Auto-boxing technology reduces labour demands and saves on shipping and material costs
ProShip Inc, a US-based Sparck Shipping subsidiary, announced that a large southeastern United States general merchandise and e-commerce retailer has purchased and implemented the CVP Automated Packaging Solution. After only one month of installation, the company has already experienced valuable labor, shipping and corrugate savings.
The CVP-500 Automated Packaging Solution, an in-line auto-boxer, measures, constructs, tapes, weighs and labels each order every seven seconds while creating a custom-fit parcel and using only one operator. This proven auto-boxing technology generates highly-effective packaging and optimizes all steps of parcel fulfillment while saving on labor, shipping and material costs. This advanced system can be used in a variety of industries, including e-commerce, retail, third party logistics (3PL), wholesale and manufacturing.
“Since the installation of the CVP-500 Automated Packaging Solution, the retailer has overcome the current warehouse labor shortage as it reduced its labor needs by approximately 13 full-time order packaging employees per shift. The company has also projected a savings of $0.40 per parcel due to DIM weight reduction, reduced corrugate material consumption and less corrugate material costs per linear foot. With these reductions, the retailer estimates a return on investment in less than eight months and is considering adding additional CVP-500 Automated Packaging Solutions to its warehouse in the future,” said Steve Brandt, director of automated packaging solutions at ProShip.
The large retailer sought out the innovative CVP-500 by Sparck to overcome its labor challenges of hiring warehouse staff to fulfill daily orders, especially during peak shipping periods. After partnering with ProShip’s automated packaging consultants and completing a free return on investment analysis of its current packaging process, the retailer visited two CVP-500 Automated Packaging Solutions to experience the streamlined auto-boxing technology first-hand. After witnessing this state-of-the-art system in action, the retailer decided to incorporate the solution into its fulfillment process in order to add additional cost savings to its warehouse.
Since its installment, the CVP-500 by Sparck has transformed the retailer’s unique packaging process to create a streamlined order fulfillment operation. During this process, a tote is introduced to the operator who scans each item for verification. The operator then places the order’s item(s) onto the Automated Packaging Solution with a printed invoice and simply presses a button to release it into the system. The auto-boxing technology then takes a three-dimensional scan of the order as it moves down the conveyor onto the customized corrugate material, which is used to create a fit-to-size parcel. Next, the order is weighed for order verification and is sent to rate shopping software to determine which shipping carrier and charge to apply. The order then advances to its final in-line “print and apply label” stage as the order receives a custom shipping label. At the end of the packaging process, the order is transferred via conveyor to the shipping sorter for destination sortation.
“We have enjoyed partnering with such an innovative retailer. As parcel growth continues and the labor gap widens, I anticipate more e-commerce, retailers, 3PLs and manufacturers will require a solution like the CVP-500 by Sparck to optimize their packaging process. This auto-boxing technology provides shippers with a very quick return on investment that allows them to drive future business growth,” added Brandt.