Reliable production support and fully automatic waste disposal - Case Study
GWP Packaging is part of GWP Group Ltd, one of the leading and most versatile providers of packaging solutions in Great Britain. Customerspecific product and transport packaging made of corrugated cardboard is developed and produced in its sphere of business. Innovative thinking is the central factor behind the work of the packaging specialist from Cricklade, Wiltshire. The most recent investments for the future include the VK 4208 channel baling press from HSM, which fully automatically compresses and bales the waste die cut pieces ready for recycling.
GWP was originally founded in 1990 as The Great Western Packaging Company. The company has now grown to become a key player on the British packaging market and combines, under the umbrella of GWP Group Ltd, the five divisions of GWP Packaging, GWP Protective, GWP Correx, GWP Conductive and GWP Coatings. GWP Packaging serves customers from the beverages and foodstuffs, medical, automotive and IT and electronics etc. sectors with packaging made of corrugated cardboard, which in terms of design and characteristics is tailored specifically to the product and its application. James Pedley, Operations Manager of the division, explains: “Our task is to design packaging solutions which perfectly showcase the packaged good at the point of sale and protect it from transport damage. The main priorities in the process are cost-efficiency and environmental compatibility.” Priorities which are reflected in the sophisticated corporate processes at GWP Packaging. Taking production as an example: Die cutting machines play a central role in the automated production process. They die cut cardboard sheets by means of cutting, punching and grooving into finished die cut cartons and fitments. “We design the punching dies so as to save as much material as possible and so that only small amounts of punchings, edge cuts for example, accumulate. We then return these to the recycling loop”, explains James Pedley.
Since October 2013 this has been achieved with the fully automatic support of the VK 4208 channel baling press from HSM. It replaces a long-serving baling press which could no longer live up to the modern production concept or the increased safety requirements.
Operating efficiency from production through to disposal.
The new HSM VK 4208 has been integrated into the production process and operates by means of air feeding. The waste which occurs at several die cutting machines is extracted by suction while production is ongoing and taken directly to the channel baling press to be shredded with blade ventilators into corrugated cardboard remnants. According to James Pedley, the reliability of the press has an effect on the efficiency of the entire process. “If it fails, production comes to a standstill for us. So we cannot afford to compromise on technical quality.” The Operations Manager regards the fully automatic operation of the HSM VK 4208 as another benefit. Where before he had to assign a man full time to operate it, the new channel baling press operates independently so to speak. If it is full, a light beam triggers a horizontal pressing process. The collected material is compacted into bales with a specific pressing power of 75 newtons per square metre and is then strapped automatically with wire. The bales weigh up to 420 kilograms. At GWP Packaging they are on average twice as heavy as they were with the old machine. This bale density and weight also impresses the recycling companies: they pay more than they did before for the recyclable waste die cut pieces – around 450 tons every year.
Professionalism from advice through to maintenance.
GWP Packaging didn’t opt for HSM just like that. James Pedley took time to become acquainted with various suppliers across Europe and to compare technical options. Right from the start he was impressed by the professionalism of the advice from HSM as well as the flexibility with which the company could handle customer requirements. The performance and workmanship of the machines were the factors which finally convinced him. “You look at the HSM presses and literally see their high quality.”
The delivery of the channel baling press in October 2013 confirmed his positive assessment: the narrow time window of a weekend was all that was available for the dismantling of the old machine and the commissioning of the new machine in a difficult to access area. But everything went smoothly thanks to the excellent collaboration between those involved. The factory’s operations could continue uninterrupted. “I thought highly of HSM for that”, says Pedley, “and also for the willingness to allow our internal maintenance team itself to carry our preventive maintenance on the press. We would not have been able to achieve this ourselves and only worked because the training in the technology provided by the HSM team was also exemplary.”
The facts
Company
GWP Packaging offers innovative packaging made of corrugated cardboard and is part of GWP Group Ltd. The company‘s head office is located in Cricklade, Wiltshire, employs around 100 people and, with five divisions, is one of the key players on the British packaging market.
Task
The GWP packaging specialists attach importance with respect to both products and processes to innovation, cost-efficiency and environmental compatibility. The old baling press, which during production compacted the recyclable waste die cut pieces which were produced, no longer lived up to these requirements. Technical faults resulted repeatedly in production stops, the operation of the press was labourintensive, and the insufficiently compacted bales attracted poor prices on the recycling market.
Solution
After an extensive information phase, the old press was replaced in October 2013 by the fully automatic HSM VK 4208 channel baling press. The crucial aspect in the decision-making process, aside from the professional advice and the flexible service from HSM, was the high quality of the machine.
Advantages
- The channel baling press can be integrated into the automated production process without any difficulties.
- The reliability of the press increases the efficiency of the entire production process.
- The fully automatic operation minimises operator involvement.
- The bales are highly compacted and can weigh up to 420 kg.
- The excellent bale quality increases revenue from the sale of the recyclable waste die cut pieces.
- The channel baling press meets the requirements of the European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.
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