The quality and style of packaging greatly impact the success and market value of a product. Product packaging is one effective marketing strategy for improving product quality, boosting visibility, and improving sales. Investing in the right machinery for packaging purposes can ultimately give an output that can attract more attention to your business and revenue.
Packing machines are essentially helpful in filling, sealing, wrapping, palletizing, and packaging products. Global packaging machinery has impressive market potential and is predicted to reach $52.83 billion by 2027, from $40.08 billion in 2019. This article explores the tips for acquiring packaging equipment that delivers seamless packaging and good ROI.
Table of Contents
Packaging machinery market outlook
Factors to consider before purchasing packaging machinery
Types of packaging machines
Target market for packaging machines
Packaging machinery market outlook
The increasing need for product packaging, particularly in logistics and transportation, has contributed immensely to the increase in the global demand for machinery. In 2020, the global packaging machinery market size was calculated to be $43,520 million and predicted to reach $69,218.0 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.7% in the forecast period 2021-2030.
Packaging equipment has wide industrial applications, such as wrapping, canning, bagging, sealing, packing, and more. This packaging initiative is relevant in consumer goods industries, likewise sectors requiring packaging technology, like healthcare, electronics, cosmetics, stationery, etc. Packaging automation currently commands a very high market potential, and this is due to its role in ensuring product safety, originality, marketing, and ease of distribution.
Factors to consider before purchasing packaging machinery
High-quality machinery with good design features and potential can boost business sales and growth. Below are a few questions to ask before taking the first step toward acquiring packaging machinery.
Key features
Each packaging machine comes with its unique sizes, parameters, and parts. The internal engine and components are the things that enable the machine to function efficiently in packaging and sealing products such as milk, water, and snacks. Before purchasing any packing machine, inquire about the features and capabilities.
Efficiency
Before settling for packaging machinery, ensure the efficiency of the equipment is around 70-90%. Of course, a machine cannot be 100% efficient because work input will be lower than work output.
Similarly, machine efficiency helps to determine the cost of a product, and a highly efficient machine can minimize production costs.
Cost
For most companies, packaging machinery represents a big investment. So, selling good packaging equipment at an affordable price not only increases sales opportunities but can cause an increase in demand. When purchasing machinery for food packaging or any packaging need, be sure to carry out a market survey to identify high-quality packing machine types that are affordable.
It is important to note that most online/cross-border purchases often attract shipping/delivery fees. These hidden fees should not be left out because they are a part of what determines the actual selling price of the product.
Speed
Time is crucial in production and manufacturing. Machines with high-speed capacity can potentially enhance production turnaround time, multiply output, and increase revenue. The packing speed is calculated as the number of wrapped products divided by time. For example, a machine that wraps 130 packages or more in one minute is considered a high-speed machine, while a mid-speed machine wraps 30-60 packages per minute, but a low-speed machine roughly wraps 1 – 20 packages in one minute.
Companies are continuously searching for ways of enhancing production rates and outputs to meet customers’ demands. And they do this by adopting high-speed machinery that increases throughput in lesser time.
Possible safety concerns
While factors like efficiency, speed, and profit margins are important, safety is more critical. Hazard-ridden equipment can be considered a liability due to its associated risks and safety concerns.
There is rarely a 100% risk-free machine out there, so the goal is to acquire an automatic packing machine that has minimal risk potential. A risk assessment and safety examination can help a dealer figure out a less hazardous machine option to acquire.
Expected ROI
ROI is what helps to narrow down the progress level of any business. Before opting for a packing machine, estimate its possible ROI, which will also be looked at by companies considering to buy from you. To acquire a packing machine that can grab purchasers’ interest, calculate and estimate the potential ROI of the equipment, beforehand.
Application
Packing machines come with their peculiar applications. Some machines are used in the filling and wrapping of food and beverages (like milk, tea products, snacks, etc.), while some are customized for health care products or cosmetics.. Before purchasing packaging machines, consider their industrial usage, and whether they possess the requisite tools and mechanics to execute the expected tasks. Similarly, machines used for pharmaceutical packaging may not be relevant in industrial packaging. So market intelligence, research, and analysis are often used to determine machine types with high market demands.
Types of packaging machines
Packaging machines are of different types and individually programmed to carry out their specific functions. Below are some packing machine types and their examples.
Filling and bottling machines
A single head automatic bottle filling machine is very suitable for filling liquid-based products or low-viscosity paste, like lotion, water oil, wine, and shampoo. In the filling process, the containers are transferred to a chamber where the liquid is poured into them. The machine is sophisticated and sensitive and only releases liquid when there is a bottle underneath it. The machine price ranges from $703.81 to $854.62, depending on the number of units ordered. The product is listed at $854.62, $804.35 for purchases up to 3-9 units, and $703.81 for purchases of 10 units or more.
Advantages
- It features low energy consumption.
- It offers convenient maintenance.
- It is very affordable.
- It weighs 250-300kg and can be placed in a small room.
- No operator is required; the machine can function on its own without operator interaction.
