����ý

At , cross-functional teams in processing and logistics are always on the lookout for continuous-improvement opportunities. “We ask ourselves, ‘Where are we leaving money on the table?’” explains Caitlin Carey, marketing and sales operations analyst at the custom injection and blow molder in Auburn, New York. “We monitor all projects for continuous improvement, but one project in 2023 took this approach to a whole new level to make significant changes based on feedback from the customer about improvements they had been looking to make for some time.” The results, Carey says, “were more than we ever imagined.”

AUTOMATION & MORE EFFICIENT PACKAGING

The project involved a multicavity extrusion blow molding line at Currier that produces 1.5- and 3-liter HDPE bottles for medical reagent and medical cleaning/rinse solutions. One element of the project was automating palletizing at Currier and depalletizing at the customer with matching six-axis robots. At Currier, one robot places bottles into newly customized trays while a second, larger robot places trays on a pallet. At the customer, one robot moves bottles from the tray to the filling line. When the tray is empty, a larger robot removes the tray from the pallet. Overall, this reduced manual labor (eliminating the need for one operator at Currier); improved ergonomics by eliminating repetitive lifting; and prevented bottle damage by removing the need for a bottle descrambler.

In addition, Currier implemented a new customized tray designed specifically to hold these bottles. This replaced putting the bottles in a plastic bag inside a corrugated box. Eliminating corrugated boxes and reducing plastic bag consumption contributed to a cleaner solution suited to Currier’s cleanroom molding and packing operation.

Currier also contracted with Amazon to optimize freight management. Using Amazon's return loads (taking advantage of Amazon trucks traveling in the area of the customer) eliminated unnecessary “bobtail” travel (of a semitruck tractor cab without a trailer) from the customer in Delaware back to Auburn. This saved on logistics costs, reduced road mileage and cut down on daily box truckloads, freeing up warehouse space and improving time and cost efficiencies.

COST & ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

The first-year results reported by Currier:

• Annual savings of $90,000 for the customer in transportation costs (not even including the savings in drop trailers)

• Corrugated boxes eliminated (over 86,000 annually)

• Plastic bags eliminated (over 170,000)

• Reduced shipping miles (over 78,000 miles)

• Increased truckload capacity (by 56% on average)

• Operator head count reduced by one at Currier