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Avoiding Packaging mistakes 2

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lukin1977

lukin1977

Mechanical
Jan 19, 2009
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The problem is that we manufacture many types of products and a lot of times there were mistakes made at the packaging stage
For example, product inside wrong box, wrong labeling

The packaging is done by hand

According to your experience what is a good system for avoiding mistakes. I know is a very general question with not much information from my side but I have never work at another facility so every improve we implement here must came from myself

thanks in advance
 
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Humans are fallible and make mistakes. To avoid this, the standard approach is to automate. Humans can still be a part of automated systems, but they do not make any decisions. Automation is expensive but justified in high volume environments like Amazon.
 
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Packaging is as much of the routing as any manufacturing step.
Your standard packaging instructions need to be spelled out on the order and signed off like any other process.
The operator should not be making decisions, just confirming what the instructions say to do.

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P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed
 
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Any more it's cheap to have a photograph of the item to be packed displayed on the screen next to the label printer. Adding a weighing station to see if the item and the box weigh the expected amount would help as would a label reader - use a QR code on the label to simplify that.
 
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there should be a tag on the part stating part# and job # and any other pertinent info.
there should be printed instructions , with part# job# and any other pertinent info,
part and paper work should be reviewed for correct match prior to packaging. there should be a lead verifying it's being done correctly.
 
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Why not have someone check the label and what’s inside the package just prior to sealing it.
If it’s all done by hand then someone could just do a quick check.

“Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater.” Albert Einstein
 
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Thanks to all for your inputs. Sadly most of them are way to complex and/or expensive for us to implement them
Deserfox approach is interesting. We can probably do that. I am also thinking of making matching color labels for the inside bags product and the outside box
Our packaging consist of product inside plastic bags (with label) and then, those bags are put inside a cartboard box (with label)
After that, the boxes are put in a conveyour for automatic plastic wrapping and plastic shrinking
 
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Pick tickets with two people checking. One signoff when the box is filled, one signoff before the box is closed and label applied. It doesn't eliminate errors, but it can drastically reduce simple mistakes.

Once there is accountability most people tend to improve performance.
 
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How do you even ensure that plastic bags even have correct labels if you have so many problems further down the line?

Exactly, I can´t
 
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so lukin you say it's to expensive, yet the company has poor quality control. it's part of doing business. and the cost should be included in the jobs.
read the book quality is free. that is why controls procedures are incorporated. for these type of reasons.
 
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How much money are these mistakes costing the company?

Aren't these expensive as well?

That should be your first evaluation. With that information, you can then come up with a solution that even if not perfect may save you some of these handling error costs.
Every boss loves that, so it shouldn't be difficult for you to get funding for your improvement projects.

Unless, this is not a problem and the rate of mistake is so low that eliminating it wouldn't be cost effective.
 
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How are your labels being made? Does it come from a database or are they all being put in by hand.

My thought is
Put a barcode on the part being shipped.
Put a barcode on the Box or Package it must be shipped in.
The user scans each bar code with a PC near by
The computer does a cross check to make sure the package and parts match.
If the parts match, the shrink wrapper works.
If the parts do not match the shrink wrapper fails to turn on.

This wouldn't take too much of an investment.
My thought is do something that forces the user to use the system (not just a simple check), this is why I am saying the PC blocks access to the shrink wrapper somehow. (On/Off/Physical Barrier)

Or you can go with the approach that the pc prints a "Verified By: Joe Shmo" label and if a box gets shipped out wrong, discipline the user. (I hate this method).
 
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Hey Sakshi Verma,

I really like the information you provided to avoid packaging mistakes, but I would like to add some more points which should consider & these are :
*accurate measurements when packing your items
*select sensitive materials that won't deteriorate over time
*label each package properly
*expiration dates on packages

 
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