This case story is based on an article from SignPrint.se

Litepaq manufactures cardboard-based disposable pallets and special packaging for the industry. The company started the year by introducing a digital cutting flow with a new G3 XL3200 cutter from Zünd for special packaging. The change resulted in a positive outcome overnight. The increased cutting capacity has also led to larger customers knocking on the door.

The Karlstad company Litepaq produces special packaging and disposable pallets of corrugated cardboard and moisture-resistant cardboard. According to CEO Kari Klemettilä, this is in line with their customers’ demands for environmentally friendly and recyclable load carriers to reduce the weight of the goods and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Litepaq’s robust disposable pallets are capable of transporting products that weigh several tons.

Now, the production of special packaging for customers in the automotive and manufacturing industry is completely digitalized.

Previously, Litepaq had four employees who manually cut cardboard material with analog equipment. Now manual work is a thing of the past. The company has invested in a Zünd G3 XL3200 Digital Cutter from Zünd Skandinavien in Denmark.

– We have moved from completely analog to digital production, says Kari Klemettilä and continues:

– We have spent four years developing products and building analog tools to ensure that the products are correct. In this process, we became aware of the potential in this market. Then I started looking for a good, reliable robust cutter, and chose one from Zund – a high-quality machine from Switzerland, says Kari Klemettilä. He explains that they use the cutter for materials up to six centimeters thick in sizes up to 2.37 x 6 meters.

Cutting and milling

With the tool range for the Zünd cutter, they can cut and mill, make V-cut cuts and punch holes. The packaging diecuts are created in a 3D CAD program and from there they are sent directly to the cutter.

– It’s Swiss precision. The machine does exactly what you ask it to do.

– I saw an opening in the market for the production of kraftwell products in Sweden and the Nordic countries. I also wanted a very flexible production. Now it takes us 20 minutes to make a basic drawing, then we can quickly change the dimensions in the drawing according to the customer’s wishes. We save the file, send it to the machine and cut it! No large set-up costs are needed at all. The speed and efficiency will make us very effective in the market.

Frees up time

Kari Klemettilä says that they have had plenty of jobs since January. He estimates that the cutter has been in use 80 percent of the time. It also frees up time for daily work. The staff gets more time for other jobs, such as pallet manufacturing.

– We have gone from four to two employees on the production floor, he says and explains how an operator handles the flow from drawing to carving. When the cutting is complete, the cut-out kraftwell pieces are passed on a conveyor belt to another operator who assembles them into finished packaging. The special packaging is delivered to the customer as flat packages.

– Customers can raise the boxes by clicking on the puzzle pieces and then pack, band and plastic.

Increased capacity and larger customers

Kari Klemettilä explains that sales in the last twelve months amount to approximately SEK 16.5 million.

– It’s a one-way upward curve – especially now that we have the cutter.

– We have not been able to handle larger volumes and customers during our earlier development years. But now the turnover is growing beyond our wildest expectations! It has already increased several hundred percent, he says, and adds that they were positively surprised that the cutter was occupied 80% from day one.

– We already have a production queue – products that are waiting to be cut, he says and adds that if this continues, they could very well soon be investing in another cutter.

Production of small series

Kari Klemettilä says that one explanation for the increased demand is that Litepaq can deliver packaging in small series.

– Thanks to the cutter, we’ve gained new customers, including subcontractors in automotive. We can deliver fast, flexible and precise products.

– What sets our packaging solutions apart from others is that you do not have to buy in large quantities – you can order from 5-10 pieces to 500 pieces per order if you want.

For us, it’s very easy to adjust.