Right Size Packaging Automation
4th January 2023
A leading US automotive parts business has reduced manual packing constraints by adopting right-size packaging automation, helping the business meet increasing order volumes and supporting current customer demands and future growth.
ECS Tuning has a long and celebrated history supporting the European car community in the USA. From its beginnings as a family-operated service shop in 1962, ECS has become the leading distributor of genuine, after-market, and performance parts for Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, MINI, Porsche, and Volkswagen.
Parts Packaging Automation
In 2006, ECS decided to no longer accept or schedule service appointments, but concentrate its energies on increasing part and accessories sales, with ongoing improvements to customer service. A fast-growing inventory forced ECS to relocate to a new facility in 2009, trebling their space to accommodate their rapidly expanding business. Since, their staff has grown fivefold and the extra floor space is long gone, filled with parts, products, and equipment.
In that scenario, with over 1.3 million part numbers in their catalogue and all operations handled in house, ECS recognised that they did not have enough capacity in their manual packing process to consistently meet customer needs or expectations.
Fast fit-to-size packaging
ECS turned to Sparck Technologies’ CVP Impack Automated Packaging Solution to support their current demands and future growth. With this inline auto-boxing technology, each unique single- and multi-item order is 3D scanned on demand to determine the minimum box size required. Then, corrugated cardboard is custom cut to eliminate unnecessary volume and reduce or eliminate the need for void fill materials. Finally, the order is auto-boxed in a fit-to-size parcel, taped, weighed, and labelled for shipping.
By creating a right-sized box every 7 seconds, ECS can count on higher throughput and better use of labour resources. The CVP Impack can perform the work of roughly 20 human packers in an eight-hour period. This allows ECS to remove the manual packing choke points while improving the efficiency of their existing staff for higher-value tasks.
Better customer experience
From the customer-facing side, the CVP Impack will auto-box up to 70% of their catalogue with little to no void filler or packing material. This allows ECS to improve their customer experience with sustainable packaging that is easy to recycle or reuse.
“With more associates picking orders, and a machine that can handle the volume, we anticipate a substantial increase in the number of orders moved out the door daily. That efficiency improvement translates to promises kept on shipping times with in-stock orders that are ready to ship on the same day,” says Max Everhard, GM of Special Operations at ECS Tuning.
Sparck Technologies (previously known as Packaging by Quadient) is a global leader in the design and fabrication of advanced, fit-to-size automated packaging systems for high-volume ecommerce applications – award-winning sustainable packaging solutions that eliminate excessive packaging. Sparck aims to make every parcel its clients send out a brand ambassador for their business. Based in Drachten, The Netherlands, Sparck Technologies supplies some of the world’s largest retail and industrial brands, supporting their ecommerce channels in multiple geographies with market-leading engineering know-how that combines innovation, reliability and unbeatable performance.