Are you a medium to large-sized company that is stacking and banding/strapping your boxes fully manually?
Or are you a small company that is exclusively doing banding/strapping?
If you said “Yes,” you’re probably here because you’re looking for ways to automate your stacking process.
“How did you know?”
Well, I read your mind 😉.
No, the truth is, this is a very common problem that many box manufacturers face.
With the monstrous growth in the e-commerce industry, many box manufacturers are losing contracts because they cannot keep up with the demand.
They cannot keep up with the demand because they are running at a low production speed.
Most box manufacturers are used to stacking and banding/strapping their boxes entirely manually which requires several operators to reach an acceptable speed.
But finding skilled operators these days is hard.
And even if you add more operators, they are not able to reach a high speed because they are always restricted by human limitations.
As an Area Sales Manager and an IMPACK Expert, I have visited dozens of production sites in many countries around the world.
During my visits, I have seen the amount of manual work involved with stacking and banding/strapping bundles of boxes.
I can assure you that it is very physically demanding and brings its own share of injuries.
What if I told you that there’s a way to dramatically increase your production speed, cut down on costs, and process any type of box fully automatically?
“How”
By adding a folder-gluer stacker.
Meet IMPACK’s Everio Stacker. This ARTICLE + VIDEO will talk about what the Everio stacker is, how it works, and what companies it is best suited for (and who it is not fit for).
The Everio is IMPACK’s folder-gluer stacker used to stack and bundle boxes coming from your folder-gluer(s) or rotary die cutters.
The Everio automatically stacks and bundles your boxes before sending them to a banding/strapping machine that bands/straps them together.
The Everio stacker can be paired with a variety of different banding or strapping machines, such as ATS, Mosca, or SMB/Signode.
With up to 20 stacks per minute, the Everio stacker allows you to increase your production speed while reducing the number of operators required.
The Everio does this by automating the entire bundling and banding/strapping process so that it is no longer done fully manually by your operators.
It is also the most compact stacker in the world that is capable of handling both folding cartons and corrugated board.
🔍 Recommended:
Learn “What is the Difference Between Banding and Strapping?”.
If you’re considering the purchase of a banding or strapping machine, you’d want to check out the “Top 5 Things to Consider Before Purchasing a New Banding or Strapping System.” (Coming Soon).
A folder-gluer stacker is a stacking system that utilizes a modernized bundling technology to allow you to bundle your boxes vertically and then send them for banding or strapping.
A stacker is a machine that automates your bundling process to help you realize efficiency, speed, and productivity gains.
🔍 Recommended: Interested in learning more about what is a stacker and what types of boxes it is best suited for? Read “What is a Folder-Gluer Stacker and Who Needs One?”
A packer automates the process of packing your boxes into cases while a stacker automates the bundling of your boxes before banding/strapping them together.
Depending on your production process, you either pack your boxes into cases (i.e. case packing) using a packer or stack your boxes to be banded/strapped together (i.e. box bundling) using a stacker.
It is either one or the other; however, some clients do both processes on the same folder-gluer.
A stacker is similar to a packer in the sense that it takes a shingled stream of folded cartons, counts them, and bundles them, but the output batches don’t end up in a case.
Instead of packing the boxes into a case, as done with a folder-gluer packer, a stacker stacks the boxes vertically and bundles them then sends them to a banding/strapping machine.
🔍 Recommended: Still confused on what’s the difference between a packer and a stacker? Discover which machine your company needs by reading “Folder-Gluer Packers Vs. Stackers: Which Packaging Solution is Best For You?”
A stacker allows you to:
Take a shingled stream of folded cartons and count them then bundle them just like a packer does.
Band/strap this bundle together (banding/strapping) instead of packing them into a case (what a packer would do).
Fully automate the box bundling and banding/strapping process which reduces the workload on your packing staff.
And, as a result, it allows you to improve the efficiency of your bundling and banding/strapping process, reach higher speeds, and cut down on costs.
The Everio stacker is always offered as a Fully-Automatic machine for all boxes that do not require inversion. Typically these are straight-line boxes or envelopes.
As an optional add-on, we also offer a Semi-Automatic inversion module on the Everio stacker for crash-lock/auto-bottom boxes. But even the Semi-Automatic inversion module uses the automatic counting and stacking mechanism of the Everio stacker.
We recently developed and integrated a module to the Everio stacker that offers a semi-automated inversion process for crash-lock/auto-bottom and 4 corner boxes since they require manual inversion.
The counting and stacking of batches is still fully-automated, only the inversion of 2 small stacks is done by hand and then sent to the fully-automated bundler.
The manual inversion is also valuable with 4 corner boxes since the top box of a stack of 4 corners is often placed face down on the pile to protect the corners of other boxes.
This means that with one machine you will be able to bundle and band/strap all your boxes.
The purpose of developing this semi-automated module for the Everio is to increase the versatility of the Everio so that it can adapt for crash-lock/auto-bottom boxes.
The Everio stacker’s semi-automatic module caught the attention of the packaging giant, DS Smith, with whom we have concluded a partnership agreement for all their packaging needs.
Fully-Automatic counting, stacking, and ejecting of boxes.
Semi-Automatic Inversion module for optional inversion of counted stacks.
Super compact footprint.
Compatible with carton board and corrugated board.
Compatible with all folder-gluer models.
Runs medium to large box formats.
Rus straight lines, 4/6 corners, and crash-lock/auto-bottoms.
Compatible with pre-inverted batches (Alterna-MFA).
Compatible with many brands of automatic banding/strapping machines, such as ATS, Mosca, or Signode/SMB.
Short setup time (<10 min).
Speed: Up to 20 stacks a minute.
High-precision laser counter.
Includes a touchscreen interface.
🔍 Recommended: Learn more here about the specifications of IMPACK’s Everio Stacker.
“So, how do I know if the everio stacker is right for my company?!”
For some companies, the Everio stacker is the perfect fit.
And for others, it might be a total waste of money.
That’s just the reality.
The Everio Stacker is the Perfect Fit For You IF 👇
You’re exclusively doing banding/strapping.
You want to automate your stacking and banding/strapping process.
Increasing your production and reducing your staff are important to you.
You’ve come to a point where your folder-gluer has become limited by the stacking process.
You produce a large proportion of medium to large-sized boxes that require to be banded/strapped together.
You want to take advantage of the benefits that come from automating your stacking and banding/strapping process. Those benefits include:
No lifting of loads is required.
Increase your production speed, reduce your labor workload, and cut down on your costs.
Reduce injuries for your operators.
Increase your folder-gluer's productivity, serve more clients, and boost revenues.
You’re exclusively doing case packing. Here, a packer such as IMPACK’s Ergosa packer or the Virtuo packer would be better options.
You’re doing both case packing and banding/strapping. Here, a packing system that can do both processes, such as IMPACK’s Ergosa packer would be the best fit.
You have a small volume of boxes that need to be stacked. Here, specific versions of IMPACK’s Ergosa packer would be a better option.
👉 If you’re still not sure whether a stacker is right for you, here are your next steps:
Compare “Folder-Gluer Packers Vs. Stackers" to discover what machine is right for you.
Discover “What Are IMPACK's 3 Main Machines (& How to Choose)”
Compare the “Ergosa Vs. Virtuo Vs. Everio” to find out what machine best suits your production, needs, and budget.
👉 If you’ve decided to invest in a stacker, here are your next steps:
Get answers to some of your questions by reading "The Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions About IMPACK’s Everio Stacker"
Discover the “7 Hidden Costs with Buying Packaging Equipment & How to Avoid Them.”
If you know you need a stacker, but you’re not sure which stacker you should choose, compare the “Top 5 Folder-Gluer Stackers in 2022.” (Coming Soon).
If you’ve got more questions that you want answers for, contact us today!
IMPACK’s experts would love to help and maybe even show you our Everio stacker LIVE on a video call!