LoeschPack Interview: Flow Wrapping and Automation
About this episode
In this Piepenbrock Packaging Presents podcast interview, Thomas Czioska, Head of Sales & Marketing, and Christoph Recher, Sales Manager, of LoeschPack explain how to plan, buy and run a packaging line. Topics include line planning, co-packers, buffers, flow wrapping sticky and fragile products, packaging materials, cold seal versus hot seal, throughput, OEE commitments, maintenance, hygiene, VR training and LoeschPack's history since 1919.
In this episode
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Guest
Head of Sales & Marketing, LoeschPack
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Guest
Sales Manager, LoeschPack
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Host
President, Piepenbrock Packaging
The answers
Every question from the interview, in the order it was asked. Each page has the answer on video and its full transcript.
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2:54 Planning Automation
Thomas Czioska recommends looking at the whole packaging process, from after processing up to palletizing, to see where the most costs can be saved.
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3:33 In-House or Co-Packer
Christoph Recher says high-volume manufacturers usually prefer in-house packaging because they can control the whole process.
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3:16 Line Capacity and Buffers
Christoph Recher recommends analyzing where the most downtime, scrap and inefficiency occur, and starting there.
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2:49 Packaging Line Walkthrough
Christoph Recher explains that LoeschPack's feeding and distribution system takes over products from the production line and can buffer them to accommodate machine downtime.
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2:42 Sticky and Fragile Products
Thomas Czioska says flow wrapping capacity scales with the production line: a huge line needs more flow wrapping equipment, while a smaller one may need only one machine.
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3:33 Packaging Materials
Christoph Recher says everything that touches the product has to be stainless steel, and the film must be aligned correctly for a good appearance.
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2:22 Product Testing
Thomas Czioska says LoeschPack needs product samples up front to check fragility, stickiness and surfaces, and to measure tolerances.
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3:31 Used Equipment and Support
Thomas Czioska says buying a used machine is very risky if the supplier is out of business, because you do not know the programming and may not have spare parts.
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4:23 Total Cost and Efficiency
Thomas Czioska says quality equipment is a bigger investment at the beginning, but higher efficiency and better packaging quality give a faster return on investment.
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2:16 Machine Longevity
LoeschPack was founded in 1919, and Thomas Czioska says the family-owned Piepenbrock company, now in its fourth generation, supports LoeschPack and thinks in generations.
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3:46 Sealing Methods
Thomas Czioska says flow wrapper sealing problems normally come from the sealing jaws, the knife or the film, including switching to a different multiple-layer film.
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3:13 Real Throughput
Christoph Recher says constant product feeding gives constant quality, buffering systems help, and constant stops and starts can cost quality.
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3:51 Maintenance and Support
Christoph Recher says LoeschPack offers production support at the start, recommends spare and wear parts, and points out the typical wear life of bearings and other parts.
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2:47 Buffers and Stoppages
Christoph Recher says LoeschPack machines come to a controlled stop when the downstream machine is not ready and start up by themselves once the error is repaired.
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3:25 Hygiene and Training
Thomas Czioska says a typical chocolate bar line is wiped down today, but allergen cleaning is making wash-down equipment more and more important.
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2:40 Custom Machines and Partnerships
Thomas Czioska says LoeschPack is especially strong in the chocolate and chewing gum industry and makes tailor-made equipment that fits the customer's product.
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Common questions
- What does LoeschPack make?
- According to Thomas Czioska of LoeschPack, the company is especially strong in the chocolate and chewing gum industry, offering flow wrappers, distribution systems and cartoning equipment tailored to each customer's product. Christoph Recher says LoeschPack was founded in 1919, is located between Bamberg and Nuremberg in Germany, and has well over 300 employees.
- How much extra capacity should a new packaging line have?
- Christoph Recher of LoeschPack says that for buyers with no experience whatsoever, 20% extra capacity is a good number to start with. Thomas Czioska adds that the whole line has to fit together, and LoeschPack simulates the size and positioning of buffering systems.
- How much faster is cold seal flow wrapping than hot seal?
- According to Thomas Czioska of LoeschPack, hot seal typically averages around 40 to 50 film meters per minute, while LoeschPack can run cold seal up to 205 meters per minute. Tom Rougeux called that "a fivefold increase," and Czioska agreed. He says 90% or more of chocolate uses cold seal, while hot seal is used where hermetic sealing is needed.
- What OEE does LoeschPack commit to for a complete packaging line?
- Thomas Czioska of LoeschPack says the company calculates overall equipment effectiveness and puts it in the contract. For a whole line including a buffering system, a typical number is around 98%, depending on the product and based on simulation, and he says LoeschPack is always higher than the contracted figure.