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Sealed Air and Wagner Paint the Perfect Packaging Picture
High Performance Foam-in-Bag Packaging Produces High Performance Results
For years, Wagner Spray Tech Corporation, a leading developer and marketer of painting and decorating products and services, used folded corrugated inserts to protect its professional-grade paint sprayers during shipment. That is, until the advent of Sealed Air Corporation?s Instapak® Gflex® high performance packaging foam which enabled Wagner Spray Tech to save 20 to 45 percent on material costs and reduce packaging labor by 50 percent.
"Wagner?s paint sprayers range in weight from a 30 pound unit packaged in a 16 x 10 x 10 inch carton to a 150 pound unit that goes into a 34 x 25 x 25 inch carton," said Wade Isaacson, Manufacturing Engineering Manager for Wagner Spray Tech Corporation. "Therefore, we needed a packaging system that accommodated both the lighter and heavier products, while keeping the carton sizes to a minimum."
Sealed Air?s Instapak® Gflex® foam formulation, in conjunction with the company?s SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag packaging system, is the perfect solution. The SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag packaging system is designed to dispense foam-filled bags in a variety of sizes. Once dispensed from the SpeedyPacker®, the foam inside the bag continues the expansion process and is placed around a product in a carton or in a simple mold to form custom-fit protective cushions. Gflex® high performance foam is specifically engineered to accommodate heavy products that require multiple impact protection during shipping. Additionally, the foam?s unique physical characteristics create high-performance cushions using minimal material, allowing for an overall reduction in package cube.
Raising the Bar in Package Design
When considering the change to the Instapak® foam-in-bag packaging method, Wagner Spray Tech evaluated potential storage and labor savings, plus material handling changeovers. Wagner also needed to ensure that the packaging met International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) standards.
"The products that are packaged on a single manufacturing line change approximately five times a day," Isaacson explained. "We specifically looked for a versatile packaging system that would accommodate the changing mixture of product and keep changeover time to a minimum."
Sealed Air packaging engineers designed a package for each of the seven Wagner paint sprayer models. Most of the packages consist of three cushions molded out of Gflex® high performance packaging foam. To create a GFlex® molded cushion, Wagner uses simple tooling consisting of a positive image of the required cushion shape inserted into a mold enclosure. These enclosures are then mounted onto one of two molding systems. Both the Instamolder™, with capacity for nine mold enclosures, and the Instapak® Molding Wheel, that can house up to six mold images, index automatically to the operator position allowing for easy placement of foam-filled bags and removal of the finished cushions. Then, working together, Wagner and Sealed Air tested each pack design. Because of the unique shape of the paint sprayers, some with protruding parts and unusual weight distributions, it was important to determine where protective foam was needed and how much.
Sealed Air Corporation also conducted certified ISTA testing, including drop and vibration tests, and submitted the certification paperwork on behalf of Wagner Spray Tech.
"Sealed Air provided a ´Class A´ example of research and package design for our paint sprayers. We are grateful for its expertise in the testing and filing of paperwork for the new package design," Isaacson stated. "Our new ISTA-certified packaging definitely helps Wagner Spray Tech internally by diminishing any quality control or customer service issues."
Preparing the Packaging Line
A team from Sealed Air Corporation set up the new packaging process at Wagner Spray Tech, including the installation of three floor model SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag systems, two Instapak® Molding Wheels and an Instamolder™ High-Speed Molding System.Sealed Air also trained Wagner?s packaging operators on the proper use of the equipment and how to maintain it.
The process begins when the SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag system dispenses a controlled amount of Instapak® foam into a sealed film bag. The bag of rising foam is then placed into one of the mold cavities on the molding systems where it expands and forms to the shape of the image inside. When the foam finishes expansion within the mold enclosure, the operator removes the finished cushion. The cushions are then positioned around the paint sprayer and the entire product is placed in a corrugated box for shipping. The precision-fitted, molded Instapak® cushions lock and protect the product during the shipping cycle.
Increasing Productivity and Savings
Increased productivity on the packaging line was immediately realized when Wagner Spray Tech made the switch to the Instapak® foam-in-bag process. The company previously needed three people to fold corrugated inserts for each packaging line. According to Isaacson, some of the packs required as many as seven inserts, resulting in an unacceptable level of complexity and the need for excessive operator training. Now, Wagner only needs one or two people to create the Instapak® molded cushions.
"Wagner reduced packaging labor by 50 percent, allowing us to utilize employees in other productive ways, such as assembling the paint sprayers," Isaacson stated. "This is important because of our high production rates."
Additional labor savings was realized in handling and stocking the skids of corrugated inserts. Because Wagner had to receive new corrugated inserts each day, according to Isaacson, half of the forklift operator?s day was occupied with moving the inserts from the delivery truck to inventory and from inventory to the packaging line. Since Instapak® foam-in-bag packaging is created on-site and on-demand, the forklift operator can now move paint sprayers instead of packaging materials.
Wagner also experienced savings related to both material and storage space with the new packaging system. The company achieved a cost savings on packaging materials between 20 to 45 percent, depending on the size of the product being shipped. In addition, pallet space for corrugated inserts reduced from 52 pallet spaces to two pallet spaces, freeing up valuable warehouse space and workspace for the packaging lines.
Expanding the Partnership
From research and development, testing and certification, installation and training to cost and labor savings, Sealed Air and Wagner Spray Tech partnered to find the best packaging solution. With every new paint sprayer Wagner develops, Sealed Air quickly designs new molds that fit perfectly into the packaging line.
"By working with Sealed Air Corporation closely from the beginning, we have a comfort level that enables us to quickly and confidently add new products to the packaging line without anxiety about it affecting our efficiencies," Isaacson stated.
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