The Gift of Peace of Mind for Packagers

Yes we are still in early November, but there are several reasons packagers should already be thinking about the holidays! One, of course, is revving up for increased shopping and holiday sales, with some packagers even preparing special holiday products. But prior to the actual holiday season, LPS always encourages packagers to audit their packaging machinery as well, to see what might be needed internally to keep production flowing through November and December.

When packagers receive new equipment from LPS, more often than not they will include in their order extra wear parts that can be found on the machine, such as tightening disks for a spindle capper, as well as critical spare parts that may have an effect on production, think an extra overflow nozzle to replace one that may somehow be damaged. The reason for keeping such parts on hand at the packager's facility is simple, reduce downtime from ordering, shipping and waiting for the arrival of a part.

The beginning of the fourth quarter of the year presents a perfect time to take inventory of these parts and re-stock any components that may be necessary. First, orders and business for many packagers picks up around the holiday season, and delivery of product in a timely manner may be even more crucial than normal if preparing seasonal products. Packaging machinery downtime may have even more of a negative impact on business in the last two months of the year.

Along similar lines, some packagers may see an unwanted increase in delivery time from the production floor to the retailer, reseller or end user. It is no secret that UPS, FedEx and logistics and transportation companies in general become significantly more busy once the holidays approach. It is also no secret that winter weather will sometimes do its best to create even more havoc during the holiday season. For a packager, this can mean long delivery times for spare parts that are not currently on their own shelf. This is especially true if dealing with custom manufactured or fabricated components.

While packagers may start with full spare parts kit and critical replacement components, it can be easy to overlook replacing the used replacement parts when dealing with the day to day duties of running a production line. For all of the reasons listed above, LPS encourages packagers to take a moment to review their own stock of wear parts and spare parts to ensure that production will run smooth through the busy end of the year.

For questions regarding spare parts, including suggestions of what to keep on hand, or to order replacements, contact the LPS Service and Parts Department toll-free at 1-888-393-3693 or email m101@liquidpackagingsolution.com.