45,000 SKUs proves no problem for new automated bagging line

When a footwear manufacturer, producing goods for a wide range of household names, doubled their business in just 4 years, they had to find smart ways to keep up with demand.  The addition of a new automated bagging system from YPS has solved their packing issues, with YPS’ award-winning service and support making the change as smooth as possible for them.

To date, they report that they haven’t experienced a single customer issue with a split or open bag since the change and are considering several more machines as their business continues to experience rapid growth.

The Challenge – huge growth and business complexity

The phenomenal growth the company had seen had come both from the expansion of current customers and the acquisition of new ones.  It left the company looking for ways to expand their capacity, however they were keen not to expand from their current buildings at this time.

“We had already invested to semi-automate our warehouse,” explained their Warehouse Continuous Improvement Manager.  “However, we got picking and moving items quicker, but they weren’t going out the door any quicker.”

“We didn’t want to invest in more conveyors, which are high cost, but were aware of our limited space and that our manual packing spaces were inefficient,” he continued.

They had calculated that to cover their new level of demand, which also peaked on Mondays and Tuesdays, they would need to run 16 manual packing benches, operating 7am – 10pm, 7 days of the week. 

Automation of the packing process looked key to moving the business forward.  However, there was initially concern that automation would struggle with the company’s product variability – there are some 45,000 different SKUs available from the business.

The Solution – automated bagging for increased capacity

The footwear producer looked around the market at automated bagging machines from lots of different companies.  Their team found just two machines that could handle the complexity of their operation, one of which was the Flexo 700 Ecom from YPS.

“Our initial attraction to this solution was the large range of sizes that the Flexo 700 Ecom could handle,” their Improvement Manager confirmed.  “However, it was the friendly approach and the expertise of the YPS team that won us over.

“We asked lots of silly questions but YPS always took the time to give us answers that made a lot of sense.  YPS’ experience was absolutely fantastic.”

YPS delivered the Flexo 700 Ecom, with a full installation and training package, plus an included service contract.  Direct contact with a nominated YPS engineer helped them to understand the equipment and quickly get answers to their questions.

YPS are also supplying the packaging material to complement the new equipment. “We were a bit in the dark about what materials we’d need so we discussed this with the YPS team and they were able to come up with a suitable film as well,” he commented.

The Result – not a single customer issue

The footwear company acknowledge that they would have struggled to meet demand without their new automated bagging machine.  They are now considering adding more automated bagging lines as the business continues its rapid growth.

“Absolutely everything in the business can go through that machine, with a simple change to large film for the extremely large boxes, such as for wellington boots,” confirmed the Warehouse Continuous Improvement Manager of the footwear producer.

“We haven’t had a single customer issue over split or open bags, which is ideal.  However, we know that if we ever do have an issue, we can contact YPS’ engineering team and they’ll be there to sort it out. 

“It’s also great that YPS stock the material so I can call and get next day delivery whenever I need to.  YPS having back up supplies is key for us.  Overall, YPS have been so easy to deal with and have been there every step of the way to support us on this journey.”