Supermarket Perimeter - April 2023 - 19

LABOR SHORTAGE SOLUTIONS
FOR PACKAGING
By Dan Malovany
BELIEVE ME,
The combination of changes in
consumer behavior, workforce
challenges, requests for new packaging
formats and the often-frustrating need
for greater capacity has driven a record
40% increase in sales of packaging
between 2019 and 2022, according to
new research by PMMI, the association
for packaging and processing
technologies.
PMMI also stated that sales are projected
to remain above average for the
next few years before stabilizing around
a 4% growth rate.
The packaging room is the most
labor-intensive area. That's why innovation
has focused on automation without
complication. Or to put it bluntly,
make it simple for everyone so that
even the rookies in the bakery or snack
operation can start up and operate a
packaging line.
" In a context of labor shortages with
a less experienced workforce, we need
to transition toward not only automated
slicing, wrapping and handling but
also to automated setup, " said Martin
Dalbec, product group leader, AMF
PackTech, an AMF Bakery Systems
brand. " This will allow operations to
perform faster product changeovers
and not rely solely on operator
experience to act quickly. "
Many companies have standardized
digital controls by color-coding
functions, using recipe-driven menus
and replacing words with universally
recognized symbols, noted Jason
Hogue, southeast sales manager,
BluePrint Automation.
" If your user interface is more applooking
like an iPhone that everyone
knows how to use, then it really
simplifies the operation, " he said. " It's
more about mimicking what people use
every day than having a complex HMI
that only an engineer can use. "
Jeff Almond, industry manager,
snack food packaging for Heat and
Control, said the emphasis has been on
eliminating the number of decisions an
operator needs to make.
" By doing that, we've enabled snack
manufacturers to require fewer people
to operate additional lines, and they
don't have to make as many decisions
as they have done in the past with the
ones they have to operate, " he said.
" We know there's a lot of turnover in
labor, and once you train somebody,
they may leave. That's why we're
making the equipment simpler to
operate and giving them the ability
to run two or more machines to help
companies justify the automation by
reducing their labor count. "
Specifically, Heat and Control
reduced the number of parameters
and baselined many of the decisions
required to run baggers, case packers
and other systems efficiently.
Maintenance techs, Mr. Almond
added, still have access to more detailed
data if they need to troubleshoot or
provide routine upkeep on equipment.
" We want operators to select the
speed, make sure they have the right
film on the roll, pick a couple other
parameters and push 'start' and take
off, " he said. " Before, they had to make
20 decisions. They now only have to
make four or five. "
When it comes to packaging
innovation, bells and whistles are
music to engineers' ears, but too
many of them just create a lot of noise
and confusion for baking and snack
producers.
With the labor shortage and the need
for greater capacity, keeping it simple is
the smartest way to solve problems and
drive efficiency in the long run.
supermarketperimeter.com
APRIL 2023 - 19
NOBODY WANTS
TO REPLACE ANY
PEOPLE. They want to
hold on to the people
they already have.
Some of the challenges
they are facing are
about retention and
how to deal with
new people they are
hiring. They're looking
at how to use more
intuitive automation
to speed up their
training and make
that training shorter;
how to empower
operators by making
help available through
remote access that's
quicker and faster;
and how you can help
an operator oversee
the operation of two
or maybe three lines. "
Jorge Izquierdo, PMMI
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - April 2023

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