Amplifying Packaging Automation
Taking a packaging process flow to the next level, while reducing environmental impact with Packsize’s X5®
Reallocated manual packaging labour to other areas of warehouse
The Challenge: Oversized Boxes and Inefficient Packaging Processes
Since 1974, Crutchfield has provided its customers with technology and sound equipment for their cars, homes, even boats! However, as they continued to grow exponentially, it became clear that their own warehouse was lacking the technology it needed to keep up with demand.
“Prior to partnering with Packsize, we had manual pack stations and I had five to eight packers handling roughly between 2,500 – 3,000 orders a day,” said Chris Groseclose, Chief Fulfillment Officer at Crutchfield. “We were kind of at the end of our rope of being able to physically fulfill the orders…” In 2013, they came to Packsize with two asks: to reduce their overall carbon footprint and reallocate their labor.
“There are other people out there trying to do this and they can’t. We have never had a day that we didn’t get all the shipments out. [Packsize] has literally never let us down … we’re looking forward to many more years of having Packsize as one of our key business partners.”
Chris Groseclose, Chief Fulfillment Officer, Crutchfield
The Solution: Innovative, Fully Automated, Right-sized Packaging on Demand®
After years of successfully utilizing Packsize solutions, Crutchfield decided they wanted to expand to a more automated solution to accomplish their throughput goals. Enter the X5: Packsize’s latest innovation, and the world’s first fully automated erected box system. The X5 was the perfect solution to help Crutchfield take their automation to the next level, producing a ready-to-pack, right-sized box for every order.
“The results have been fantastic. After we installed the X5, they’ve now been able to exceed 450 boxes an hour and they have transitioned their workflow as well as their labor force to different parts of the warehouse,” said Andrea Crowe, Enterprise Area Manager at Packsize. The X5 also has the capacity to accommodate future growth, with the ability to produce up to 600 boxes an hour. Right-sizing also means that Crutchfield is using less corrugated, less void fill, and taking up less space on trucks, reducing their overall carbon footprint significantly.
“[The] X5 has been a great platform for us. It makes the box, seals the bottom, and just injects it onto the conveyor,” said Groseclose. “It’s a quality of life improvement for the operators. It’s an efficiency gain for us – and part of that package is we have an on site tech – that’s been huge. [The X5] hits the volume, it’s fast, the machine’s reliable. We’re significantly impressed.”
