American bag manufacturer, The Robinette Company, is undergoing a large scale automation process, already installing new Holweg RS 37 lines at its facilities in Tennessee.
The company has three sites, including its 100,000sqft headquarters and flexible packaging facility, a 125,000sqft paper bag converting facility, and a 100,000sqft warehouse in Piney Flats. The printing capabilities in Bristol and Piney Flats include five printing presses supported by a complete graphics/plate department, and a full complement of winding and laminating machines. The Piney Flats facility is capable of manufacturing a variety of self opening square, pinch bottom and can lid bags on its 12 Weber, four Matador and two new Holweg Weber lines.
These new lines are capable of 400 bags/minute on a web width of 900mm. They are designed for bags up to 1500mm using paper stocks from 70 to 125gsm. Cut-off is variable from 400 to 1560mm depending on the number of grippers, and bag widths can be from 70 to 380mm, with up to 80mm gussets. Standard flap size is 40.3mm.
‘The two Holweg/Martin lines have produced as many bags in the first eight months of 2018 as the five decommissioned Matadors managed in the whole of 2017,’ said Tim Wilhoit, plant manager at Piney Flats. ‘We have also seen a reduction in staffing levels of 29% and a similar 30% drop in waste levels. Significantly, there has been a massive 95% cut in downtime on roll changes that occur every 30 minutes.’
The performance capability of the new Holweg RS 37 lines warranted automated roll changing, and the company turned to Martin Automatic to specify and supply the technology, based on its experience with the manufacturer’s equipment on a narrow web press at its Bristol facility. The result is an installation of two of the manufacturers MBS non-stop unwind/butt splicers that are mirror images of each other to allow one operator to handle both splicers with ease.
But, as founder Joe Robinette explained the company’s 300 employees shouldn’t panic, ‘Far from automation causing us to cast off loyal staff, here at Robinette we pride ourselves on a stable labour force in which re-skilling and re-deployment are key to increasing efficiency and improving the bottom line.’
