Packaging News & Food and Drink Business
Packaging Line Technology Survey 2017

Welcome.

50% of survey complete.

PKN Packaging News and Food & Drink Business has partnered with AccuPak, Robot Technologies-Systems (RTA) and AccuWeigh to: survey and report on current Australian industry practices, drivers and future plans related to the purchase of packaging line equipment and robotics automation technology.

In what promises to be Australia's largest packaging line survey, we are seeking responses from individuals who are familiar with their company's packaging line operations. The survey will take no more five minutes to complete.

The Survey Report will provide industry stakeholders with important insights and information on the selection, purchase and commissioning of packaging line technology.

Your input will be an important element in helping us to provide you a Report that will help you to make informed capital investment decisions.

All survey respondents will receive a copy of the Survey Report.

Five survey respondents will win a Packaging Line On-site Site Audit and Report and one of three Apple Watches. The Packaging Line Audits will be conducted by AccuPak, AccuWeigh and Robot Technologies-Systems (RTA) Business Analysts. More details on the prizes can be found in the Competition Terms & Conditions.

DEADLINE: PLEASE COMPLETE BY MIDNIGHT JUNE 4, 2017.

Please note. Be assured, any personal information you provide will be treated in strictest confidence for survey purposes only and will not be disclosed in any way to any third parties.

Question Title

* 1. Q. Have you installed new packaging, product inspection or robotics automation equipment over the past year or do you intend to in the next year?

YES

Question Title

* 2. Compared to FY17, will your CAPITAL EXPENDITURE BUDGET for packaging equipment in FY18:

Increase

Decrease

Remain the same

Don't know

I'm not responsible for that question

Question Title

* 3. What are your company’s plans for automation?

	Currently Implemented	Plan to implement	No plan to implement
Full automation	Full automation Currently Implemented	Full automation Plan to implement	Full automation No plan to implement
Partial automation	Partial automation Currently Implemented	Partial automation Plan to implement	Partial automation No plan to implement
Product inspection	Product inspection Currently Implemented	Product inspection Plan to implement	Product inspection No plan to implement

Question Title

* 4. Do you do current use or do you plan to install a robotics automation system over the next two years?

Yes

Don't know

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* 5. Which area(s) of the packaging line do you plan to buy packaging or robotics automation equipment for? (check all that apply)

Front-of-line (Example: depalletizing, materials handling, orienting)

Middle-of Line (e.g. batching systems)

Product Inspection (e.g. checkweighers, x-ray and metal detectors)

End-of-Line (e.g. case packing/palletizing)

Don't know

Question Title

* 6. What are the top three MARKET PRESSURES driving your company to enhance or upgrade its packaging line capabilities?

Increased production due to domestic demand incl. contract manufacture

Increased production due to international demand

Need to comply with current & future regulations

Customer demand for improved order fulfillment

Customer demand for differentiated packaging

Increased competition from lower cost imports

Increased local competition

Question Title

* 7. What are the top three CHALLENGES in managing your operations?

Managing operational data (Example. managing multiple datasets, visibility)

Maintaining quality of packaged goods. (Example. freedom from defects, contamination, correct weights)

Complying with regulatory requirements

Rising cost of manufacuring input costs, incl. raw materials and energy

Ageing assets

Turnover of staff who peform repititive manual tasks

Labour costs

Bottlenecks in the line impeding throughput

Question Title

* 8. What are the top three STRATEGIC ACTIONS your company is intending to take to address the previous market pressures?

Build compliance and traceability into production processes

Increase focus on operational excellence (improve operational efficiency and/or effectiveness)

Increase visibility into operational performance

Connect and control operations by integrating business and manufacturing processes

Reduce costs by reducing wastage (Example. consumables, energy, packaging materials)

Reduce costs by reducing product giveaway

Incorporate auxiliary packaging tech. to increase manufacturing effectiveness (Example. barcode scanning,vision systems)

Question Title

* 9. Which of the following PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES does your company possess?

	Currently use	Plan to implement	No plan to implement	Don't know
Manufacturing effectively collaborates with product engineering/design	Manufacturing effectively collaborates with product engineering/design Currently use	Manufacturing effectively collaborates with product engineering/design Plan to implement	Manufacturing effectively collaborates with product engineering/design No plan to implement	Manufacturing effectively collaborates with product engineering/design Don't know
Qualified in-house engineer/maintenance capabilites	Qualified in-house engineer/maintenance capabilites Currently use	Qualified in-house engineer/maintenance capabilites Plan to implement	Qualified in-house engineer/maintenance capabilites No plan to implement	Qualified in-house engineer/maintenance capabilites Don't know
Systems integrators are viewed as strategic partners in the design & implementation packaging lines	Systems integrators are viewed as strategic partners in the design & implementation packaging lines Currently use	Systems integrators are viewed as strategic partners in the design & implementation packaging lines Plan to implement	Systems integrators are viewed as strategic partners in the design & implementation packaging lines No plan to implement	Systems integrators are viewed as strategic partners in the design & implementation packaging lines Don't know
Central line control	Central line control Currently use	Central line control Plan to implement	Central line control No plan to implement	Central line control Don't know
Vision system technology	Vision system technology Currently use	Vision system technology Plan to implement	Vision system technology No plan to implement	Vision system technology Don't know
Robotics automation technology - materials handling, picking, sorting, packing, palletising	Robotics automation technology - materials handling, picking, sorting, packing, palletising Currently use	Robotics automation technology - materials handling, picking, sorting, packing, palletising Plan to implement	Robotics automation technology - materials handling, picking, sorting, packing, palletising No plan to implement	Robotics automation technology - materials handling, picking, sorting, packing, palletising Don't know
Robotics automation technology - food/product processing	Robotics automation technology - food/product processing Currently use	Robotics automation technology - food/product processing Plan to implement	Robotics automation technology - food/product processing No plan to implement	Robotics automation technology - food/product processing Don't know
Barcode tracking	Barcode tracking Currently use	Barcode tracking Plan to implement	Barcode tracking No plan to implement	Barcode tracking Don't know

