Equipment manufacturers are making it simpler, more efficient , and more efficient to fold, compress, roll and ship products of the bedding box that customers want.
Traditional and boxed mattresses experienced a massive growth during the Covid-19 epidemic as more and more people placed orders online for mattresses.
One of the most popular selling points for consumers in 2020 was the ease of zero-contact delivery. The speedy and quick actions of mattress companies that made their products accessible online resulted in an 7.5 percent rise in U.S.-produced mattress units shipped throughout the year, as per figures of the International Sleep Products Association.
Being a significant segment of market there has been an increase in demand for roll-packing and compression solutions. The majority of consumers are shopping and purchasing mattresses on the internet and increasingly are delivered in boxes.
“At the end of 2019 we estimated that one U.S. mattress in a box market share was 15%, and was steadily increasing,” says Mark DesJardin an executive in business development for C3 Corp., a manufacturer of laminating, packaging and material handling equipment situated in Appleton, Wisconsin. “By the close of 2020, only one year later, our had estimated that (the boxed mattress) market share had surpassed 35 percent..”
In the future, C3 predicts that mattresses made of boxed materials will surpass 50 percent from the total market and possibly even reaching 60% within the next two or three years. “The circumstances of 2020, though difficult in many ways, brought the market for compressed mattresses over the edge,” DesJardin says. “But the momentum had been growing in the previous years. It’s not like that the world was awash with boxed beds in the last year.”
However, the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic set off a massive change in the way people behaved towards nesting. As people more often employed from home, cooked more meals in their personal kitchens, and delayed vacations. With the cost of clothing entertainment, travel, and transport slowed, consumers discovered they had more money to spend on improving their homes, such as the condition of their beds and bedrooms.
“Consumers were able to steer clear of visits to specialty shops as well as the traditional methods of delivery,” DesJardin says. “They’re seeking to make purchases on the internet or at the retail store in which they shop for other items.”
A new normal
The disease’s threat appears to be decreasing, a new standard is beginning to appear for the industry of bedding. Although some contours of the terrain are unclear, “we should expect to be seeing three things in the near future” which will be good news for boxed beds and bed equipment, says DesJardin. “First we’ll see a continuation in the trend of nesting. The second reason is that environmentally-friendly packaging will become more relevant because the new generation of consumers will be more attentive to the carbon footprint of brands,” he says. “And thirdly the need to improve distribution and logistics (will grow) as consumers search for easier, more convenient shopping and purchasing alternatives.”
In order to help manufacturers keep pace with the changes happening in the market Machinery makers are searching for methods to improve their equipment. efficient, efficient and cost-effective, as well as eco-friendly.
On the green side they’re developing new plastic films and other wrappings, like paper, which will help reduce waste, while also protecting bed beds during transport and delivery.
To help manufacturers improve efficiency, equipment providers have introduced new equipment which increase the number of ways a mattress is folded or rolled before it is placed into a container. With more folds, mattresses will fit into smaller boxes and smaller boxes translate to better logistics, which includes less storage and shipping costs.
“The trend towards reducing dimensions of production as well as cost of production and waste have played a major aspect in the evolution of mattress packaging” Eric Zaninelli who is an executive in the field of technical sales with Dolphin Pack, which is a maker of mattress packaging and compression machines that are based in Affi, Italy. “The principal goal of Dolphin Pack was always to find efficient solutions for businesses as well as consumers and the environment.”
The Etesian Double Roll, the most recent packaging system developed by Dolphin Pack, achieves this objective, Zaninelli says. With the ability to make more boxes fit into containers or trucks The system can help improve efficiency in transportation and lower the costs of retailers and manufacturers. Additionally since a well-packed bed uses less fuel to transport by double-rolling before packing reduces CO2 emissions. “Therefore companies, businesses, consumers , and the environment also will benefit from using the Double Roll (approach),” Zaninelli explains.
In the last few years, the field has made significant progress in the kinds of beds that can be used for boxing. Many different types of mattresses are now able to be compacted, rolled and then put in a box including many hybrid mattresses, as well as many traditional innerspring mattresses.
Sales of equipment are in the ascendancy
Mattress sales on e-commerce are growing at an unprecedented rate across the United States and elsewhere, the demand for roll-packing equipment is growing, according to Serkan Guler the chief executive officer of Elektroteks. The company, which is located within Bursa, Turkey, has been selling between eight and 10 roll-packing equipment per month to its customers across the globe in 2021 , and the demand is showing no indication of slowing down.
“This type is a thriving sales for the last several decades,” Guler says.
Other companies also report similar strong results in the roll-packing machines segment.
It was once a niche market for a select producer group that specialized in sleep products available online, boxesed beds and the machines that place them in boxes are now more commonplace.
“The mattress rolling machine has become essential for many of the mattress manufacturers of today,” Guler says. “Producers today require the ability to fold, compress as well as roll mattresses in order to remain competitive and meet their clients with their desire for a convenient and direct delivery to their door.”
