Persistent labor shortages have impacted various dairy industry sectors, making it difficult for dairy manufacturers to meet business goals. While these shortages aren’t new in manufacturing, the dairy industry has a few inherent challenges that make recruitment and retention difficult:
Everyone is trying to find more labor, which drives labor costs up. Increasing pay and benefits and adding more training programs are helpful, but dairy manufacturers are also looking at ways to automate their processes as much as possible to offset potential productivity losses and cost increases caused by labor shortages.
We will explore how automation can help dairy manufacturers adapt to more flexible secondary packaging options, increase productivity, and maintain 3-a sanitation standards while minimizing labor costs and the impact of shortages on operations.
The dairy industry contains a diverse range of packaging formats that only continue to grow as consumer preferences change. Secondary packaging provides an extra layer of protection during transport and, in some cases, enhances shelf appeal.
Secondary packaging for dairy products could include cases, cartons, shrinkwraps, retail-ready display cases, and other formats to hold yogurt cup packs, sour cream containers, milk cartons, whey protein tubs, cheese pouches, and custom primary packaging for dairy-based meals on-the-go and variety packs.
The challenge for dairy manufacturers is anticipating which packaging formats will be relevant six months to a year from now. We’re seeing a need for various pack patterns, packaging types, and case sizes that demand flexibility on the packaging line. This is compounded by the fact that many large dairy manufacturers will co-pack for other small manufacturers that may have completely different packaging requirements.
We specialize in futureproofing our case packers and advanced machinery by anticipating our customers’ future needs and applying our findings to our machine designs. Switching between packing styles and formats to accommodate various products is often too much for human packers, making automation a viable alternative. Not surprisingly, human packers are susceptible to human errors that could impact product quality and compliance.
Our secondary packaging solutions are flexible and can be tailored to your preferred system and existing layout. Our Easy-D retail-ready displays, for example, can be erected, loaded, and sealed on our all-in-one wrap-around style case packer. We also offer an extensive offering of gantry and robotic top-load systems. No matter your preferred secondary packaging format, style, or materials, we can develop a solution to support your packaging operations.
One of the biggest challenges dairy manufacturers face is maintaining highly sanitized areas where machines are constantly being washed down. Manufacturers are hesitant to assign people to those areas because they are harsh environments. They’re cold and wet, and it’s hard to be in these areas for hours. Exposure to these conditions takes its toll and impacts employee retention and productivity.
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Automation can improve sanitation procedures by starting with the design and construction of the machines. Sanitary washdowns can vary from plant to plant, but most manufacturers follow the 3-a standard, and we have built 3-a-compliant machines that serve 3-a manufacturers very well.
Our Spider 100v is a 3-a dairy-compliant solution with full stainless steel, open channel, and sanitary washdown construction, including frame design, pick tools, and robot mounting. These options make it much easier to wash down the machines, providing operator access to tight interior areas that are traditionally more difficult and time-consuming to clean.
Additionally, reducing the number of times products need to be touched by humans is paramount for cleanliness and sanitary needs. Dairy manufacturers are looking to automate to get those people out of there for their own safety and to prevent product contamination as much as possible. Manufacturers can accomplish both by adding an advanced case packer that automates many of the manual processes and is easier to clean and maintain.
Automation is a great fit for many dairy manufacturers that require highly sanitized environments because it makes sanitation processes more efficient and minimizes the number of workers needed to maintain those environments. This reduces exposure and contamination, making it a win-win for everyone involved and limiting the effects of persistent labor shortages.
There will always be a human element that’s tough to replace. The people who work with the products all day can identify needs and develop creative solutions that an engineer might not see, like how a product should be packaged. Still, ongoing labor shortages do not align with business needs, and dairy manufacturers require more flexibility and efficiency to accommodate more packaging formats and strict sanitation requirements.
Automation can help dairy manufacturers address many of these challenges and provide new opportunities for growth by eliminating many of the manual packaging processes that impact productivity and employee safety. As a global company with decades of experience working with the dairy industry, we can help manufacturers find the best automation solution to remain flexible and competitive in this challenging labor market.
Let’s talk about the endless possibilities of transforming your secondary packaging operations. Contact us today!
