IMA Group Creates Division Dedicated to Automated Packaging Solutions for the E-commerce Industry

To compete in this fast-moving market, IMA designed advanced technologies to automate the packaging process. The first machine introduced was the E-CO Flex.

This equipment simplifies e-fulfilment packaging by selecting the best-fit to size box for the products to be packed connecting to the customer's WMS system. Once the most suitable box is identified, the blank is automatically picked from the magazine, erected and the box’s bottom is then taped using water-activated tape through Intertape Polymer Group’s proprietary water activated tape dispenser, inside the E-CO Flex. The result is a pre-assembled container presented to the operator, who simply inserts the items to be shipped and secures them with the required amount of dunnage. The operator reinserts the open-faced box back into the machine where the remaining void is measured: if necessary, the E-CO Flex is capable of automatically reducing the height of the box and then close it, adapting the flaps folding to the new box dimensions.

Automated packaging solutions, such as the E-CO Flex, with right-sizing capabilities allow e-tailers to combine multiple stations into one unit. By reducing the cubic footage of cases to a minimum, dimensional (DIM) weight pricing can be safely implemented, resulting in reduced material usage, including less corrugate, and often eliminating the need for void fill in compliance with the latest sustainability policies that the IMA Group adopted.

IMA E-COMMERCE Division has established a partnership for the exclusive distribution in U.S. and Canada with Intertape Polymer Group Inc., a packaging and protective solutions company.