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Innovative Solution Using Instapak® GFlex® Foam Packaging Reels in Big Savings for Interplex NA
For nearly 50 years, Flushing, N.Y.-based Interplex NAS has manufactured the highest quality metal and plastic components for the telecommunication, electronic, electrical and automotive industries. A multi-national manufacturing company, its core business is custom metal stamping and the company also is well-known for its molding, etching and plating expertise. Interplex NAS customers use the components in their own manufacturing process and, with the intricacies of the components, it is important they arrive intact, on a reel and ready to be used on the customer?s manufacturing line.
Before being approached by Reel-Tec and Sealed Air Corporation, Interplex NAS was not actively searching for a way to better create the reels that hold their components. However, the company did have some ongoing concerns about its current reels - which were held together by glue and staples - including using metal staples on reels holding anti-static parts that require shipment without magnetism. In addition, the reels only came in one size, which meant Interplex NAS had to pay an extra tooling charge if a customer needed a special size reel for its products.
Larry Ridgeway, chief executive officer of Reel-Tec, working with Sealed Air, devised an innovative solution for Interplex NAS using Sealed Air?s Instapak® GFlex® foam and Instapak® 900 Series Handheld foam dispensing system to create stronger, more durable reels. The Instapak® 900 Series Handheld System suits small- to medium-sized packaging operations and features electric metering pumps, self cleaning dispenser and diagnostic controls that ensure the delivery of top-quality Instapak® polyurethane foam.
"We weren?t necessarily in the market to change, but Reel-Tec and Sealed Air sold us on the idea. Larry had used Sealed Air?s Instapak® GFlex® foam before and thought it would be ideal as an adhesive for our reels," stated Joe Praino, national sales manager of Interplex NAS.
According to Praino, "The Instapak® foam is a 10-fold improvement over the old adhesion method of glue and staples. Using GFlex® foam, our employees are able to control core dimensions and there is no worry that the side flanges will fall off. We also can have a universal reel where the only thing that changes is the width. If our customers want a larger diameter, all we have to do now is change the cardboard size."
Interplex NAS realized nearly 50 percent cost savings using the new method. Within six months of changing to the new process, the company experienced a return on their initial investment. "In addition to the cost savings, we believe this is a good method of creating reels due to the resulting strength and size flexibility of the reels. Also, because the reels are sturdy we have virtually eliminated component returns and other customer issues," said Praino.
Praino and his team also had their concerns allayed about the possibility of foam leaking over the side of the flange, because the foam dispensing process is pre-programmed and controlled with the 900 Series handheld system. After one demonstration of how to create the reels with the Instapak® products, the Interplex NAS team was "reeled" in.
"The 900 Series system allows us to meter in the precise amount of foam - there?s no eyeballing the amount needed. We also don?t need a precise pour pattern and it?s easy to use the first time," said Praino.
"We really like using the GFlex® foam because the reels are bonded all over, whereas we only had four points of adhesion with the staples. Once everybody saw what the finished reel would look like, they knew using GFlex® was the way to go," stated Praino. "Not only is the process much simpler, we have a clean product that can withstand the rigors of global distribution."
The fast cure time, which allows for just-in-time delivery, is another selling feature for the GFlex® foam. Now Interplex NAS has one employee spending one hour per day cutting the core cardboard and preparing the reels. Being able to make the reels on-demand means Interplex has to keep fewer flanges in stock, allowing the company to allocate only 150 square feet for storage space as compared to the previous need of 450 square feet.
"In our business, as with any other, no news is good news. The fact that we haven?t heard from our customers is actually a good sign. It indicates that the switchover to Instapak® GFlex® foam was completely seamless, which is what we wanted," said Praino.
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