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Thomson Adopts Protective Packaging with the SpeedyPacker® Foam-in-Bag Packaging System

Thomson, the world's leading provider of learning solutions, is dedicated to supplying educational materials in a variety of formats and academic levels. Furnishing the key elements for successful learning, such as textbooks, CD ROMs, online courseware, computer-based courses, and assessment and testing services, Thomson packages and ships an extensive quantity of items each day. When Thomson realized its packaging materials were hindering its ability to increase production efficiently, because of the packaging labor involved and the warehouse space the materials occupied, the search for a new packaging solution began.

After meeting with several different companies, Thomson selected Sealed Air Corporation's SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag packaging system. The SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag system dispenses a controlled amount of Instapak® foam into a sealed film bag that expands to conform to the shape of a shipping carton's content creating a protective cushion. Within seconds, the foam cures (or sets), locking the products in place. Unlike traditional loose fill packaging products, the solid cushions prevent items from shifting during shipment, greatly reducing the risk of damage.

During the packaging evaluation, Sealed Air installed the SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag packaging systems at Thomson. The staff at Thomson experienced the protective foam-in-bag cushioning first-hand and interacted with the equipment. Mike Ballachino, director of distribution for Thomson, made the final decision to convert to the SpeedyPacker® system after considering several factors, including positive employee feedback.

Thomson also conducted package testing and solicited customer feedback before committing to the foam-in-bag system. Dick Adams, maintenance manager for Thomson, completed up to 240 hours of testing by shipping corrugated cartons, using Instapak® foam-filled bags as protection, from the company's Independence, Ky. facility to customers in California and Boston. Reply cards for customers・opinions about the new packaging material were included in every carton. Thomson customers gave high marks to the new SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag packaging method. Even beyond the testing phase, customers remain satisfied because their orders arrive in better condition due to the product protection Instapak® foam-in-bag cushions provide. Thomson also experiences a decrease in product returns due to damage.

"The improved packaging of Thomson educational products leads to higher customer satisfaction. The change to Instapak® foam-in-bag packaging prevents the mess customers previously experienced with cornstarch noodles and provides increased protection to the products," says Ballachino.

To order products, a customer, such as a student, retail bookstore or educational institution, contacts Thomson through a toll-free number and a service representative puts the order into the computer that verifies the items are in stock. The order is then released to the distribution floor. All of the orders are printed and a replacement team refurbishes the stock. The ordered educational items are selected and placed in a corrugated shipping carton, which is moved via conveyor down the packaging line. The packaging process begins when the packaging operator uses the SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag system to dispense a controlled amount of Instapak® foam into a sealed film bag. The bag of rising foam is then placed into the carton to cushion the products and provide void fill.

"The SpeedyPacker® system is easy to operate and with only a few hours of training the packaging operators learn when to use each size bag with various products and carton sizes," says Ballachino.

Thomson uses six different bag sizes depending on the size of the shipping carton and the number of products contained within. To accommodate the large daily volume of Thomson shipments, eight SpeedyPacker® systems are used by all three shifts of its employees.

The previous packaging used by Thomson, cornstarch noodles, presented many challenges to the packaging operators. The overhead hoppers, where the noodles were stored, needed to be refilled three times a day. Replenishing the hoppers required the packaging operator to stop the packaging line, lower the hopper, fill it with noodles, and raise the hopper back to its overhead position. This process was time consuming and forced each packaging line to be halted for several minutes throughout the day. According to Ballachino, stopping one packaging line for five minutes created a 45-minute backlog in packaging and shipping orders. Also, because of the noodles small size and tendency to produce static, they were difficult to control and frequently created messes on the packaging floor. In addition to refilling the hoppers, the packaging operators spent valuable time cleaning up noodles from their work areas several times a day.

With the SpeedyPacker® system, Thomson uses Instapak® foam bulk tanks stored outside of the packaging area that the maintenance crew oversees. Therefore, the packaging operators no longer need to replenish packaging materials. The ability to keep the Instapak® foam bulk tanks outside of the packaging area also contributed to the space savings. Instapak® foam can expand up to 280 times its liquid volume to create firm foam cushions. In fact, a set of Instapak® foam bulk tanks, requiring approximately 30 square feet of storage space is equivalent to having five tractor-trailer loads of packaging material on hand. Also, the SpeedyPacker® system can deliver up to 21 foam-filled bags per minute. Switching to this foam-in-bag system reduced packaging time by 25 percent because of the system's speed and eliminating the need for packaging operators to refill hoppers or clean their work areas repeatedly.

"The reduction in packaging time made our packaging operators very happy and, when we factor in the labor savings, our cost per package is reduced by three cents," explains Ballachino. "The new Instapak® foam-in-bag system also enabled Thomson to increase our packaging volume to keep up with the demand for our products."

Before switching to the SpeedyPacker® system, Thomson packaging operators could only pack 100 to 120 cartons per day. Now, each packaging line is able to keep up with the 500 percent increase in volume by packaging 1,000 to 1,500 cartons per day.

In addition to increased speed and reduced packaging labor, the SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag system has increased space and reduced the amount of packaging materials needed on hand. The cornstarch noodles, which were needed to replenish the hoppers, occupied 5,000 square feet of warehouse space compared to 200 square feet used to store the eight bulk tanks for the SpeedyPacker® system. The company now uses the "extra" 4,800 square feet of warehouse space to store its inventory of educational products.

The unique way Instapak® foam expands to fill any voids between the products and the carton also allows a reduction in carton sizes. Thomson now needs only five carton sizes for its shipments, compared to its previous number of 24 different corrugated carton sizes.

"We met our goals of reducing labor and mess in our packaging facility, and realized some unexpected savings in storage space," says Ballachino. "We have had a great experience working with the packaging experts at Sealed Air."

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