Can’t Buy New? Get Your Existing Machines Back To OEM Specs BY MARK PEYTON, SUN AUTOMATION GROUP As the continued economic uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic approaches a fourth consecutive fiscal quar-
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
THE HAIRE GROUP www.hairegroup.com
ter, many corrugated plants are forgoing capital equipment and larger-scale purchases for the foreseeable future, creating sig- nificant challenges for plants already operating with existing equipment. In order to remain competitive and profitable, plants need existing machines to oper-
Haire Group is the premier provider of new machinery for the corrugated industry. As the exclusive US & Canadian agent for one of the largest machinery manufacturers in the world, Haire Group is able to pair clients with the best machinery solutions for the best value to meet their spe- cific needs. As an operating partner of the US-based DFA Technical Support Center (a joint venture of Haire Group and Dong Fang), Haire Group delivers top-notch 24/7 pro- fessional, reliable service and support, maximizing quality and uptime. Additionally, Haire Group has been the indus- try’s #1 pre-owned machinery broker and plant equipment appraiser since 1976. HarperLove is the leading provider of specialty adhesives, performance additives, and wet-strength resins to corru- gated packaging manufacturers. With the largest and most experienced field service and technical support team posi- tioned throughout the U.S. and Latin America, HarperLove has a long-standing reputation for providing outstanding service and delivering demonstrable performance improve- ments. HarperLove’s renowned services include not only innovative product development and custom product for- mulation, but also machine and process assessments, ad- hesive formula adjustments, machine tuning, detailed ser- vice reporting, and more. HARPERLOVE www.HarperLove.com
Mark Peyton
ate productively and efficiently. Struggling to hit produc- tion goals, or even worse, a breakdown, could cause ma- jor disruption and significant loss of income. The key to increasing production, limiting downtime and extending the life of the equipment is to get a ma- chine “check up” with a knowledgeable service provider regularly. This type of proactive approach can pinpoint op- portunities to improve output, and also stem the tide of potential breakdowns, all at a fraction of the cost of a new machine. How Efficient Is Your Machine? A common misconception is that machines have two possible states: running or down. And in an uncertain economy, it’s easy to think that so long as a machine is up and running, that’s money you can count on. But the older your equipment is, the greater the chance that it is not operating at full capacity. Just because you haven’t ex- perienced a catastrophic failure does not mean you could not be getting more out of your machines. As parts begin to wear out with frequent use over many months and years, this deterioration may show up in the form of new and more frequent performance issues. Al- though your operators may not be able to notice with the naked eye, performance issues can result from deteriora- tion of your pull collars, mesh couplings, gears, registers, eccentric wear, wear strips, track rollers, bearings and more. This can lead to a loss of registration, increased nip pressure, or frequent jams. All these issues can also end up destroying sheets as they pass through the machine, which results in not only slower output speed and more frequent downtime, but wasting of raw materials, as well. When operators notice frequent jams and other perfor- mance issues with machines, they too often just attribute this to the age of the machines, and ratchet down the out- put speed so the machine can continue to limp along at a limited capacity. However, what they may not consider is that by slowing down the speed of machines, they are also throwing away money. It is a simple equation really: if a machine is operating at half or three-quarters speed, that means the plant is CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
KIWIPLAN www.kiwiplan.com
Kiwiplan - premier worldwide software provider of enter- prise-wide, fully automatic solutions specifically for the cor- rugating and packaging industries. Kiwiplan’s Total Solution delivers comprehensive, seamless real-time flow of infor- mation from sales order management to dynamic total plant scheduling and inventory control through shipping.
MAROTECH INC. www.marotech.com
Manufacturer of Marotape®, Marotape®Plus, Marotape® FPT and MaroString™; hot melt coated tapes and strings used for reinforcement and easy-open features for pack- aging. Marotech Inc. also manufactures state-of-the-art dispensing and tape placement equipments to optimize the productivity of applying hot melt coated tapes in pack- aging.
38
www.boardconvertingnews.com
October 12, 2020
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker