Built on Quality and Service — and Growing Fast
Qualvis has been producing folding cartons for the food and cosmetics sectors for decades.
Marcus, Joint Managing Director, describes the company his father built from the ground up: a family business that carved out a deliberate niche serving customers who wanted something better than the high-volume, commoditized alternatives.
"We've always concentrated on high quality. That's where the name Qualvis actually comes from — it's a mix between quality and service. That's the ethos of the company."— Marcus Short, Joint Managing Director
That ethos has proven sustainable. Today, Qualvis has a workforce with an average service length of around 13 years. In the finishing team alone, four or five people have been there for over 30 years. Some of the children of those original employees now operate machinery on the factory floor.
The Challenge: When Long-Term Customers Outgrow the Line
Straight-line volume, at scale
Over the course of 20 years or more, several of Qualvis's most loyal customers have grown significantly. Their packaging requirements evolved from the smaller, complex runs into high-volume, high-speed straight-line carton production.
"We've got quite a few customers that have been with us for 20 years-plus. They've just grown organically with the business. Their volumes have now just increased and increased to a point where finishing has become the bottleneck — just through sheer volume of straight-line work."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
"We had to invest — because capacity had simply reached its limit."
— Marcus Short, Joint Managing Director
The decision was made: invest before capacity dictated terms. Jordan and Marcus discussed end-of-line options with IMPACK agent John Hall of iPack Solutions who introduced them to the ERGOSA.
Reaching the potential of the new folder-gluer
When Qualvis began evaluating folder-gluers, they were looking at several machines. During a visit to Koenig & Bauer to look at a printing press, they saw the answer to their straight-line production volume.
"We almost stumbled upon it by accident. We were there looking at a printing press. The finishing sales manager showed us a folder-gluer under development, showed us the capability, and right from the start it was: ‘that's what we want, that's what we need.’"
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
Qualvis became the first global installation of the newly developed K&B straight-line-only folder-gluer built for volume and speed.
Hand packing at three times the speed — Not an option
The previous packing method at Qualvis was manual with three people at the end of the gluer. One person managed the shingle stream, one erected cases and held the case flaps open, while the third person loaded cartons. Their day was spent picking up batches and twisting 90 degrees, repeatedly.
Manual packing had already constrained production. At three times the speed, it would have made the new machine's potential entirely unreachable.
"With this new machine, we're going three times quicker. We won't be able to keep up. We didn't want to limit the speeds of the machine — so we had to make it easier for the employees at the end of the line."
— Marcus Short, Joint Managing Director
The Solution: ERGOSA — the Right First Step
A deliberate entry into automation
Qualvis evaluated fully automated packing options. It remains something they may pursue in the future. But for their first foray into automated end-of-line packing a jump to full automation felt like too large a step without a reference point.
The ERGOSA semi-automated packer offered a well-established middle ground: capable of supporting the speeds they needed, flexible enough for the product mix they run, and a manageable step change for a team that had only ever packed by hand.
"We were close to choosing fully automatic packing. But it's quite a big leap from hand packing to going right into fully automatic. The ERGOSA provides a very good middle ground while still giving us the option to run at very high speeds."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
"The ERGOSA has come with such great credentials. A lot of our competitors have used them. We looked at them in the past and it just seemed the right choice for the right time."
— Marcus Short, Joint Managing Director
Flexibility built in from the start
Qualvis' production environment requires flexibility. A single carton design can run for three or four days — or it can change three or four times a day. The ERGOSA's quick changeover and multi-configuration capability means it adapts to both scenarios without compromise.
While 95% of the work on the new line will likely be single-row, single-layer packing, the ability to run more complex case configurations when needed was a key selection criterion.
"Having the option for the 5% — to be able to do much more complex packing — is a real highlight."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
The INH box-turner: Compact, clean, practical
Qualvis produces primarily food packaging, where a physical marker on the carton is not an acceptable solution for tracking reject product. The integrated INH box turner maintains the kick-out carton ensuring accurate batch counts.
Batches of straight-line boxes marked by the kicker count on the ERGOSA accumulation conveyor.
Space was also a factor. The new folder-gluer is 29 meters. Adding a packer at the end requires careful thought regarding the layout. The ERGOSA INH configuration is more compact than alternatives, leaving room for case sealing before being routed to the palletization zone.
"Even though we're blessed with quite a lot of space compared to others, having the packer slightly shorter has definitely helped. We're going to need more space to put work down there now — so having it as a more compact configuration has really allowed us to get that."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
Watch how the Qualvis team reaches speeds over 87,000 cartons per hour.
Speed, Ergonomics, and Operator Confidence
Throughput: Ahead of target
Qualvis set an internal benchmark of 60,000 cartons per hour across their five main lines. The ERGOSA combination has already seen output reach 75,000 cartons per hour — and the line has demonstrated it can go further.
"We're hoping for above 60,000 cartons an hour. We had it running at 75 already for a short while, and it seems capable of doing that. Anything above 70 would be great."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
The screen on the Koenig& Bauer folder-gluer shows a speed of 87,381 cartons per hour.
Ergonomics: Real relief for the finishing team
The impact on the packing team has been immediate and visible. Operators no longer need to rotate or reach across the line. The physical workload is reduced; the rhythm of the work is more natural. For a company that retains staff for an average of 13 years and counts multi-generational families among its workforce, the ergonomic improvement is not just operational. It reflects the values Qualvis has built its culture on.
"There are a few people down there with wrist splints and arm sleeves. Hopefully the ERGOSA is going to eliminate all of that and allow people to be a lot more comfortable. It's not heavy lifting, but it's the repeatability — a lot of the same motion, twisting, picking up boxes. They're not doing that anymore."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
Operator adoption: Faster than expected
Packing by hand for years creates deeply embedded habits, but Jordan says adoption has been faster than anticipated. IMPACK trainer Raphaël Desmarais delivered hands-on training, and was credited by Jordan for the team's confidence.
"The packing team has been very excited about the investment. The trainer we've had on site has been really good — really welcoming. He's helped the team adapt to the machine slowly and carefully, and that's made a real difference. The vast majority have picked it up straight away. Even after a couple of days of training, they seemed very comfortable."
— Jordan Pugh, Head of Operations & Supply Chain
The current plan is to maintain two operators on the end of the packer at high speeds — one managing carton transfer into the case and conducting quality checks and the other erecting cases and applying labels. At lower speeds, one operator will be sufficient.
IMPACK trainer Raphaël Desmarais explains packing best practices to the Qualvis packing team.
A Partnership Built on Access and Transparency
Marcus highlighted the working relationship with John Hall of iPack Solutions as a meaningful part of the experience that built confidence before the purchase.
"The experience has been great, working predominantly with John Hall and the iPack Solutions team. They've been very attentive. They managed to get us into some of our competitors, which shows they've got a really good working relationship. Those companies were happy to let us through the door and show off the machine."
— Marcus Short, Joint Managing Director
"The Qualvis team has been a delight to work with on this project, bringing a collaborative spirit and genuine enthusiasm that made the entire installation process seamless. Their operators embraced the change with impressive speed, and the support from Marcus, Jordan, and the whole team reflects the quality-driven culture that defines their business."
— John Hall, Managing Director
What's Next
Qualvis is clear that their automation journey is just beginning. The modular architecture of the ERGOSA means that it can evolve with their production.