Cost reduction in bag-packaging operations
Although no two bag-packaging systems are alike, there seems to be a universal interest in reducing the costs of bag packaging. This article discusses certain conceptual approaches and some specific types of equipment that can be used to reduce labor costs in different operating situations. The article also outlines opportunities for minimizing product giveaway due to bag overfilling and for reducing the cost of the bags themselves.
The cost of operating a bag-packaging system is directly proportional to the number of operators on the line and inversely proportional to the instantaneous bag-packaging rate [Fig. 1]. Four basic conceptual approaches [Fig. 2] have been identified to define the labor cost for operation of a bag-packaging system. The number of operators on the line depends on the level of automation; the number of operating shifts depends on the annual bag-packaging volume and the packaging rate. Many industrial plants are constructed using approach C and, after analysis, convert to either approach A or approach B to reduce costs.