End of Year Inventory and Re-Stocking Wear Parts
Anyone who packages a product using automated machinery knows the importance of keeping that machinery running in order to produce that product efficiently and on time. Routine maintenance and daily cleaning of equipment to remove dust and debris will help to extend the useful life of equipment. But packaging equipment often uses contact to complete tasks, such as spindle wheels contacting closures when tightening caps onto bottles. Even with excellent maintenance and clean-up, wear parts will likely need to be replaced from time to time to keep equipment efficient and reliable. Keeping wear parts in-house can help to reduce surprise or extended downtime while waiting for replacement components.
Like Liquid Packaging Solutions, many packagers will take inventory at the end of the year, a not-so-great holiday tradition. This end of the year accounting of parts and materials, however, presents a great opportunity to prepare not just product and inventory, but packaging machinery as well.
LPS suggests taking a look at each packaging machine and making sure that reserves for the equipment includes all wear parts that may need replaced throughout the year. While this varies from machine to machine, looking at contact parts provides a good starting point for keeping reserves on the shelf. For example, overflow fillers include nozzle seals and O-rings that may require replacement over time due to contact with bottles or product. Some packagers will even keep a complete nozzle assembly on hand to easily replace a head in a pinch, allowing more time for repair or replacement. Spindle cappers, mentioned above, include wheels that contact caps and gripper belts that hold bottles steady. Conveyor systems are constantly in contact with bottles empty and full, and replacement sections can be kept on hand for quick and easy replacement. While machines may include other parts that are not as obviously prone to wear and tear, contact parts are replaced more than any other machine components.
As LPS begins preparations for 2022, part of our job is also ensuring that our family of packagers is ready for the new year as well! As the end of the year approaches, the LPS Parts and Service Department is ready to assist others by identifying wear parts for those not sure of what should be kept on hand, by fulfilling orders for those that already know what they need and by simply helping in any other way possible. To contact the Parts Department for assistance or ordering, simply call 1-219-393-3600 x 310 or email m101@liquidpackagingsolution.com. Of course, contact forms on the LPS website can also be used to get in touch with Packaging Specialists at LPS as well!