Carthage the Missouri-based Global Systems Group, which manufactures a range of mattress-making machines is an early adopter of rolling-pack technology since launching the well-known TK-306 together with Teknomac srl, which is based in Barbara, Italy, at the ISPA EXPO 2008. New developments and innovations have provided additional options for increasing efficiency and decreasing costs.
“The latest GSG innovations in machine technology are focused on improving efficiency, material efficiency and reduction to create sustainability in manufacturing in addition to cost-savings for the mattress manufacturer,” says Randy Metcalf, GSG marketing manager. “There are numerous unique aspects within the broad area of roll-pack packaging. GSG has worked to offer as many options as it is possible so that mattress makers can modify their packaging processes to meet the diverse demands of their clients.”
For Atlanta Attachment Co., the recent introduction of proprietary Windows-based technology allows the company to analyze the operations of other equipment and software remotely. The company has designed new equipment using a standard plug-and play application that allows for a more seamless integration of various machines as well as more flexibility in the design for production areas, according to Doug Guffey, vice president of sales for the company which is located within Lawrenceville, Georgia.
“We are looking to the future for fully automated systems of equipment that communicates in a single way,” Guffey says. “AAC continues to create equipment for handling materials that can automate the entire production process such as automatic bagging, rolling tapes, boxing labels, sorting, taking and tracking the product.”
Guffey claims that aside from core elements like efficiency, reliability, as well as workflows, Atlanta Attachments’ advancement efforts in the roll packing sector also aim to increase the flexibility of production for mattress makers. This includes machines that “can handle a variety of products on one working machine,” Guffey states, and also equipment that can manage “thicker products as well as the movement of more hybrid mattresses.”
Pillow talk
Brighi Tecnologie Italia snc. Brighi Tecnologie Italia snc what’s driving the growth within the United States right now is the rising demand for pillow manufacturing equipment that automates “each and every stage of the manufacturing procedure,” says Matteo Tagliaferri the export sales manager of Brighi which is a manufacturer of machines for home textiles and bedding located within Forli, Italy.
“Manufacturers cannot find workers and, if they do locate them, it’s difficult to keep them. So, they’re taking a look at machines for their work,” he says.
Tagliaferri also says that Brighi has always been focused to automatizing the entire pillow production process “so that we’re in a an advantageous position now because we are able to provide complete solutions from point A to Z, and everything between.”
Check out the latest developments and new packaging equipment for bedding items.
Rock ‘Em Box ‘Em Robot
Robotics play a larger role in bedding factories as they automate a variety of tasks that were previously required to be performed by human. Elektroteks RoBOX, the latest robot (in the blue color in this picture) provides a brand fresh level of efficiency to the packaging stage of production. The RoBOX system creates an entire box out of a piece of cardboard. Then, it inserts an unrolled mattress inside the box. Then, the robot shifts the box straight to a pallet for transportation.
Packing Taller, Thicker Springs
Recently upgraded to handle greater springs in pockets, Amelco Industries’ RL2000PRE roll-packing equipment with a precompression feeding table can be used to pack large innerspring units approximately 8 1/2″ in height and 79 inches in easily-to-ship compressed rolls and are easy to open. The RL2100PRE version machine is able to handle units that are with a width of up to 83 inches. Amelco has also improved the accuracy of the machine’s paper tension to make sure that the paper strength is equal to the spring resistance, which allows greater spring units that can be put into rolls. Furthermore the frame of the machine is now able to handle rolls of paper with greater diameters (48 inches).
Automatic paper feeding at starting of the packing process and a brand new inching button make sure that the bar is in the proper position , and help the operator in speeding up the process. Counters for spring units as well as an automated cutter for paper and large adhesive tape rolls boost efficiency, according to the company.
“After having reached a predetermined amount of pieces, the unit begins cutting paper into strips, then strapping the bale in adhesive tape, ready to be ejected and then resetting (itself) to start another cycle” states Andreas Georgallis Director of the Nicosia Cyprus-based company.
designed with safety for the operator with safety in consideration, the RL2000PRE’s improvements include an emergency stop at head-level for collisions as well as a knee-level stop for safety photocells and guard bars for the table that feeds it. The RL2000PRE is, according to the company is compatible with any spring unit which include Bonnell and pocketed. It uses specially formulated Kraft paper and cloth, plastic film and nonwoven material.
Rolling Pillows with Simple
Looking to make the pillow roll packing process easier to manufacturers Forli Italian-based Brighi Tecnologie Italia snc has improved the Easy Roll system with new features that increase flexibility and boost efficiency. It includes a brand new silicon spray that is used in the machine’s rolling joints to customers who use “naked” foam cores which makes it easier to roll and eject and deionizing bars inside the bag-making module , which eliminate the static charge in tubular plastic, allowing bags-securing robots to open bags with greater ease as well as a bag-punching system that makes a microperforation into bags to allow customers to have some pillow recuperation following bagging, according to the company.
