UK Tissue Supplier Increases Output with Jacob White Packaging Line
Growth in the global facial tissues market has been significant in recent years, experiencing a surge in demand that translated into $9.99 billion (USD) in 2022. With predictions for further growth at a CAGR of 5.9%, this could push the market value to almost $11 billion by the end of this year.
The opportunities for tissue producers are far reaching, with new doors opening all over the world. This is driving many to rethink tissue packaging processes, to speed up production and increase output to stay ahead of the competition.
Tissue packaging has historically been difficult to automate, requiring delicate handling and high levels of control to get right. At Jacob White, we’ve gained a bit of a reputation in the industry for our machines’ ability to handle these flyaway items. Find out more about how we helped a UK tissue supplier to gain the control they needed.
The importance of detailed consultation
We always pay attention to detail when we consult with our clients. This is the only true way of ascertaining their existing working practices and the production challenges they’re facing. Sometimes, through experience and knowledge, we can even identify ways to improve upon issues they didn’t know they had.
There is no better compliment than a returning client and we were delighted when one of ours, a UK-based tissue supplier, came back for another production solution. Already familiar with the client’s existing production line, we began the consultation process ascertaining the priorities for a new phase of implementation.
Increased speed and output with improved control are often key requirements in the tissue packaging sector. In addition, our client needed to introduce more flexibility in terms of resource management and the solution had to be fully food-packaging compliant.
The lows and highs of tissue packaging
Striking a balance in the tissue packaging world has always been challenging. Traditionally, these delicate items require delicate handling – and machines haven’t always been capable. This has meant that packaging lines have typically required higher levels of manual processing, quality control and maintenance, which has often inevitably resulted in resource heavy production.
Rising standards, particularly in recent times, have placed further pressure on production lines across the tissue, food and pharma packaging sectors. Compliance measures have gained traction, slowing manual operations and creating a bottleneck amidst a surge in demand for tissue products.
This rise in demand includes a wider range of opportunities for multiple tissue products, opening new doors across the sector, but adding more challenges to the growing pile.
In a seemingly catch-22 situation, facing rising demand and the need for diversity with a slowing output, tissue production needed a new way forward and turned to automation for the solution.
Finding a new way forward in automated tissue packaging
When we work with our clients, we build packaging machines that meet their needs, based on careful design and tried and tested approaches. One of the standard (and most popular) features of our machines is the ability to change size variations within a few minutes using an simple, easy-to-operate interface. This had already given our returning clients wings in their operations and they were eager to incorporate this into their new solution. With simple operation, comes minimised training and downtime – vital benefits in a fast-paced environment where every second counts and staff turnover is traditionally high.
But how do you approach automating the packaging of flyaway items? Our client found control of the tissue clips most challenging of all.
The Jacob White approach – NS-X 6
The NS-X 6 is, to use the client’s words, an ‘incredible machine – it operates itself really’. Capable of handling tissues at speeds of over 120 cartons per minute, it delivered the control the client needed with the addition of an overhead compression system that gave full control over the tissue clips during the carton loading process and improved operations immediately.
Read the full case study here.
The tissue packaging machine erects, fills and seals the carton and has an automatic reject facility that detects empty cartons and rejects them outside of the guard line of the machine. Powered belts discharge the filled and sealed cartons from the machine.
A wider range of benefits
Using automation can extend the benefits to other operational areas, and can also help to introduce greater flexibility:
- Operational cost savings
- Energy savings
- Increased consistency
- Automatic compliance
- Scalability of operations
- Minimum human intervention
- Enhanced quality control
- Enabling extended shift patterns
At Jacob White, we proudly build high quality packaging machines with attention to detail and are happy to tailor solutions to meet very precise needs. We’ve also proudly built an industry-renowned reputation over 113 years of being one of the most versatile manufacturers of cartoning equipment.
If you’d like to know more about how we can help you to fully automate tissue packaging, get in touch today.
