Coop.dk, a web-based grocery retailer, reduced uncomfortable lifting motions and taxing repetitive packout habits for workers at its Odense, Denmark distribution center.
Repetitive work and numerous lifting motions constitute a big part of everyday life in a packaging department. That's why operators of Coop.dk's packaging department have a strong focus on ergonomics and proper work postures.To counteract negative lifting and carrying impacts on operators, the company introduced work routine rotation, among other practices, to keep employees from having palletize product for more than two hours. Also, there are various lifting tools and other mechanical helpers to further alleviate the work burden.
“Switching from handheld tape dispensers to carton sealers resulted in improved ergonomics and a 20-30 percent capacity increase,” says Keld Duevang, head of department at Coop.dk.
When hand-sealing corrugated cases every day using a handheld tape dispenser, shoulder pain will inevitably develop. Using automated carton sealers for top and bottom case sealing, this can be avoided. It is also faster, and the end result much more consistent and impressive to look at. Coop.dk uses 11 different case sizes due to the large variety of products and order sizes. The carton sealers automatically adjust to the selected carton size making them ideal for web shops typically working with many different box sizes.
It usually takes 1-3 days from when the customer places an order until the product is boxed and delivered, depending on the day the order is placed.
Fulfillment center sealing automation The packaging line consists of three 2-person packout stations complete with packaging tables to facilitate case erecting, closure of the bottom flaps, and fixing of the case during filling. Ball tables enable easy insertion of filled cases into the case sealer, which automatically adapts to the size of the box and seals it at top and bottom with tape. The sealed case is then led onto a driven roller conveyor, after which the cases from the three packaging stations are accumulated and collected for palletizing.
The line uses of standard product modules from SOCO SYSTEM; they can be expanded, moved, and adjusted in response to changes in the production environment. These SOCO SYSTEM products are ideal for online retailers, and can be laid out to meet different packaging needs and solutions.
SOCO SYSTEM is an international company group, based in Denmark, with headquarters in the U.S. situated in Waukesha, WI for more than 40 years.
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