Badger Common’Tater October 2022 Issue
What’s Next in Packaging Innovation?
Packing houses are dealing with rising inflation, labor shortages and shifts in consumer preferences
By Wayne DeCou, sales director, equipment and engineered solutions, Volm Companies
Wayne DeCou, sales director, equipment and engineered solutions, Volm Companies
Many of us recall the 1980s as the era of excess, but it wasn’t always about big hair or loud music. Back then, manual labor was the norm as packing facilities relied on large numbers of employees to weigh the contents of each and every bag.
Not only was that process highly labor-intensive, but it was also imprecise. With many bags packed above and beyond their selling weight, facilities were not only absorbing high labor costs, but also giving away a substantial amount of product.
To help respond to that predicament, Volm Companies introduced automated weighing equipment to the North American marketplace.
As packing facilities that embraced the equipment quickly learned, this type of automation was a game-changer. With reduced waste and less labor, costs immediately shrank while production soared. And those businesses never looked back.
Fast-forward to 2022 and the industry is facing a new series of challenges. This time, packing houses are dealing with rising inflation, labor shortages and shifts in consumer preferences.
But while these challenges may be different from those in the past, the solution is largely the same. Innovation is again helping the industry overcome modern-day hurdles and thrive in a fast-changing economy.
The automation journey has, at times, been complex, but it has also been rewarding. Grading, weighing, bagging, baling, palletizing, and other options add up to a total equipment solution.
