Making High-Quality Automation Equipment in a Collaborative Effort

Overview:

Metal Edge is a company that provides dispensing and packaging solutions for companies in the manufacturing and food industry industries. They needed a custom box feeder to accommodate their primary product–a cutting blade for aluminum foil and cling wrap. Although they had the mechanical portion of the machine, they wanted to automate it. The Metal Edge team realized they needed an outside company to assist them with the process.

After trying another company with disappointing results, Metal Edge found Wayne Automation. The challenge was retrofitting automation to an existing technology that they knew–and their customers knew–was already working very well. Their goal was to give the product more flexibility and modernization through automation. As always, Wayne delivered.

The Problem:

Metal Edge had a product that worked well–their cutting blade for aluminum foil and cling wrap. They also had a mechanical machine that worked well for their customers, creating boxes for the product. However, they knew if they could automate the machine it would provide their customers with more flexibility and increased resilience against labor shortages.

The first contractor they went to tried customizing their first machine with a different style feeder that did not work. That machine was designed to push the box out from the bottom of a vertical stack. However, the weight of the stack prevented the machine from easily moving the box. It wasn’t going to meet their goal of automating box feeding into a seamless process.

Still, Metal Edge was determined to find a solution–and that was when they came across Wayne Automation.

Solution:

The original project was for Wayne to step in and improve the design, creating a functional process from the faulty machine.

Wayne looked at the original design and rotated the entire box stack so it was horizontal. They also brought a suction cup arm in to pick up the first box blank, which helps remove the friction and larger effects of gravity on the stack. “Wayne jumped right in and had immediate solutions for this machine,” says Jack Russo from Metal Edge.

This new design paved the way for Wayne and Metal Edge to create more machines together. The second machine consisted of Metal Edge’s Bench Model Edger (BME), with Wayne building the automatic box feeder around it. The end result was the Automatic Bench Model Edger (ABME).

The second style machine (ABME) that Wayne designed from scratch for Metal Edge worked perfectly. Metal Edge also offers a semi-automatic Bench Model Edger (BME) for its customers.

Results:

It’s been 10 years, and Wayne’s partnership with Metal Edge is ongoing.

All the machines Metal Edge was previously selling to its customers were hand-fed. “The fact that we could automate them and the customer could get more production for less labor was really a plus,” says Jack.

Asked what they would tell someone considering working with Wayne, James Martin from Metal Edge was highly positive. “They’ll get detail-oriented, technologically advanced solutions from Wayne,” he says. James also notes that Metal Edge has consistently enjoyed prompt communication and answers from Wayne in response to their questions about specifications, machine updates, and anything else they need.

Finally, Metal Edge notes that since Wayne does a lot of work for various industries, they are already familiar with many of the issues their customers are experiencing, which is a significant benefit.

“All the people who have purchased the machines from us are ecstatic with the performance. They quickly realize the flexibility it gives them in staffing and scheduling because it’s automated. The machine really allows a single operator to do more than be stationary at this machine, which provides a lot of flexibility in addition to the extended cycle and hopper time. It allows the operator time to do other things,” says James about the machine’s performance.

Metal Edge has also had positive experiences with service from Wayne, in part because Wayne keeps up with changes in technology and feedback from both Metal Edge and its customers. They say that Wayne has been excellent at keeping track of machine changes and updates, informing Metal Edge, and keeping their manuals up to date with the correct product details. “So far, it’s been very direct and explicitly communicated to us,” says James.

The company also says that Wayne occasionally gets service calls from Metal Edge’s customers and that Wayne has been very responsive and will call customers directly and go on-site for service calls. There’s even one instance in which Wayne technicians traveled to Virginia to get a machine up and running.

Contact Wayne Automation Today

Wayne Automation has the experience, machinery, and skill to help companies in a wide range of industries customize their packaging automation for greater success. From our installation process to our service calls, we make the entire experience simple and hassle-free. Let us help you customize your next end-of-line packaging automation project with leading-edge solutions–contact Wayne Automation today!