During their workshop presentation at Deliver Europe, Mondi’s Nedim Nisic and Andrea Richardson stressed that not only is “automation a mega-trend” but innovating for your customers is what will differentiate you – as they showcased the eComPack solution.
Built around Mondi’s EnvelopeMailer, the automated machine has been designed with a number of retailer and distribution centre partners in mind. With a footprint only 14m², the system is engineered to facilitate full automation of the packing process, from scanning and opening the packaging to filling and closing. Its compact design allows easy placement in the fulfilment centre and the modular installation of multiple machines, depending on the desired output.
“The machine layout is compact, which makes it easy to find the right place in the fulfilment centre”, explained Nedim Nisic, group ecommerce director, Mondi.
Able to process 500 packs an hour, that is six seconds per pack, the eComPack machine can pack a vast variety of products. The 7cm height adjustment range of the mailer and the four standard sizes allow fulfilment centres to handle different product shapes and sizes. When asked if the system would work with multiple t-shirts or hoodies, Mondi clarified that it is best suited for “rigid” products such as books, cosmetics and small electronic goods. It is possible to pack multiple products to a maximum weight of 2kg.
Labour shortages
Automating the ecommerce packaging process is becoming a requirement for many companies, the presentation also highlighted. Nisic suggested that many firms may have been hesitant to automate in the past, but it is now deemed necessary, rather than a choice, to keep up with unprecedented demand, consolidate labour and remain competitive.
“One of the most important trends when it comes to ecommerce fulfilment today is the lack of manual labour”, he said. There aren’t enough people to pick and package products. The additional lack of warehouse space to store large inventory and accommodate the processes for large volume orders slows the fulfilment track rather than speeding it up.
Working with partner Heiber + Schröder, Mondi aimed to create a packaging solution that dealt with this pressure and that also had very low energy consumption, while using standard machine parts to allow for easy maintenance.
Hear more from Nedim Nisic in our webinar that aired on the 08 February 2023. It looks at Mondi’s latest whitepaper, Understanding Online Consumer Shopping Behaviour and Attitudes to Packaging. The panel covers consumer demands and expectations for the packaging, the ‘unboxing’ experience and consideration of the environment.
