Case Study: Shipping Damage No Longer A Problem!
Shipping damage no longer a problem! Specialty window and door manufacturer chooses Mosca SoniXs technology
Background
The best-selling brand of impact-resistant windows and doors in America manufacturers products that use proprietary glass engineered to meet specific needs. Over 4 million families trust the company to provide additional security against intruders, noise pollution, UV rays and protect against hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions.
Challenge
The specialty products tend to be larger and heavier than standard windows and doors and shipped in a vertical position from the company’s warehouse, first to dealers and then to the installation site. The windows are packaged for shipment by strapping protective corrugated packaging around the product perimeter. The company identified a problem where the straps were used as handles to slide the products on and off trucks and move them around storage locations and job sites. The polypropylene (PP) straps that were used tended to stretch displacing the packaging or allowing it to fall off the product, leading to excessive damage claims.
The company was introduced to EAM-Mosca at the 2005 Glass Build exhibition but wasn’t convinced to act until 2015 when shipping damage pushed it to consider a change of strapping system supplier.
Solution
After an in-plant application survey, EAM-Mosca recommended a no-charge trial with a Mosca ROMC-SoniXs strapping machine with a 2600 mm wide x 600 mm high track that could strap the largest products on the production line. The ROMC-Sonixs has a center seal position and a rugged frame that is made to handle heavy products. A key recommendation, enabled by Mosca’s Sonixs ultrasonic sealing system was to change from PP to stretch-resistant Polyester (PET) strapping to prevent the displacement of the protective packaging during shipping and handling. EAM-Mosca provided the machine, strap, and a technician for the start of the trial to train operators and maintenance personnel on the Mosca technology, assuring a smooth start-up.
Results
Most trials last 30 days. This one was extended to 60 to provide enough time to confirm that product damage was reduced. The machine performed exceptionally well. The plant noted a reduction in downtime as well as damage reduction. The PET strap, while more expensive than the PP it replaced, was so effective that the number of straps required per unit was reduced, eliminating any cost disadvantage of the switch. Since EAM-Mosca PET strap is made almost exclusively from recycled material, there was a sustainability benefit to the change as well.
After the trial, the company purchased the strapper and since then the trial plant and its affiliates have converted to Mosca equipment and PET strapping. The successful relationship between the companies is a testament to the EAM-Mosca approach of tailoring solutions to application needs, followed by responsive support to create successful partnerships that benefit both parties.