Question Title

* 10. Which of the following PROCESS CAPABILITIES does your company possess or will develop?

	Currently Implemented	Plan to implement	No plan to implement	Don't know
Standard KPIs	Standard KPIs Currently Implemented	Standard KPIs Plan to implement	Standard KPIs No plan to implement	Standard KPIs Don't know
Automated alerts based on defined conditions	Automated alerts based on defined conditions Currently Implemented	Automated alerts based on defined conditions Plan to implement	Automated alerts based on defined conditions No plan to implement	Automated alerts based on defined conditions Don't know
Automated workflows to manage non-compliance, non-comformance, and recall events	Automated workflows to manage non-compliance, non-comformance, and recall events Currently Implemented	Automated workflows to manage non-compliance, non-comformance, and recall events Plan to implement	Automated workflows to manage non-compliance, non-comformance, and recall events No plan to implement	Automated workflows to manage non-compliance, non-comformance, and recall events Don't know
Quality assurance results for products recorded	Quality assurance results for products recorded Currently Implemented	Quality assurance results for products recorded Plan to implement	Quality assurance results for products recorded No plan to implement	Quality assurance results for products recorded Don't know
Data is managed using real time/ event-driven dashboards with role-based accessibility	Data is managed using real time/ event-driven dashboards with role-based accessibility Currently Implemented	Data is managed using real time/ event-driven dashboards with role-based accessibility Plan to implement	Data is managed using real time/ event-driven dashboards with role-based accessibility No plan to implement	Data is managed using real time/ event-driven dashboards with role-based accessibility Don't know
Ability to collect, plan/schedule and respond to real-time production events	Ability to collect, plan/schedule and respond to real-time production events Currently Implemented	Ability to collect, plan/schedule and respond to real-time production events Plan to implement	Ability to collect, plan/schedule and respond to real-time production events No plan to implement	Ability to collect, plan/schedule and respond to real-time production events Don't know

Question Title

* 11. Which of the following BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES does your company possess or will it develop? Consider how you plan, budget, organise operations and problem solve.

	Currently implemented	Plan to implement	No plan to implement	Don't know
Owners or senior management have visibility into operational performance	Owners or senior management have visibility into operational performance Currently implemented	Owners or senior management have visibility into operational performance Plan to implement	Owners or senior management have visibility into operational performance No plan to implement	Owners or senior management have visibility into operational performance Don't know
Operational metrics are linked to financial metrics	Operational metrics are linked to financial metrics Currently implemented	Operational metrics are linked to financial metrics Plan to implement	Operational metrics are linked to financial metrics No plan to implement	Operational metrics are linked to financial metrics Don't know
Real-time visibility into status of all production processes	Real-time visibility into status of all production processes Currently implemented	Real-time visibility into status of all production processes Plan to implement	Real-time visibility into status of all production processes No plan to implement	Real-time visibility into status of all production processes Don't know
Real-time visibility into quality and compliance data	Real-time visibility into quality and compliance data Currently implemented	Real-time visibility into quality and compliance data Plan to implement	Real-time visibility into quality and compliance data No plan to implement	Real-time visibility into quality and compliance data Don't know
Energy consumption and costs are used as KPIs for operational decision making	Energy consumption and costs are used as KPIs for operational decision making Currently implemented	Energy consumption and costs are used as KPIs for operational decision making Plan to implement	Energy consumption and costs are used as KPIs for operational decision making No plan to implement	Energy consumption and costs are used as KPIs for operational decision making Don't know

Question Title

* 12. Over the past two years, what were the changes in the following metrics?

