MJBizMag Packaging Automation Buyers Guide January 2022 - 12

MJBizDaily Buyers Guide Cannabis Packaging Automation
mjbizdaily.com
" Somebody was wrapping a soda bottle in a shrink-wrap label. It was a football going through a
goalpost. They had ordered from Asia, boxes and boxes of these labels, " Chrzan recalled.
" I walked through the plant and the boxes were spilling open, so I asked about it. They said the
cannabis board changed their minds. A football is too appealing to children, so we can't use it
anymore. "
Some cannabis companies are moving to digital printing shorter runs of labels, giving them more
flexibility to make changes if there's a problem, Chrzan said.
WATCH FOR RED FLAGS
Even for manufacturers on a bootstrap budget, Chrzan advises cannabis companies to be wary of
purchasing inexpensive automation equipment manufactured overseas.
He's heard horror stories of companies bringing in machinery they bought from an auction in China
with parts hanging out. Or purchasing an overseas piece of machinery and within " four or five
months they had run it into the ground. "
U.S.-made automation packaging equipment is the best in the world, according to Chrzan, and those
companies are close by when there is a problem, or a part is needed.
Bernard agreed, saying manufacturers can't afford to have a packaging line down for weeks while
they wait on a part shipped from overseas.
Make sure to get references from at least three other buyers, Bernard said.
" You're spending a lot of money, " she said. " It is amazing how many people will buy equipment
without having spoken to people that are using it.
Dishion recommends visiting the manufacturer to see how employees assemble products and ask
about factory acceptance tests. That's a performance test run once the equipment is built and
before the final deposit to prove that the equipment runs as quoted. It gives the purchaser one last
chance to make sure the equipment meets their expectations and request any changes.
Another question is what sort of training the automation manufacturer provides and how long
before the equipment company can provide that training? Some companies promise installation
and training, but it takes them six months to get to it, Dishion said.
" There is a misconception that's prevalent in this industry that you don't see in any other that what
they're buying from us is something akin to an iPhone, " Dishion said. " That it's going to work with
little thought on their part. But that's not the case. It's Just like a car and having to learn to drive it. "
12
Copyright 2022, MJBizDaily, a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. You may NOT copy this report, or make public the data and facts contained herein, in part or in whole.
For more copies or editorial permissions, contact CustomerService@MJBizDaily.com or call 720.213.5992 ext. 1.

http://www.mjbizdaily.com

MJBizMag Packaging Automation Buyers Guide January 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag Packaging Automation Buyers Guide January 2022