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Motion Control Brings Flexibility to Packaging

Mar 17, 2021

Twenty years ago, packaging operations put the same product in the same package day after day. That’s when Oreos came in one size and one flavor. Now, Walgreens wants its Oreos in one size package and Walmart wants them in another size. And depending on the season, the cookies are a different color and flavor. That means packaging equipment has to be programmed to switch often and switch quickly.

Motion control systems are designed to help packaging tools provide the flexibility to handle quick changeovers. “What we see in packaging today is a higher number of SKUs and a lower number of manufactured items, lower batch qualities, and multiple products packaged in multiple configurations,” Paul Kling, motion packaging segment manager at Yaskawa America, Drives & Motion Division, told Design News. “The packaging function needs to change in a heartbeat. That can mean changing the machine and adding on additional functions. So, flexibility has become all-encompassing.”

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