	Increased by more than 50%	Increased by 30-50%	Increased by 16-30%	Increased by 1-15%	Remained the same	Decreased by 1-15%	Decreased by 16-30%	Decreased by 16%-30%	Decreased by 31-50%	Decreased by more than 50%	Don't know
Operating Costs	Operating Costs Increased by more than 50%	Operating Costs Increased by 30-50%	Operating Costs Increased by 16-30%	Operating Costs Increased by 1-15%	Operating Costs Remained the same	Operating Costs Decreased by 1-15%	Operating Costs Decreased by 16-30%	Operating Costs Decreased by 16%-30%	Operating Costs Decreased by 31-50%	Operating Costs Decreased by more than 50%	Operating Costs Don't know
Total Cost Per Unit	Total Cost Per Unit Increased by more than 50%	Total Cost Per Unit Increased by 30-50%	Total Cost Per Unit Increased by 16-30%	Total Cost Per Unit Increased by 1-15%	Total Cost Per Unit Remained the same	Total Cost Per Unit Decreased by 1-15%	Total Cost Per Unit Decreased by 16-30%	Total Cost Per Unit Decreased by 16%-30%	Total Cost Per Unit Decreased by 31-50%	Total Cost Per Unit Decreased by more than 50%	Total Cost Per Unit Don't know
Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time)	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Increased by more than 50%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Increased by 30-50%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Increased by 16-30%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Increased by 1-15%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Remained the same	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Decreased by 1-15%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Decreased by 16-30%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Decreased by 16%-30%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Decreased by 31-50%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Decreased by more than 50%	Manufacturing Cycle (throughput time) Don't know
Annual output	Annual output Increased by more than 50%	Annual output Increased by 30-50%	Annual output Increased by 16-30%	Annual output Increased by 1-15%	Annual output Remained the same	Annual output Decreased by 1-15%	Annual output Decreased by 16-30%	Annual output Decreased by 16%-30%	Annual output Decreased by 31-50%	Annual output Decreased by more than 50%	Annual output Don't know

Question Title

* 13. Rank the following ten purchase/ procurement criteria in order of importance.

Flexibility and adaptability to accomodate future packaging applications

Australian-made

Ongoing service and support

Materials savings.

Safety i.e. the machine eliminates repetitive motion or heavy lifting required by an operator.

Machine's capability of providing quality improvements and reducing rework.

Cost

Quick changeovers

Professional services consultant's expertise

Cost and/or availability of change parts

Question Title

* 14. What are CHALLENGES have you previously encountered in successfuly procuring and/or commissioning packaging line equipment or systems? Select all that apply.

Making a clear business case to obtain funding

In-house engineering experience/ expertise

Project management expertise

Project team members understanding of the complexity of tasks at hand

Difficulty integrating machines from different vendors

Inadequate training and/or unclear documentation

Changing goals and project scope

Managing expectations

Clear governance of project

Integration with shop floor and/or current equipment

Acceptance testing

Don't know - I'm not involved in the purchasing process

Question Title

* 15. Who usually specifies the machinery for packaging lines at your company?

Packaging line engineers

General management

Marketing/ package design

Operations / Qaulity assurance

Procurement/finance

Sales

Outside machinery supplier

Outside consultant/integrator

Owner/ Managing Director

Question Title

* 16. What are the three top benefits you expect from the purchase of new packaging line equipment or technologies?

Improve product quality

Reduce costs

Increase operations speed

Improve safety

Improve agility, visibility and responsiveness

Increase operational uptime

Question Title

* 17. Please select the industry that best fits your company.

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 18. What is your position in the company?

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 19. What is the approximate number of employees in your organisation?

Question Title

* 20. Please add your name and your company email address to enter the competition.

Name

Email Address

Question Title

* 1. Q. Have you installed new packaging, product inspection or robotics automation equipment over the past year or do you intend to in the next year?

Question Title

* 2. Compared to FY17, will your CAPITAL EXPENDITURE BUDGET for packaging equipment in FY18:

Question Title

* 3. What are your company’s plans for automation?

Question Title

* 4. Do you do current use or do you plan to install a robotics automation system over the next two years?

Question Title

* 5. Which area(s) of the packaging line do you plan to buy packaging or robotics automation equipment for? (check all that apply)

Question Title

* 6. What are the top three MARKET PRESSURES driving your company to enhance or upgrade its packaging line capabilities?

Question Title

* 7. What are the top three CHALLENGES in managing your operations?

Question Title

* 8. What are the top three STRATEGIC ACTIONS your company is intending to take to address the previous market pressures?

Question Title

* 9. Which of the following PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES does your company possess?

Question Title

* 10. Which of the following PROCESS CAPABILITIES does your company possess or will develop?

Question Title

* 11. Which of the following BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES does your company possess or will it develop? Consider how you plan, budget, organise operations and problem solve.

Question Title

* 12. Over the past two years, what were the changes in the following metrics?

Question Title

* 13. Rank the following ten purchase/ procurement criteria in order of importance.

Question Title

* 14. What are CHALLENGES have you previously encountered in successfuly procuring and/or commissioning packaging line equipment or systems? Select all that apply.

Question Title

* 15. Who usually specifies the machinery for packaging lines at your company?

Question Title

* 16. What are the three top benefits you expect from the purchase of new packaging line equipment or technologies?

Question Title

* 17. Please select the industry that best fits your company.

Question Title

* 18. What is your position in the company?

Question Title

* 19. What is the approximate number of employees in your organisation?

Question Title

* 20. Please add your name and your company email address to enter the competition.

Question Title

* 21. Company