Shipping more than 250,000 products per year to offices, schools, and training facilities across the country, Ghent Manufacturing needed to streamline its packaging procedures. The company has expanded from its origins in 1976 in the chalkboard and corkboard business to a product line that includes dry erase marker boards, projection boards, vinyl and fabric boards, easel products, display cases, and message center products with doors.
“Board” with the Old System
Ghent Manufacturing was using corrugated and foam inserts inside the shipping cartons to protect the boards’ corners and edges, but this packaging method was costly, tedious, and required excess inventory, storage space, and material handling. Ghent had to order the fabricated inserts from a supplier, wait for them to arrive at the facility, and receive, inspect, and store the materials in the warehouse. When products were ready for shipment, handlers would move the required materials to the packaging assembly station and use the appropriate build-ups in the individual packs to protect the products’ corners.
Presenting a New Process
“Because the shapes of most of our boards are difficult for carriers to handle, they are extremely susceptible to damage,” says Mark Leasure, Ghent executive vice president. “Cubes can be easily moved, but not boards. Since they cannot be stacked on a pallet, handlers are forced to move them by hand. Boards can easily bend if handlers are not careful and protecting the corners can be a real problem.”
Suzanne Rich, maintenance and engineering team leader for Ghent Manufacturing, worked directly with Ed Comer, sales representative for Sealed Air Corp, to determine that the Instapak® ROI system was the best solution to fit Ghent Manufacturing’s protective packaging needs.
The Instapak® ROI system can be used with any one of Sealed Air’s 14 unique Instapak® foam formulations. Ghent uses Instapak GFlex® QS foam, which allows the system to automatically produce up to four foam cushions per minute. The GFlex® QS foam’s distinctive physical characteristics create high-performance cushions while using minimal material, allowing for an overall reduction in package size.
The Instapak® ROI molding system is integrated with a SpeedyPacker® foam-in-bag packaging system to create custom-engineered foam cushions. The process begins when the SpeedyPacker® system dispenses a foam-filled bag into the mold cavity on the Instapak® ROI molding system. As the liquid foam expands, the ROI system encloses the bag within the mold by means of an automated door lid. Once the foam cures and conforms to the mold image, the ROI system opens the mold door and drops the finished foam cushion onto a conveyor belt. The conveyor takes the foam cushions to a collection bin where they are accumulated and then delivered to the packaging area.
Fourteen different mold shapes provide Ghent with the flexibility to create custom-engineered cushions for its entire range of products. The custom-designed cushions securely fit to the corners of each unique product and provide Ghent with the superior corner and edge protection that their products require.
The new packaging process also proved to be more efficient. Packagers no longer have to wait for material handlers to bring the packaging materials to them since the cushions are stored either in carts at point-of-use or near the machines after they are produced. When ready for shipping, the board is transferred to the packaging area on the conveyor line. The packager then sets the board in the carton and places the custom-molded foam cushions on the corners of the board to protect it from damage.
Projecting Protection
Before switching to a new packaging process, Ghent Manufacturing tested Sealed Air’s Instapak® foam packaging solution against its existing format. Ghent’s engineering department and an outside testing facility performed multiple ISTA drop and vibration tests as well as real-world shipping tests to determine if the Instapak® foam corner cushions provided at least the same amount of corner protection as the existing corrugated and foam inserts. The four-month testing process for the Instapak® cushions was a success.
“We tested several other packaging formats before making the final decision. Some solutions only had enough corner protection to survive one drop. The Instapak® cushions passed all the tests,” says Suzanne Rich. “Switching to Instapak® cushioning was one of the biggest and best decisions we have ever made.”
Displaying Results
“The cost savings the Instapak® ROI system provided was the greatest factor in the decision to switch to Instapak® packaging,” says Suzanne Rich. “However, the flexibility to add new mold inserts to the system and to control inventory levels of the corner pieces throughout the year were huge bonuses.”
Ghent quickly realized a substantial savings on its annualized material purchases. Because Ghent is able to produce daily what it uses in the production areas, the company no longer requires 800 sq ft of off-site storage space for the fabricated corrugated and foam inserts to make it through the busy season. The company now uses this extra space for additional capacity. The only cushioning materials the company needs are 275 gal totes of the liquid Instapak® components to supply the ROI system. Because the Instapak® components expand from their liquid state, one set of totes is the equivalent of five truckloads of conventional packaging materials.
“Our employees and customers have all had positive reactions to the new packaging format,” says Mark Leasure. “As for the return on investment, the machine paid for itself earlier than the expected three-year payback.”
The Instapak® ROI system at Ghent Manufacturing also incorporates the Instapak® Tote-on-Tote™ Component Transfer System, which provides the company with an uninterrupted supply of foam components. The Tote-on-Tote™ system automatically transfers the Instapak® components from upper replaceable supply totes to lower stationary totes. Changeover of an empty tote is fast, clean, and accomplished without interrupting the flow of components to the SpeedyPacker® system.
In addition to acquiring four more mold inserts to use with the ROI system, Ghent recently purchased an Instapacker® Tabletop foam-in-bag system to package its new Vivid Board™ product line. The Tabletop system produces up to 16 foam-filled bags per minute at the touch of a button. The packager simply places the expanding bag into the carton, nestles the product onto the rising foam, places a second bag on top of the product, then closes and seals the carton. The foam-filled bags instantly become molded cushions to ensure a safe and secure shipment of the product inside.
“It seems Sealed Air has a solution to just about any of our packaging needs,” says Rich. “Even the needs we did not know we had.”
