20230106_CS V4

Hazel 4d Case studies

Real solutions. Real Impacts

WE’RE NOT YOUR AVERAGE PACKAGING SUPPLIER.

WE’RE YOUR specialist packaging partner.

Contents

1. Morrisons…Net Zero Eggs

Transitioning to sustainable packaging

2. Banner…EVOlving Stability

Optimising the pallet wrapping process

3. Britvic…Bottling Success

Picking the right processes to minimise waste

4. Essentra…Essential Improvement

Introducing automation in box packing

5. Tayto...The Golden Touch

Guaranteeing stability in transit

6. Waterstones...a new chapter adding flexibility & capacity

Scan the QR code to See it in action

Home Bargains…Robotic Results

Improving efficiency and safety in the warehouse

Case study

Morrisons - net zero eggs

Cost-effective eco-friendly packaging for a pioneering product

As experts in transitioning to sustainable packaging, Hazel 4D worked with established partner Morrisons and their Chippindale egg factory to deliver an effective packaging solution with improved environmental credentials.

The Problem

As a long-term customer looked to become the first UK supermarket to bring carbon neutral eggs to the market, product packaging was the final hurdle to overcome. Traditionally, outer cartons at the Chippindale eggs factory were always glued or taped, adding plastic content to the product packaging that conflicted with the environmental focus of the project.

As with most new product lines, forecast volumes weren’t clear and so the need for the solution to work with existing machinery and avoid capital investment were key deliverables.

Our Solution

Hazel 4D Our self-adhesive paper machine tape was able to run very successfully on their existing automatic tape machinery. 100% recyclable and biodegradable.

We also provided the equivalent product in a hand tape version, along with free premium tape dispensers, for use when any manual taping was needing to be done.

The customer achieved on brand eco-friendly packaging and were able to deliver ‘planet friendly’ eggs.

Morrisons’ Packaging Advisor said “This new product launch went into our Yorkshire stores today, hopefully you will see some media engagement over the next few days as we are very proud to be the first supermarket to be able to offer net zero ‘Planet Friendly’ eggs on such a scale.

The tape used to seal the boxes finishes off the whole project nicely so hopefully customers will appreciate these eggs...”

delivering the 4 th dimension

£0 No capital costs

100% Recyclable okg No plastic

Banner - Evolving stability

Saving time, money & materials for a leading supplier of business consumables

Experts in workplace supplies, Banner looked to us to help optimise their pallet wrapping process. When we first visited the customer their pay-per-wrap contract was almost up – the ideal time for us to step in to improve load stability whilst also reducing costs and plastic usage.

The Problem

A lack of clarity in the pricing structure meant that Banner had inconsistent pallet wrapping prices with costs varying from 40p – 80p with little transparency or reporting capabilities.

The wrapping machines in use were only stretching the film around 200% resulting in a higher plastic consumption than necessary. Despatch operators were manually adding weight labels to the pallets by individually weighing the pallet on standalone scales and then writing the weight on a despatch label.

Our Solution

We replaced all the existing machines with our ultra highperformance wrapping machines and Extremus film. The pallet wrap can now be stretched to an incredible 300%, from a previous 200%, resulting in an immediate reduction of plastic usage per pallet to just 93 grams and a saving of over 35%.

The two new Atlanta turntable pallet wrapping machines include fully integrated weighing scales with linked label printers so that weight labelling is now as simple as a press of a button; increasing efficiency and accuracy and removing manual tasks.

We provide clear reporting on all packaging costs, including the pay per wrap cost, every month. The simple, transparent structure allows for one price for despatch machines and one for all the rest.

delivering the 4 th dimension

300% Material stretch

93g Fully recyclable plastic per pallet

35% Plastic reduction

24/7 Performance monitoring

Britvic - Bottling Success

Helping a major soft drink manufacturer save £169,000 a year and reduce plastic waste by 65%

A soft drinks manufacturer was generating huge amounts of plastic waste and experiencing high labour costs due to an inefficient pallet wrapping system.

By working with Hazel 4D to conduct film trials and testing they were able to pinpoint the problems and find cost-effective solutions that drove drive valuable improvements.

The Problem

Three turntable wrapping machines had been poorly set up with inefficient programs, resulting in frequent film snappages. Operators were having to compensate for these snappages by overwrapping by hand whilst the turntable machine was in motion!! This doubled the amount of film used per pallet whilst also increasing labour costs and leading to H&S issues.

A backlog of pallets from the wrapping machines led to many being wrapped by “hand only”, a labour intensive exercise with a far longer wrap time of around 3 minutes per pallet.

The loads were also being wrapped too low onto the pallets, which was resulting in the film being pierced or split by forklift trucks, thus creating significant weak spots in the pallet wrap.

The customer was actively reducing the grade of material in their primary and secondary packaging, which had also had a detrimental effect on the overall stability of the pallets. Better wrapping programs were required to compensate for this.

Our Solution

Through extensive trials, Hazel 4D were able to demonstrate a significant improvement in load containment force (stability) and a far more consistent wrapping sequence. This was a result of switching to high performance Extremus NANO15 film, reconfiguring the wrapping program and making some minor mechanical upgrades to one of the machines.

delivering the 4 th dimension

Improved stability of pallets

Over 2 min of operator time saved per pallet wrapped

Almost double the number of pallets wrapped per roll of film, saving on machine downtime and plastic wastage

Reduced cost (and plastic tax) by

59% per pallet wrapped

Annual cost saving of approx

65% Reduced weight of plastic by £169,000

We started working with Hazel 4D at one of our co-packing facilities and we very much appreciated their support. They were able to quickly highlight the weak points in some of our pallet formats and they not only recommended alternative materials to use but also advised on stretch wrap program set up. Their intervention helped to reduce material usage and to eliminate returned loads from customers.

