Waste reduction
Recently , Schumacher Packaging has made huge strides forward in the rapid digitalization of its manufacturing output . At the fore of that move is iPrep , a resource-efficient transportation and unwrapping system utilized at the company ’ s Greven production facility .
The only one of its kind in the world , Schumacher Packaging ’ s adoption of the ground-breaking iPrep system was aided by a grant from the environmental innovation programme run by the Federal Ministry for the Environment . “ Normally , some layers of the paper rolls , which our packaging plants convert into corrugated sheets , are damaged during the transportation process ,” explains Björn . “ As a result , these damaged layers of paper have to be cut off . This is traditionally done by hand , and to be safe , the operator will cut off more paper than is necessary . “ With iPrep , however , in-house transportation is fully automated , and that means any damage is reduced significantly ,” he goes on . “ Furthermore , all rolls are scanned , and the system will precisely detect how many layers of paper are damaged , cutting away only what is absolutely necessary . Therefore , in each plant we should save around 1.5 million kilos of paper per year .”
By 2025 , Schumacher Packaging will have set out its plans to invest 700 million euros into more environmentally friendly production methods . As he looks towards that future , Björn cannot help but reflect upon the devastating war in Europe .
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