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Load Protection ■
Seeds of success
New stretch-wrapping equipment from Orion Packaging Systems led to savings for an
agricultural seed supplier.
Significant cost savings and greatly visiting several including Orion, where we is not really needed.
enhanced pack presentation are just two of were highly impressed by the fact that they “Hand wrapping is rapidly becoming a
the benefits being achieved by a leading manufacture in the UK and are relatively local thing of the past for companies in all sectors
supplier of agricultural seed, as a direct to us.” due to the wider availability of fast and cost-
result of the acquisition of semi-automatic Orion supplied British Seed Houses with an effective equipment which is easy to use and
stretch wrapping equipment from LP500 full powered pre-stretch semi- rapidly pays for itself through reduced film
Herefordshire-based manufacturer Orion automatic stretch wrapper with powered pre- expenditure and better use of staff time.”
Packaging Systems (UK) Ltd. stretch of up to 300%, which is now wrapping Established in 1987, Orion is today one of
Based at Avonmouth, British Seed Houses up to 50 loads a day. only a handful of UK-owned manufacturers of
Ltd supplies a variety of bulk seed, primarily “The wrapping is now much better and end of line stretchwrapping equipment for
grass and fodder to wholesalers and retailers more consistent, and the pre-stretch also palletised and unpalletised goods. Orion
across the UK. means that we are using far less film than offers a full range of automatic and semi-
The seed is supplied in bags weighing previously, creating a significant saving for automatic systems, available either as stand-
between 12kg and 25kg, which are picked and us. alone units or fully integrated into the
packed and then placed – up to 50 at a time – “The Orion machine has been a major boon production line. It has also diversified into
on pallets. to our operations, and we are now totally materials handling, giving customers access to
The palletised loads then require wrapping confident in the integrity and security of the the complete offering for product movement
to secure them ready for transportation and loads leaving our premises.” and packaging prior to despatch.
also to protect them from potential damage Walter Williams, managing director of www.orionpackaging.co.uk
from the elements. Orion Packaging
The wrapping was being done by hand, but Systems (UK)
this was not only using a lot of wrapping film Ltd, added,
but also not achieving a tight enough pack and “Semi-automatic
was taking up a significant amount of staff wrappers are a
time. This convinced the company that a more great option for
automated approach was required to deliver low- to medium-
the requisite wrapping quality and throughput ‘pick
consistency. and pack’ type
The company’s warehouse manager, Mike operations such
Burnett, explained, “The wrapping process as this, as they
was an issue for us as we could not get our provide optimum
packs tightly wrapped enough by hand. wrapping quality
Simply using more and more film was not and film usage
helping. A lot of our employees’ time was without the cost
also being spent on wrapping rather than on of a fully
their core activities. automated
“We researched a number of suppliers, system, where it
www.PressOnShD.com June 2007 ShD 51
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