Why the Corrugated Industry needs Machine Learning Technology

As the capability to make industrial machines more intelligent improves, there are now more reasons than ever to invest in technologies that will future-proof your equipment. The retirement of many veteran machine operators coinciding with the influx of new, undertrained workers is at the root of many headaches for converters today. An increase in unplanned downtime, operator safety risks and machine maintenance costs are just some of the consequences of this staffing predicament.

However, the traditional operator challenges plaguing the industry these last few decades are issues that have been solved in many other manufacturing sectors through technology. So why not in corrugated too?

There are now IIoT (industrial internet of things) solutions designed to increase your bottom line and compensate for the qualified operator shortages in the corrugated sector. With remote monitoring, machine learning and artificial intelligence, IIOT can not only read and report your machine data, but over time can learn and predict maintenance needs to your production staff. This is the kind of visibility that allows staff to make more informed, strategic decisions for the betterment of your organization.

 Mitigate workforce challenges

As more veteran operators are rightfully entering retirement, converters are finding their skills and experience incredibly hard to replace. Their experiential knowledge acquired through many years of operating the same converting equipment may have never been passed down, walking out the door with some of your best people. As younger, less-skilled operators and maintenance technicians move into those positions, you may have noticed that your operations have become a bit more clunky and inefficient, since they simply don’t know the quirks and tendencies of the machines.

Corrugated IIOT technology brings the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence to your production floor, providing actionable insight used to optimize your fleet operations and maintenance activities effectively. The software acquires a wealth of tribal knowledge as your team interacts with it, training the machine to later predict machine failures and suggest submitted resolutions – educating operators for years to come. In the age of endless information at your fingertips, it’s time to use that technology to capture and share key equipment knowledge that keeps your operators safe and your presses running.

Increase your bottom line

As your operators become more skilled and informed by IIoT systems, the results are simple: cost savings and reduced downtime. With the average cost of downtime at $1,000 an hour, according to industry benchmarks, you need to keep your unplanned downtime to a minimum to remain profitable. IIot software is capable of saving time and costs by notifying your team of optimal maintenance intervals, allowing your team to consolidate schedules for maximizing your technicians’ time. Additionally, the visibility provided by IIoT software allows your production staff to quickly identify machine anomalies and, overall, optimize your fleet and staff. Multiply these efficiencies across multiple machines, and your production floor’s ROI increases dramatically.

Connect and inform leadership

Visibility is the key to informed decision making. Being aware of your production numbers, unplanned downtime, maintenance schedules and more, is crucial to optimizing your production floor for efficiency. With corrugated IIoT software, your production staff have the machine-learning tools they need to capture and predict important events driving the productivity and safety of your converting equipment. However, without this technology, equipment knowledge tends to be siloed, maintenance schedules are based on tradition rather than data and your operations slowly fall behind the competition. Effective leadership is informed leadership and with the machine-learning technology of corrugated IIoT software, your staff will have actionable data to structure their fleet and team for maximum productivity and profitability.

The future is here

The cost of a single converter developing an IIoT machine learning software for their plant is simply unreasonable – it would take years to see your ROI. But unless you’ve purchased new capital equipment in the past few years, your existing machines may not be equipped with the technology needed to digitize your operations and data. That is why Sun Automation has created a IIoT, machine-learning solution for converters seeking visibility into their machine and operator performance – Helios. In 2021, Sun Automation launched Helios, a AI/machine learning platform that monitors, learns, and predicts important events driving the productivity, safety and profitability of your corrugated equipment. We are excited and eager to bring the power of IIoT to the corrugated converting industry!