Pregis tech support system aims to maximise efficiency

By Joe Whitworth

- Last updated on GMT

Pregis' system for its foam-in-place, air cushioning, paper protective packaging systems
Pregis' system for its foam-in-place, air cushioning, paper protective packaging systems

Related tags Customer service

Pregis has implemented its predictive tech support system to try and prevent downtime before it occurs.

The firm said traditionally, packaging equipment maintenance programs have been reactive, instead of proactive. 

PX3 combines software, personnel, parts management and a 24/7 service hot line designed to anticipate and predict machinery service needs before downtime occurs.

The system will anticipate a potential service situation well before anyone in the plant even knows, claims the company.

Pregis said this is a significant departure from traditional service scenarios which can leave a piece of equipment offline for several days until a technician is able to get to the facility.

Prevent the problem

Pregis’ objective is to deal with service situations before they become an actual problem and is a departure from traditional service scenarios which can leave a piece of equipment offline for several days until a tech is able to get to the facility.

For the IntelliPack foam-in-place equipment, cellular connectivity for its SmartBagger unit allows a telemetry function to feed-back real-time operating data to a remote PX3 dashboard. 

Based on predetermined metrics, Pregis tech service personnel are given an early warning of a potential problem.

“For example, if we see that operating pressure is increasing, we know that we need to look at the foam-in-place chemical mixing module.  The off-spec data triggers an email to the tech and a proactive service call is immediately scheduled​,” said Tom Wetsch, vice president, global new product development, Pregis.

By receiving the early warning, the chance that equipment will go down is greatly minimized, he added.

Top priorities

“Our customers’ top production priorities include operating equipment as efficiently as possible and avoiding downtime which can lead to thousands of dollars in lost productivity​,” said Wetsch.

“Pregis has already engineered its equipment to minimize downtime; the PX3 system takes that one step further.” 

The PX3 system also helps guide Pregis’ engineering of the next protective packaging equipment generation with data used to understand what components should be modified as new technologies are developed.

Related topics Processing & Packaging

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