Disadvantages
- Limited filling heads (1 or 2)
- Low production rate
- Low operation speed (about 1200 bottles/min with 1 filling head)
Wrapping machines
An automatic transparent wrapping machine is advanced packing equipment used for sealing products in the pharmaceutical, health care, food, toiletry, cosmetic, and tobacco industry, with plastic films, aluminum papers, or other wrapping materials.
The machine has an electrical control system with a programmable logic controller, which helps achieve stabilized and reliable performance and operation. The cost price of this equipment is approximately $9800.
Advantages
- It offers good production capacity with a packing speed of 10-30 boxes/min.
- Minimal heat requirement for sealing; it has 100 to 140 degrees Celsius sealing temperature.
- Low noise; 69dB is not harmful to human hearing.
- It is a more humanized and intelligent machine, with an auto-zero, reset function.
- It features high-speed and is energy-efficient.
Disadvantages
- The machine is weighty (about 500kg) and would require a medium-sized or spacious room.
Shrinking machines
A semiautomatic shrink machine shrinks the film or covering of a product by heat or pressure. These machines are usually automated. The covered items are taken through the shrink wrap machine and made to pass through a heat tunnel for the shrinking process. These machines are primarily used in supermarkets, retail stores, and food industries. They are designed to pack different kinds of items, including cosmetics products, commodities, products in small boxes, wooden boards, etc. The cost price of this equipment is listed at $1880.
Advantages
- It is very easy to operate and adjust heating temperatures and sealing time.
- It weights around 110kg and can conveniently fit into a small space.
- The sealing knife has an anti-overheating and anti-cutting protection device.
- It is highly efficient.
Disadvantages
- It is a semi-automatic machine and cannot completely function without an operator or human assistance.
- It is highly limited in functionality and cannot be used in some high-capacity industrial or manufacturing/production centers.
- It is inefficient for massive or high volume production.
Heat sealing machines
Heat sealing machines are known for efficiently sealing product materials using electronic constant temperature control and a robotic conveying system. This machine can operate on products of any kind of shape (food packaging bags, aluminum foil, Kraft paper, etc.) and is used in heat sealing any kind of packaging line with an unlimited seal length. The food packing machine operates by producing a wave of heat that slightly melts or seals up the sheet in between the bars. The products are quite affordable, and their unit cost ranges from $67.87 to $82.00.
Advantages
- It offers unlimited sealing length.
- It has adjustable conveyor speed and sealing speed.
- It is highly durable.
- It produces fast and effective heating (the result is smooth and uniform).
- It offers a wear-resistant feed inlet.
- It comes with bonus packages (1 box of letters and steel letter roll, power line, Teflon tape, and a set of screwdrivers).
- It has a lower cost per unit and is easier to maintain.
Disadvantages
- It has a high energy consumption rate with an 850W sealing rate.
- It requires close monitoring and human control.
Palletizing machines
Automatic top load palletizing machines are loading systems designed to convey and align products onto palletizers. This equipment makes the loading of products efficient and less time-consuming. The machine is ideal for palletizing heavy or huge bags (like cement, fertilizer, rice, feedstuff, etc). The price ranges from $10,055 to $30,163.22. Also, the machine is easy to control using the touch-screen system.
Advantages
- It is highly automated.
- It is fast.
- It has good wear resistance.
- It features modern technology integration. (It uses PLC programmable bag sorting layer stacking. Pallet supply and discharge can equally be programmed into the program control.)
- It is a high-performance machine. (The imported pneumatic components and cylinders in the facility offer high-quality and reliable performance.)
Disadvantages
- Space limitation; it will be difficult to install in a small space. The high-weight/heavy-duty packing machine with a size of 7300 * 4500 * 3200mm requires a very large space to accommodate.
- The machine has a high energy consumption level and requires high electrical power to function.
- It has high installation costs.
- It has a high purchasing cost.
- It is very difficult to relocate or move around.
Multi-function packing machines
A multi-function frozen product packing machine can perform many tasks all at once. It can function as an automatic filler, bag-maker, seal machine, measuring tool, code printer, counting machine, and output of packaged bags. The market price of this equipment ranges from $10,000 to $11,000. This machine has two sets of transverse cutting mechanisms that are used in fulfilling different preset grouping cutting and single bag cutting requirements. Moreover, it offers adjustable technology where the cutting position can be easily adjusted on the touch screen dashboard.
Advantages
- It features modern technology integration (PLC program controller).
- It can be placed in a standard-sized room or production center.
- It has a good power consumption rate.
- The packing speed is adjustable.
- Material loss is minimal during the packaging process.
- It is multi-function.
- It can function in synchrony with another machine (can be connected with an automatic carton packaging equipment).
Disadvantages
- It requires training to operate (has a touchscreen and PLC program controller system).
- It is not suitable for little spaces or small rooms.
Target market for packaging machines
The advancement of technology is contributing to the emergence of new energy-efficient and robotic machines in the market. And this development is resulting in a rise in the demand for automatic packing machines. The market potentials for packaging machines are enormous and will stay relevant for a very long time. China and the US are currently the big players in this industry, and their investment and input continue to influence the market data for packing machinery. The global demand for packaging machines has been estimated to increase up to 6% annually through 2026, reaching over USD 70 billion.
Read this article to learn more about how to choose high-quality paper product-making machinery.