Essentra - Essential Improvements

Improved operational efficiency

A leading producer of carton and leaflet packaging for the pharmaceutical, healthcare and personal care sectors. With it’s state of the art production facilities they manufacture high quality cartons for many of the leading brands.

The Problem

With its automated manufacturing lines running smoothly the next challenge was to increase the possible throughput to make the whole operation more efficient. However, with the operators having to manually form and tape the cartons before filling them with product, this was not possible.

Our Solution

A decision was made to invest in some simple carton erecting automation to provide ready cartons on demand. The Comarme F2000 system was chosen because of its compact footprint and flexibility to produce the full range of cartons used at the desired throughput.

Essentra’s Production Manager said “Its really a no brainer! The machines are paying for themselves in less than 6 months and means that our skilled operators can spend the time they need ensuring the production is of the highest quality and maximising throughput. We always thought it would be a bit of a struggle to fit this equipment in but we were pleasantly surprised with how little space is actually required for it.”

delivering

the 4 th dimension

Increased production speed by 5000 units per hour

5% reduction in overtime costs across the whole line

Reduced fatigue & Injuries

Less operator fatigue and repetitive strain injury prevention

Improved consistency

Consistently taped boxes eliminating damage to product

Its really a no brainer!

Payback in less than

6 months

The machines are paying for themselves in less than 6 months.

Production Manager

Case study

Tayto - The golden touch

savings of over £100,000 a year on transit packaging

A food manufacturer was incurring excessive financial and operational costs due to ineffective stretch wrapping processes. The company was spending around £150,000 annually on stretch film, using 100 tonnes of plastic film and spending time and money repairing old machines.

The Problem

Worn, damaged wrapping machines were causing stretch film to break and meant wrapped pallets were extremely unstable. The machines were unable to keep up with production during peak periods which resulted in bottlenecks and downtime.

Large supermarket chains were rejecting and returning damaged and leaning shipments, so warehouse operatives were spending a significant amount of time rewrapping pallets. The frustrated operatives were loading the stretch film incorrectly in an attempt to prevent film breakages and keep the machines wrapping. Their Warehouse Manager repeatedly commented ‘my guys deserve better’. The problem was costing them money, time and their reputation.

Our Solution

We audited their current machinery, testing for correct setup and each machine’s ability to stretch film and apply it in the most efficient manner. We then measured the amount of film used to wrap each pallet, the performance of the film, its strength and the amount wasted due to quality and poor machine set-up. Finally, we monitored the standard of pallet wrapping and listened to machine operators talk through the process and the practical difficulties faced when preparing pallets for transit.

We recommended making the switch to Extremus film and new state of the art turntable pallet wrappers, which when optimised could deliver up to 300% stretch. We created two bespoke wrapping programmes to suit their needs, whilst using the minimum volume of stretch film. Due to the combination of film and equipment used, the ROI on the new machines was less than 7 months. Careful training and ongoing contact as part of the maintenance contract with the team at Hazel 4D meant that the operations team was confident in using the system, and that savings were realised on an ongoing basis and the team could call Hazel 4D with any issues.

delivering the 4 th dimension

Huge, ongoing cost savings of 65% Reduced plastic waste by Reduced production downtime improved stability of pallets

£100,000 per year

More pallets wrapped per day

no film breakages reduced need for roll changovers

Not a single pallet has been returned from our customers.

Why didn’t we do this years ago!

Distribution manager

Case study

Waterstones- a new chapter

optimising products & processes to improve sustainability

Hazel 4D was approached by Unipart Logistics & Waterstones to optimise and improve their packaging processes and product choices across their whole range of operations. The key focus areas were increasing automation, reducing plastic usage, and improving sustainability.

The Problem

Through our consultative review, we quickly identified one major bottleneck in the packing process. At the end-of-line packing area several operators were manually erecting and sealing the bottom of boxes ready for packing. This process was time-consuming and was being further impacted during peak demand by ongoing labour shortages in the UK. Waterstones needed a solution that would not only address these issues but also help them stay competitive and responsive in a rapidly changing market.

To meet these challenges, we specified certain options from our range of Comarme automated machinery. This collection of cutting-edge automatic carton erecting and sealing equipment prepares boxes with folded bottom flaps, which are then closed with adhesive tape. With the ability to be easily adjusted to run other box sizes, it is a highly efficient and versatile solution, making it a perfect fit for Waterstones. Throughput was immediately increased with the additional capacity reaping rewards during increased sales.

One of the biggest advantages of increasing automation is the optimised and consistent use of consumables. Just by switching to a bottom case sealer, the first stage in this automation transition, we have removed 345392.58 meters of tape from their operation by stopping over taping at the bottom of the boxes, 214 miles of plastic gone.

delivering the 4 th dimension

<6 months ROI

214 miles of plastic tape saved

80 hours weekly labour savings

Working with Hazel 4D has been a game-changer for our packing operations. The implementation of automation has greatly improved efficiency and helped us in our progress towards our sustainability goals. We are thrilled with the immediacy of positive results and the significant gains we are already seeing. We would highly recommend Hazel 4D to any company looking to optimise their packing processes.