The Centre of Attention

Just like few consumers purchase a car without actually kicking some tires first, making a large capital investment in automated packaging machinery is not something that should be done purely online, remotely, or based on hearsay or computer-generated simulations.

To put it plainly: there is no substitute for a real-life demonstration right in front of one’s eyes to help potential customers get a real feel for the machinery they may need to improve their operations.

And true enough, the new Automation Experience Centre facility in Mississauga, Ont.—opened up this past September by leading Canadian packaging machinery and supplies distributor Crawford Packaging—is quickly proving to be a win-win proposition for the company’s customers and business partners.

Since opening its doors for business with a celebratory open house event bringing together some of the company’s key OEM vendors, consumables suppliers and end-use customers, the spanking new 40,000-square-foot facility has been booked solid for weeks in advance.

Booked by appointment by companies large and small looking to improve their operation, the new facility houses an extensive array of high-quality automation solutions set up to perform all kinds of product test runs and demonstrations to enable potential customers to make intelligent and well-informed purchasing decisions.

Moreover, the tests and demonstrations are conducted by the exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced Crawford Packaging staff boasting deep inside knowledge of the specific types and brands of packaging equipment and technologies carried in-stock by the company at its multiple distribution centres and warehouses.

For Craig Gray, for example, looking after the sales of German end-of-line packaging specialists BVM Brunner is a major part of his role as Crawford’s packaging specialist.

“I think the facility is already booked for about two dozen demonstrations a month in the near future,” says Craig, who joined Crawford Packing about six years ago following Crawford’s acquisition of his former employer Celplast.

As part of that sale, Crawford acquired the North American distribution right for all of the high-quality machinery manufactured by BVM, which is considered to be the industry’s ‘golden standard’ for shrink-wrapping and automated mailer systems, among others.

Soon after the Automation Experience Centre was open for business, Craig was dispensing his knowledge of BVM equipment to the senior engineering team visiting from Molinaro’s Fine Italian Foods, a leading producer of frozen pizzas and other popular Italian cuisine offerings for the private-label market.

“They had already purchased a BVM shrink-wrapping machine a few months ago that they plant to commission this December,” Craig says, “but because it had not yet arrived from Germany, they were eager to take the opportunity of seeing that machine in action.

“They wanted to see the product run at high speed,” recall Craig, “and we were able to demonstrate the product to their satisfaction,” Craig recalls.

“I was highly impressed by the expertise of the Crawford team,” says Molinaro’s maintenance manager John Debartolo.

“They answered all of my questions and demonstrated a deep knowledge of their field,” he states.

“They also took the time to understand our business needs and proposed an equipment solution that closely aligns with our requirements.

“We have decided to purchase a BVM Genius machine and are eagerly anticipating its arrival,” Debartolo continues.

“We are confident that this high-quality, robust machine will provide us with the level of performance and flexibility we need in our operation.” he adds.

According to Molinaro’s industrial engineer Dinesh Vasudevan, “We had a great experience visiting the Crawford Packaging Automation Experience Centre.

“The facility was truly impressive, and the equipment on the floor left me in awe,” Vasudevan adds.

“It is extremely beneficial to have the opportunity to walk into a facility like this and witness the solution first-hand before making a purchasing decision.”

It was a similarly positive experience for Martin Kamil, chief financial officer and chief operating officer at the Black Fly Beverage Company Inc. in London, Ont., which has spent tens of millions on packaging automation in recent years on boosting its co-packing capacity to accommodate major North American beverage-brand owners.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Crawford Packaging for several years now, and we’ve been consistently impressed with the quality of their service,” Kamil relates.

“It’s incredibly convenient to have a knowledgeable and trusted supplier who can provide us with best-in-class complete solutions, including equipment, consumables, and technical support,” says Kamil, adding his visit to the Centre was partly motivated by his company’s interest in the new Global AGV range of self-guided, autonomous forklifts manufactured in Denmark by Bila A/S.

“We were very intrigued by the self-driving forklift, which seemed like the perfect solution for our repetitive tasks,” Kamil states.

“We are seriously considering purchasing it to optimize our material handling processes.”

Says Kamil: “Throughout our visit, the Crawford Packaging Specialists went above and beyond in addressing all our questions and reaffirming their position as the trusted partner we’ve come to rely on.”

Like all other visitors to Centre, Kamil says he was inspired by the high quality and broad diversity of the automated packaging solutions assembled at the Automation Experience Centre.

“The facility houses a wide range of packaging and end-of-line equipment,” he says, “from automatic stretch-wrappers and side-sealers to case-sealers and autonomous forklifts.”

Some of the high-end stretch-wrapping machinery making a big impression on Kamil and other visitors is actually made in Canada by Wulftec International, a Duravant Group subsidiary operating out of Ayers Cliff, Que.

“We have been working with Crawford for about 20 years and they have been a great partner for us from the start,” says Wulftec’s Canadian sales rep Michel Rouleau.

“Over the last five years, they have become our biggest distributor in Canada,” he says, “accounting for 15-to-20 per cent of all our Canadian sales.

“They also have what is possibly the largest group of highly skilled technicians working in all the different branches of their business,” Rouleau says, citing the five consecutive Supplier of the Year plaques that Wulftec has awarded to Crawford in recognition of its customer-service excellence.

According to Rouleau, Wulftec has already made arrangements for a pending installation of a fully-automatic combination stretch-wrapper/strapper at the Centre in early 2024, adding he has full confidence in Crawford personnel’s ability to make optimal use of “The Cadillac” of end-of-line packaging machinery.

“We are currently the only manufacturer in North America who can supply a solution to do both strapping and wrapping on the same line,” Rouleau concludes, “and I’m sure that having Crawford demonstrate the machine’s capabilities live at their showcase facility will give it a great marketing push that will make this new machine a big bestseller for us.”