. It reflects the fundamentals that shape how Acme Corrugated Box delivers its service and treats every customer it works with, whether the project is as involved as Tri-Pac’s or as simple as a standard order.
Dave noted, “working with John and Jeff has been a pleasure in every way. The Acme team’s ability to respond quickly to every issue Tri-Pac has encountered, along with its overall expertise in the corrugated box industry, is impressive, to say the least. I say this with confidence, having worked in manufacturing for more than 50 years.”
Projects like this are not unusual for Acme. As more manufacturing, fulfillment, and distribution operations look to automate their packing lines, the equipment and the boxes running through it must be considered jointly, not separately. Acme Corrugated Box has many resources available, beginning with our Packaging Consultants, Technical Sales Representative, and Design Team, who bring both packaging engineering expertise and hands on machine experience to offer the kind of support customers need as they take on more automation of their own.
Bringing automation into your packing line, or working through the kinks of a machine that is not performing the way it should? Let Acme Corrugated Box help make sure your boxes and your equipment are working together.
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