An insider’s guide to more efficient food packaging operations
As the market for shelf-stable packaged foods grows, many producers are looking for ways to expand production or launch new products and formats to seize the opportunities. We spoke to Gustaf von Friesendorff, Competitive Insights Leader at Tetra Pak who has long global experience in the food industry, about how food manufacturers can optimise their food packaging operations.
Invest in a flexible solution
Investing in a flexible solution will give you the capabilities to fill a wider range of packaging sizes so you can quickly react to opportunities and market needs as they arise. It’s a way of future-proofing your operations, providing you with more freedom, but also eliminating the need for costly future investments in additional lines, which can complicate your operations as well as take up lots of additional space on the factory floor.
There are further benefits to having a flexible solution, as Gustaf von Friesendorff explains: “Being able to supply your customers and consumers with different sizes using the same production line can open the door to more options such as temporary promotions. A solution that has built-in flexibility can broaden your horizons by not limiting the sizes you can supply now or in the future should the demand arise, especially with new product launches and unforeseen changes.”
Automate your operations
There are many benefits to the automation of food packaging. These include improved worker safety, a more controlled and smooth production process, consistent product quality, and the elimination of human error resulting in costly product recalls.
But another significant benefit of automation is reduced operational costs in terms of labour costs. “Labour costs are increasing,” says Gustaf. “And particularly in emerging markets food production is very manual and salaries are rising. The work can be repetitive and dull and sometimes physically tough, so there is high staff turnover, and you need to employ new people all the time.”
This issue can be addressed through automation. Gustaf says that going over from manual operation to fully automated food production can reduce a plant’s headcount by some 80% – depending on the size of the operation – although he points out that automation does increase the need for skilled workers to supervise the equipment.
Of course, investing in automated processing and packaging equipment comes with significant costs of its own, but the return on investment can be “fairly short”, says Gustaf. “Perhaps five years or less.”
Often, through automating and integrating the different processes involved in preparing and packaging food, you can see the greatest increase in operational efficiency. For example, an automated line that integrates the processing of the food, the filling of the packages, and then the labelling of those packages can result in big savings in terms of labour, space, time and logistics.
Gustaf elaborates: “An automated line that smoothly integrates different operations requires far fewer operators than a manual line that isn’t integrated. It’s also a simpler solution because it connects the different operations so there is less time, distance and logistics separating them.”
Use a space-saving packaging format
Glass jars and pre-formed metal cans take up a lot more space than cartons, which can be stored, handled and shipped flat. Your customers will also appreciate how they can be stacked and displayed on supermarket shelves.
“In terms of logistics, storage and supply, far more empty cartons can be placed on one single pallet compared to glass jars and other pre-formed packaging,” explains Gustaf. “Flat-packed empty cartons require roughly 10% of the space of glass jars, meaning fewer and less-frequent deliveries are required. We should also factor in the fact that pre-formed packaging uses additional parts such as labels, lids and caps that need to be shipped on separate pallets, further complicating storage, logistics and packaging processes.”
Once filled, some packaging formats are still more space-efficient than others. For example, when packed on a pallet, round cans and glass jars leave a significant amount of empty space. On the other hand, square cartons fit tightly together with no space wasted, enabling each pallet to hold an average of at least 10-20% more product, which provides further logistical efficiency and savings.
Looking to improve the way you packaging your food? Do you think that any of the ways we identified might benefit your operations? If so, get in touch to discuss how we can help you optimise for greater success!