Do I Really Need Areas of Accumulation on My Line?

Has this ever happened to you? You’re on the freeway during rush hour…Traffic is at a Dead Stop AGAIN…Stop and Go, Stop and Go, Stop and Go…Will you ever reach your destination!?

The very next day you’re on the freeway again during rush hour but this time is different. You slow down from time to time however you’re always moving forward, seldom, if ever stopping. As a result you reach your destination much sooner.  This can relate directly to your packaging line.

Let’s face it; every piece of equipment on a packaging line comes to a dead stop from time to time. Take into consideration how many pieces of equipment you have in your production line. If the complete line comes to a halt each time a piece of equipment stops, how efficient is your line running? Are you struggling to reach the production goals set by management?

We live in a competitive world where Real Estate is at a premium. This pressures us to make everything we need in our packaging line fit into the smallest possible space. But if we can’t fit everything we want into that space something has to be eliminated.  Line components that are often eliminated first are areas of accumulation. Some people reason “We should be able to get by without it”. You can - But at what cost? 

Accumulation is a key component to line efficiency.  It acts as a buffer to keep the rest of the packaging line running when a piece of equipment shuts down.  When the equipment starts up again, the areas of accumulation merge their containers back into the flow of the main line.

When your packaging line comes to a complete stop so does the inflow of money.  You can throw more labour at the problem to try and keep the line running.  But with the rising cost of labor, is that the best solution?

For over 37 years BEVCO https://www.bevco.net has focused on design automation with efficient line designs, minimizing space, while maximizing production.  Come explore our accumulation options -Let us help you reduce the cost of labor and increase your bottom line.