Better Bagging

Published: September 30, 2004, By edited by Nsenga Byrd Thompson, Associate Editor

For Arkwright, an investement in Better Packages' bagmaking system brings savings — and safety — to the plant.

When Arkwright Inc. began exploring better methods to package its paper, the company chose a solution provided by Better Packages Inc., which Arkwright says “has resulted in a payback in just two months.”

Arkwright develops, coats, converts, and markets papers, films, and other media for digital imaging. Headquartered in Coventry, RI, Arkwright services computer printer, plotter, and copier supplies markets throughout the world.

In the converting department at its Guilford, CT, plant, long, narrow poly bags are used to package 1,000 rolls of made-to-order paper manually each month.

Just Bag It
Purchasing custom pre-cut poly bags of lengths varying from 24-60 in. was expensive, so Arkwright opted to purchase rolls of poly tubing and manually cut the tubing into desired lengths as needed.

Since this resulted in wasted production time as well as materials, Iris Avitable, coordinator of the converting department, began to search for a tabletop automated bagging system. Mike DellaValle of Robinson Tape and Label, a label manufacturer and shipping supplies facility in Branford, CT, introduced Avitable to Better Packages' bagmaking system.

The Better Bagger 900e, described as a tabletop machine that can create plastic bags on demand, reportedly dispenses, cuts, and seals poly bags instantly, saving as much as 40%-60% versus most pre-made bags.

With the Better Bagger 900e, Avitable and her staff are able to place one or two rolls of poly tubing into the machine and set the desired length and quantity of bags needed. Once the start button is pressed, the operator can walk away and concentrate on other wrapping or run other machinery while the bags are being produced.

According to plant manager Noreen Connolly, “It is estimated that Arkwright was able to save on lost production hours by utilizing the Better Bagger to cut tubing into bags, freeing up employees to perform other tasks.”

Arkwright also has seen improvements in speed and safety. “Our plant is safer; we no longer need to use a knife to cut bags,” says Avitable. “The bags stay cleaner because we make them as we need them and do not need to store them in a dusty area.”

For Arkwright, which is registered to ISO-9001 and ISO-14001 standards, waste reduction also has improved. Avitable raves, “When we started using the Better Bagger, it was the end of throwing out unused bags!”

Converter Info
Arkwright Inc.
585 Long Hill Rd., Guilford, CT, USA
203/453-5294; arkwright.com

Supplier Info
Better Packages —betterpackages.com