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Air cushions salve Omron's shipping wounds

Medical supply distributor switches from loose-fill “peanuts” to an air-cushioned void fill to satisfy customers and cut space requirements.

The converting machine (left) produces air-filled cushions a maximum width of 8', with length varying from 3' to 20'. Omron Heal
The converting machine (left) produces air-filled cushions a maximum width of 8", with length varying from 3" to 20". Omron Heal

When Omron Health Care, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL, switched from expanded polystyrene loose-fill “peanuts” to the Pactiv Air 3000™ air-cushioned, void-fill system from Pactiv Corp. (Lake Forest, IL), it reduced its packaging inventory space by 83% and significantly reduced labor costs. “We’d been looking for an alternative for quite a while,” says Mary Bimel, shipping supervisor at Omron, a medical and home wellness products supply distributor.

Over the years, the company had received complaints from customers on a variety of “peanut”-related issues, ranging from the environment to clean-up. Additionally, Bimel says, the peanuts would sometimes disintegrate in transit, minimizing their protective performance. “The boxes containing the products we distribute would occasionally be damaged and would also have some discoloration due to movement during transit,” says Bimel. Shipping orders at Omron can consist of one case or several hundred cases because it ships to hospitals and medical centers as well as to mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Kmart.

The solution

Omron investigated alternatives to peanuts, and in May 2000, the company converted its packing line to the Pactiv Air 3000.

The system creates on-demand void fill by converting polyethylene rollstock into continuous, perforated chains of air-filled cushions. The cushions are perforated between each section, allowing quick tear-off and placement. It can create cushions a maximum width of 8” and with lengths varying from 3” to 20”.

Bimel says she’s amazed at the machine’s operation. “It’s wonderful. The only time we need to touch the machine is when we need to change the size of the cushions,” she says. “We start the machine up first thing in the morning and make several different sizes that we’ll use during the course of the day.” The material used to create the air cushions is a 2¾-mil blend of linear low-density PE and LDPE.

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