Use Creative Planning To Squeeze Add-Ons Into Existing Packaging Line

By John Henry, www.changeover.com

The good news is that business is great and you need a new packaging line. The bad news is that you have to shoehorn it into existing space and there isn't any. What do you do now?

The first question to ask is how much packaging capacity do you actually need? This is an interesting subject that merits its own article. In brief, you need to define your units of production, which may be bottles, if a single size; pounds, if multiple sizes; or some other measure. Once you have done that, you must forecast how much you need, when you need it, and how much variety there will be. You need to know the variety because the more SKUs you produce, the more production time and capacity is lost during changeovers.

You also need to determine how many hours a week the packaging line will run. This is more a managerial decision than an operational one, but combined with the production and flexibility requirements, it will allow you to calculate the required line speed.

Once you know the capacity and speed requirements, determine the types of machines you will need. At this point there is no need to go into much detail, just develop a block flowchart showing all the major equipment involved in the process. Do this early, do it on paper, and circulate it to all interested parties. This keeps you and everyone else thinking consistently.

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