Fruit Packager Seals Cardboard Boxes with 64% Less Glue

ZZ2, one of the largest farming enterprises in South Africa, was facing many problems with their fruit packaging’s hot melt delivery system.

• Too much money was being spent on hot melt adhesive to glue cardboard boxes.
• Nozzle blockages were causing liability problems.

Because ZZ2 could not fully rely on their hot melt dispense systems, they prepacked as many as 30,000 boxes. A warehouse full with empty boxes provided a back-up when the line came to an unexpected shutdown.

Switching to the InvisiPac hot melt packaging system solved those problems, according to Packaging Manager Ferdie Jacobs. 

^{A warehouse full of empty boxes provided back-up when problems like blocked hot melt adhesive dispense nozzles shut down packaging lines.}

Wanting to cut back on the amount of hot melt used to glue cardboard packages, Jacobs worked with his Graco representative to set up a test.

One gluing machine was replaced with an InvisiPac melter.

The test was supposed to last six months. But Jacobs ordered five more units after just two months. 

“By that time, it was clear that we could save around 60 percent glue, while also improving the uptime of our packaging lines,” says the packaging manager.

^{This is one of the cardboard fruit boxes we are talking about. Since ZZ2 packs different sorts of fruits for import ánd export, boxes vary in size.}

Nozzle blockages made ZZ2's fruit box gluing system a bottleneck. Their tank-based adhesive hot melt system tended to overheat – even burn -- the glue. Those burned particles then went through the hoses and clogged up their hot melt dispense guns.

The daily downtime needed to unclog melters kept the packaging lines from reaching full capacity. To meet growing client demand, Jacobs knew they needed all the capacity they could get.  

“The trial proved that InvisiPac could solve that issue," he says. "Our previous unit had to heat up the complete tank. InvisiPac, however, melts on demand. This prevents the glue from overheating.”

That was in 2021, in one particular packaging house.

^{Integrating InvisiPac on ZZ2’s fruit packaging lines ended liability problems caused by daily nozzle blockages.}

Fast forward to now, all ZZ2’s high flow packaging lines are running on InvisiPac.

“On average – across all our packaging houses – all our different lines and for all different boxes, we now save 64 percent on glue,” says Jacobs.

Uptime also improved. When they reached 24 million boxes packed, ZZ2 only encountered four nozzle blockages. That means more boxes being packed with the same amount of packaging lines.

What they were doing with two lines, now can be handled by one. With one line to spare, they can easily crank up their production when necessary.

One pack house at a time, ZZ2 replaced different brands of packaging machines on fruit packaging lines of various sizes with with InvisiPac.

Despite the variation, Ferdie Jacobs, packaging manager, called the process "pretty straight forward." 

The InvisiPac is designed as a drop-in replacement. It fit on the same platform as their previous systems.

"On top of that, we could simply reuse the configuration we made for one particular InvisiPac for other units handling the same cardboard fruit boxes. This saved a ton of time," adds Jacobs.

"We even swapped out units that were still working fine. One of the glue systems we replaced was only three months in use. But even for that new unit, it made sense to convert it."

^{Take a closer look at one of the fruit packaging line conversions to InvisiPac.}

How can swapping out a brand new hot melt delivery system make sense? Next to the glue savings and improved uptime, four other factors contributed to the high return on investment (ROI).

1. Able to keep the original hose routing
   Hendrik Papenfus, Graco Africa sales manager, explains, "If you need to switch out the hoses altogether, you are talking about a bigger investment. In this case, their existing set-up was compatible with InvisiPac.
2. No more unexpected maintenance or extra cleanups
   Troubleshooting blocked nozzles were not the only reason operators lost time. ZZ2’s previous systems tended to drip, spilling glue on rollers and other components. These drips also prevented boxes to be positioned correctly.
3. No more time wasted refilling hot melt granules
   “Before, an operator had to climb up the machine with a bucket to fill the glue reservoir. That costs time. And it’s also a dangerous task to carry out, as the machine is still running. InvisiPac works with a feeding system and a separate container. Faster and safer to refill.”
   
4. No more need for operators to come in early
   ZZ2's previous system took two hours to heat up. This meant that at every site, ZZ2 had to pay an operator overtime to come in early to start up the machine. “Now, we just switch on the InvisiPac, and after 10 minutes it’s good to go,” says Jacobs. 

^{InvisiPac hot melt adhesive dispense systems are set up in 18 ZZ2 fruit packaging houses throughout South Africa.}

South African farming enterprise ZZ2 leveled up their cardboard sealing lines with InvisiPac hot melt adhesive dispense systems.

• Between 2021 and 2024, all 18 ZZ2 packaging houses coverted to InvisiPac technology.
• ZZ2 now saves 64 percent on hot melt to seal their cardboard fruit boxes.
• Daily nozzle blockages are no longer cause unexpected shutdowns.

Thanks to better uptimes with InvisiPac, ZZ2 didn’t have to invest in new fruit packaging lines to up their output.