Its Easy Roll system comes in two models, fully automatic and semi-automatic. Both models are equipped with the company’s distinctive “revolver-style” dual rolling which increases production speed by allowing pillows to be rolled in one unit, while a second pillow is compressed, bagged and sealed in a different unit.
Compact Solution
New new Atlanta Attachment Co., the Automatic Secondary Compact Roll Pack machine (model 1307SA, shown below) can be added to the existing mattress roll-pack equipment , or be used as a stand-alone device. According to Atlanta Attachment Co., the Lawrenceville Georgia-based firm its compact design makes it easier to reduce the space in the mattress factory as well as packaging mattresses in boxes that are as small as the dimensions of 18″x18″, 18″x24″, at an average that is one per 35 second. A Windows-based control system and Atlanta Attachment’s premium design results in a simple-to-maintain machine that has low maintenance costs according to the company. It is equipped with attachments to load boxes.
Atlanta Attachment also has enhanced its automated Mattress Packaging system by incorporating the Hydraulic Compression and Roll-Pac Workstation (pictured above) it is a combination of its 1390HCE Auto-Pac unit with a workstation 1306FF and the 1307SA workstation model that is new to the line. Created for omnichannel production of mattresses according to the company, this system is highly integrated and can meet the wide array of bags, which include traditional mattress bagging, traditional roll packs, fold-in-half roll pack, and two roll packaging. The combination of 1390HCE, 1306FF and 1307SA allows the packing of a queen-sized mattress into boxes smaller than the dimensions of 18 by 18 by 24 inches. Through the use of a rotation feature within the compression platen the footprint of 1390HCE’s production is reduced, but still allows for various height settings to satisfy demands for production, the firm claims. The 1360FF model is the latest machine to come with the ability to program the diameter of 10-23 inches on mattresses that are rolled that can roll queen-sized units in just 35 minutes.
Another product in the line of Atlanta attachments is the H290 automatic Mattress Stacker. The machine automatically stacks mattresses over one another on pallets or within bins. The machine can stack mattresses either on the left or right side and can be fitted with a center-pass-through discharge. The stacker can be palletized without the involvement of an operator, speeding up the process and reducing the risk of injury to workers from lifting massive loads, according to the company.
Fighting Germs and Bacteria
United Mattress Machinery has partnered with an German firm that manufactures sterilization equipment for food and beverages to develop a novel type of machine it claims will eliminate germs and bacteria on mattresses prior to packing and bagging.
With the name Kleen Machine, United’s new UM-UV-KLEEN “fits as a piece of puzzle” to existing roll-pack configurations According to Michael Porter Jr., co-owner and vice president of United Mattress Machinery, which is headquartered located in Delray Beach, Florida.
The machine is equipped with the ultraviolet-light sterilization tunnel which mattresses travel through before being packaged and bagged. United Mattress Machinery’s study suggests that a typical mattress is handled by between 10 and 15 employees, and an average of over 100 times while manufacturing.
“That’s disgusting!” Porter says. “Everyone around the globe is thinking differently than they did before the Covid 19 about the reality that bacteria, germs and viruses can be transferred, and much more easily than we believed.”
United Mattress Machinery is the company that has secured patent protection for the innovative concept. The Kleen Machine’s creator, United team member Leo Echeverria The company will begin delivery of its Kleen Machine to customers this autumn direct from Germany. It is Kleen Machine integrates with the company’s UM-RP2-TURN Mattress Wrap/Compress/Roll Pack System and with other machinery from other companies.
Improving Shipping Density
Based on the popularity of the half Fold & Roll pack-rolling technology, C3 Corp. introduced the Tri-Fold & Roll system during this year’s Interzum Cologne trade show in May. The C3’s Half Fold & Roll system has proved to be an excellent choice for online shopping, according to Mark DesJardin, business development executive of the company that is based within Appleton, Wisconsin. The company’s latest ultra-compressed, or “roll-on-roll” Tri-Fold solution “ramps the density equation more,” providing a higher pallet density , which is more efficient for logistical and shipping, DesJardin says. “We have created the capability of fitting more than 600 bed onto the truck, based on the design of the product,” he says. In comparison to previous method of rolling, this improved density results in huge costs savings to retailers He says.
The company also introduced the possibility of replacing the stretch wrap employed in its packaging machines by paper. Utilizing paper instead of wrapping reduces the quantity of plastic that is used to pack mattresses by one-third, says C3. Mattress manufacturers are able to utilize stretch wrap when their need arises DesJardin adds. “We’re not removing anything in this instance. We’re helping manufacturers to meet consumer demands,” he explains. The interest of consumers in recycling recyclable materials continues increase, “this eco-friendly packaging option could enhance the image of the brand in one of the most crucial moments of interaction with the consumer — the unboxing process,” DesJardin says.
The Tri-Fold &Roll system as well as the brand new paper-wrapping option are available as options for new machines, or as upgrade options for existing C3 machines that are currently being used in the field. They are upgrades that are modular retrofits that are able to be easily installed according to DesJardin.
