Packaging Automation That Fits Existing Warehouse Operations
Welcome to this episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, featuring Francesco Cecci, cluster sales manager for e-commerce at Coesia. The Italy-based automation group brings cross-industry engineering experience to warehouse packaging and palletizing.
Cecci explains how those capabilities address packing bottlenecks, material waste, and the challenges of automating existing facilities. He also explores how packaging decisions could be more closely tied to downstream shipping.
When Picking Outpaces Packing
Cecci hears a recurring problem from e-commerce operators and 3PLs: “most of the time, the pack station itself is the biggest bottleneck that you have in the fulfillment center.”
Cecci explains that Coesia’s Selecta, an automated bagging machine, is designed to replace a manual packing table. Selecta lets an operator pick, scan, and drop items into an open mailer, while the machine handles sealing and labeling. Cecci says it occupies about 45 square feet and accommodates four bag sizes. With the necessary master data, the machine can select bags automatically. Otherwise, the operator chooses the size.
Cecci describes business cases exceeding twice manual throughput. “In the same footprint of the standard pack station, sometimes you go two and a half times faster.”
Installation Has Its Own Price Tag
Equipment speed is only part of the investment decision. Discussing larger reel-fed systems, Cecci acknowledges the tradeoff: “Of course, they run faster, but they require space, they require infrastructure, and not everybody has them, right?” Existing facilities may struggle to accommodate those requirements while continuing to ship.
Cecci describes larger installations that can interrupt a main packing line for weeks. “And then of course, this for the customer means SLA is not met, and then hundreds of thousands of dollars sometimes in lost output.” That exposure helps explain Selecta’s replacement-table approach. Cecci says installation can take hours, using air and electricity without new conveyor infrastructure to feed orders.
The Best Package Depends on What Comes Next
Cecci expects packaging decisions to become more connected over the next three to five years. “And then the machine is just not gonna size the box, but will probably communicate with the carrier’s APIs, or again, with our mixed palletizer, for example, to dynamically adjust the size of the package based on real-time inputs.”
That would change how a warehouse chooses a box. Cecci offers a practical example: “For example, to create the perfect pattern on the pallet that you’re shipping, you need a certain size of the next box.” A box that fits an item less closely could help complete a stable pallet.
Carrier information could also influence whether an eligible item ships in a bag or box. Cecci says he has seen that approach in advanced operations.
Key Takeaways on Packaging Automation
- Faster picking can leave orders waiting at the packing table.
- Packaging choices affect both material costs and the freight bill.
- Automation’s business case needs to account for orders that cannot ship during installation.
- The closest-fitting box for an item may not be the best shape for a stable pallet.
Listen to the episode below and leave your thoughts in the comments.
Guest Information
For more information on Coesia, click here.
To connect with Francesco Cecci on LinkedIn, click here.
For more information about packaging automation, check out the podcasts below.
Right-Sized Packaging: A Box Last Approach Means Lower Costs & Less Waste
