How Liquid Packaging Solutions Interacts with Other Industries
Liquid Packaging Solutions is a packaging machinery manufacturer. The focus the business is building equipment that will help a wide range of industries rinse, fill, cap and otherwise prepare products for their own consumers. And in the LaPorte, Indiana plant, building machinery is a continuous task! However, LPS strives to do much more than simply build efficient and reliable equipment for packagers. Below we run through a typical hypothetical process of identifying, building and servicing equipment for a packager.
From the first contact, LPS Packaging Specialists will assist the packager in finding the best solutions for their packaging needs. The first phone call with a packager will usually include a question-and-answer session that allows LPS to learn as much as possible about the specific project. These queries might include questions about the bottles, caps, products and other components of the project. However, it will also include questions about space, production demand, speed and more.
Once the information is gathered, LPS will offer a type of consultation with the packager. By using the information, LPS representatives can help identify the best machinery for the needs of the specific packager. Packaging machinery can be built as both automatic and semi-automatic machinery to meet different production demands. Different machines, such as bottle fillers and capping machinery, will work better with specific products and closures, respectively. The consultation normally concludes with suggestions and options, line drawings, engineering meetings and answers to any of the packagers questions that may still exist. From here a quote will be provided to the packager for the best solution.
After the best equipment for the project is agreed upon the project will head to the production arm of LPS. The production team does the work referred to above, building the equipment. However, once built, the production team also ensures that the machinery works as expected. LPS always requests samples of the packager's product, bottles, caps and other components to allow for in-house testing of the equipment. Using the samples, the LPS team can make any necessary adjustments due to unique bottles, caps or other items. Once the equipment is completed, the team will perform a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) with the packager.
The FAT allows the packager to see the equipment at work with their own product and components. If there are any questions or any requested changes, this can easily be achieved at the LPS plant before shipping. Once the FAT is acceptable, the equipment is shipped to the packagers plant!
Depending on the equipment, LPS technicians may follow the equipment to the packagers plant. Automatic equipment will be installed by LPS and the technicians will train those employees who will be running the machinery. Some semi-automatic equipment or handheld machines usually do not require installation or training, but LPS employees will be available to answer any questions or assist in set up if necessary. For installs, technicians will leave the customer plant once employees feel comfortable running the equipment on their own.
But even once LPS has left the packager's building, the team remains committed to ensuring efficient and consistent packaging. Technicians are available by phone to assist if unforeseen issues or questions arise. Not only is LPS always available to help with troubleshooting, but also sustains a large inventory of spare and wear parts for machinery. Almost every packaging machine will include wear parts that, as the name suggests, will wear down over time. Usually these are contact parts, such as spindle disks on capping machines that help tighten closures. The LPS Parts Department will work with the packager to identify those parts that are best kept on-site to avoid extended downtime, while also being accessible to get parts out as quickly as possible in an emergency.
While LPS is known as a packaging machinery manufacturer, the company strives to be a packaging partner with every company that puts their trust in LPS equipment. To learn more about the company or any of the machinery options available, contact LPS Toll Free at 1-888-393-3693 today.