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Tips for a successful flexible packaging line start-up

Here are some tips for a successful line installation and start-up.

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1. Don’t wait until the last minute to involve operators and production people. Often it’s the engineers and the purchasing people who seem to know everything about the project, yet it’s the production people who have to live with the equipment. Get the production manager, operators, and maintenance people involved near the beginning of the project. They don’t need to be at every meeting, but they should be at the critical ones. They should be very familiar with the equipment once it reaches your floor.

2. Pay the supplier to install it. Engineers often think they can save the company money by installing the equipment themselves, but having the supplier install its own equipment or at the least oversee installation in what it considers to be the correct way can save you money down the road.

3. Staff the start-up with your best production people. Don’t choose a mediocre operator. Staff it with your sharpest operators who can teach other operators. While the oldest staff members will have the most experience, younger personnel sometimes are more open to newer technologies and may learn more readily from the supplier how to properly run and change over the equipment. This is especially critical if the machine is brand new technology for the plant, or is considered critical equipment for the company.

4. Find the line’s correct “rhythm.” Actual production conditions of infeed systems can cause inadvertent starting and stopping of vertical bagging equipment, which is a sign the machine is running too fast for the rate of product being produced, even though it may have been engineered for that speed. This can result in increased failures and rejects. Be willing to dial back on the speed; each line has its own rhythm, which may differ slightly from the designed speed. A slower speed may result in more cases out the door at the end of the day, thanks to fewer rejects and less downtime.

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