WestRock’s BoxSizer: increasing profits, reducing waste, and making business sustainable
The Challenge
Our customer, a leading e-commerce retailer, processes and dispatches thousands of online orders every day. They became the frontrunners in their industry because of their focus on providing a wide selection of top-quality products and delivering the very highest standards of customer service possible. However, their costly, wasteful, and inefficient packaging system was letting them down.
They came to us with several requirements. First and foremost, they wanted an innovative packaging solution that was flexible enough to package any size and quantity of goods in any box type, while keeping the volume weight as small as possible to reduce their transportation and shipping costs. Next, they wanted a solution that was sustainable and eco-friendly, to address their customers’ concerns about the waste caused by inappropriately sized packaging filled with unnecessary amounts of packing materials. Finally, they wanted a future-proof solution that could be easily integrated with minimal disruption to their day-to-day operations.
After listening carefully to what our client needed and finding out as much as possible about their current packaging demands and their expectations for the future, we recommended a solution that met all their requirements and more; BoxSizer.
How WestRock’s BoxSizer met and exceeded our clients’ expectations
BoxSizer is a unique and versatile intelligent packaging solution. It automatically measures the height of contents and empty volume of a loaded box, and adjusts itself to cut, crease and fold the box to suit, so the void inside the box can be reduced by up to 80% (with a typical reduction of 30%). Since the box is always the smallest volumetric dimensional weight possible, our client is no longer paying to ‘ship air’, and their cartons and boxes only take up as much space in transit as is absolutely needed. As a result, their shipping and transportation costs have been dramatically reduced.
BoxSizer has also had a positive impact on our customer’s customer relations. Their customers are happy because products arrive securely in accurately sized packaging that is professionally presented and not full to the brim with excessive amounts of bubble wrap, airbags, or polystyrene chips. They can see that our client is a retailer who listens to their concerns and is doing everything they can to reduce waste and align themselves with the environmental goals that matter to them. As a result, BoxSizer has been instrumental in building brand loyalty, which is a win-win strategy for both our client and their customers.
As BoxSizer is compatible with almost any size of box, the client did not have to waste valuable time and money by changing the boxes they were already using. Also, because this innovative automation solution is flexible enough to package random, single, multiple, loose, or grouped goods automatically, the client never has to make ‘on the fly’ adjustments that could slow productivity. The BoxSizer has streamlined their entire process, from sizing and resizing to bagging and sealing, so that boxes and cartons are automatically packaged into multiple footprints ready for dispatch.
In the fast-moving ultra-competitive retail industry, accuracy and consistency are vitally important. The high-performance sensor and servo-controlled motion systems on BoxSizer guarantee that it will always perform dependably, at optimum efficiency. We also seamlessly integrated BoxSizer’s patented Interface Manager (IM) with the client’s Warehouse Management System, to ensure that the whole process can be easily data managed and every product and carton is completely traceable from end-to-end. Finally, because BoxSizer has been specifically designed to integrate readily into both new and existing packaging lines, we were able to install it and customise it with no disruption to our client’s workflow.
As far as future-proofing is concerned, BoxSizer has a range of modules to suit every kind of production requirement. If our client’s needs ever change, BoxSizer will change with them. Also, our expert technical team will always be available to provide advice and support whenever it is required.
The Result
BoxSizer has exceeded all our client’s expectations. It has reduced labour by almost 50%, and on current stats is projected to return their investment within the first twelve months. The client has reported substantial savings, the entire process is smoother and more cost-effective, and they have generated significantly less waste. Their return on investment will be maximised year upon year, and their carbon footprint will continue to reduce. Customer feedback has also remained extremely positive.
What our client says
“Our main challenge was to cope with the rapidly increasing volume on big heavy boxes with seven different footprints/heights. We wanted to find an easy solution that was space efficient and didn’t need lots of machinery. BoxSizer machine can handle all the different footprints we use, unlike other manufacturers whose solutions involved several machines or reducing the number of box types. As a result, we’ve been able to reduce overhead costs, freight cost, and filling material. We’ve also seen many other positives, such as a much better process and data quality (measurements/weight data) of our entire stock.” Martin J.
If you’d like to find out more about our multi-award-winning BoxSizer, including how it could make your e-commerce, online, or mail-order business more profitable, productive, and successful, call us on +44(0)1493 257070 or email or visit www.westrock.com/automation-uk
