Case Study: Solving a High-Speed Shrink Bundling Challenge for a Global Health & Beauty Manufacturer
How the Autopack Model 72SLO helped a leading personal care manufacturer improve productivity, reduce packaging costs, and meet the distribution requirements of major retailers.
As more consumer products move from factory to distribution centers, manufacturers face increasing pressure to deliver packaging that is not only attractive but also efficient, tamper resistant, consistent, and ready for high-volume distribution.
Recently, Autopack partnered with a multi-national health and beauty manufacturer to design and install a high-speed automated shrink bundling system for one of its men’s deodorant product lines. The objective was straightforward: produce retail-ready 4 x 1 shrink bundles that met the packaging requirements of major retailers including Walmart, CVS, Amazon, Target, and other national distribution channels.
While the finished package appears simple, developing an automated system capable of producing it at high speed presented a significant engineering challenge.
Figure 1. Four-pack shrink bundled deodorant sticks produced on the Autopack Model 72SLO. Image used with customer permission.
The Engineering Challenge
The customer’s oval deodorant sticks exited the upstream production equipment with the narrow side leading. Before the products could be grouped into four-pack bundles, every stick had to be rotated precisely 90 degrees.
Maintaining accurate orientation at production speeds of up to 200 deodorant sticks per minute required more than conventional product handling. Any variation in positioning could affect bundle quality, package appearance, and production efficiency.
The customer needed a solution that would:
- Operate continuously at high production speeds
- Maintain precise product orientation
- Produce consistent retail-ready 4-pack bundles (or other sizes as required)
- Integrate seamlessly with the existing production line
- Be installed with minimal production downtime
The Autopack Solution
Autopack engineered a customized Model 72SLO Automatic Shrink Bundler featuring a precision timing screw that gently rotates each deodorant stick exactly 90 degrees while maintaining continuous product flow.
Once oriented, the products are automatically collated into 4 x 1 bundles before entering the shrink tunnel, producing tightly wrapped packages suitable for distribution through today’s demanding supply chains.
The completed system delivers:
- Production speeds of up to 200 products per minute
- Precise product orientation
- Reliable handling of oval containers
- Fully automatic shrink bundling
- Consistent package quality
- Seamless integration with upstream production equipment
A Fast Startup Means Faster ROI
One of the most impressive aspects of the project wasn’t just machine performance, it was implementation.
Working closely with the customer’s engineering and operations teams, the complete installation, commissioning, and production startup were completed in less than one day.
That rapid deployment minimized downtime and allowed the customer to resume production almost immediately, accelerating the return on investment while avoiding costly production interruptions.
Results That Made the Customer More Competitive
The new packaging system immediately improved the customers’ manufacturing operation by delivering the following:
- Higher production efficiency
- Increased throughput
- Greater packaging consistency
- Reduced labor requirements
- Lower operating costs
- Improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
- Reliable high-speed operation
- Retail-ready packaging for national distribution
- Greater manufacturing flexibility
- Improved supply chain efficiency
Most importantly, the project solved a difficult product handling challenge while giving the customer the production capacity needed to support continued growth in the retail marketplace.
Why Choose Autopack?
Every packaging application is different.
Whether the challenge involves product orientation, package configuration, unusual product shapes, or high-speed production requirements, Autopack engineers packaging systems that solve real manufacturing problems—not simply package products.
Our customers choose Autopack because our systems help them:
- Increase production capacity
- Improve manufacturing efficiency
- Reduce packaging costs
- Minimize downtime
- Improve product quality
- Maximize equipment uptime
- Increase profitability
- Stay competitive in today’s demanding consumer packaged goods (CPG) market
Looking for a High-Speed Shrink Bundling Solution?
If your manufacturing operation requires automated shrink bundling, secondary packaging automation, custom product handling, or a high-speed packaging solution, the Autopack Model 72SLO delivers the performance, flexibility, and reliability needed to meet today’s production demands. We also offer full integration with tray and case packing solutions.
Contact Holland Packaging to learn how we can help solve your next packaging challenge.
Holland Packaging LLC
New Britain, CT 06051
860-259-5020