A reduction of 1400 production hours by moving from a manual to an automated punnet solution

Automating punnet production to improve efficiency and sustainability

After switching from plastic to paper-based punnets, Pomares do Sol wanted to maintain its sustainability gains while eliminating the time-consuming manual assembly process. Smurfit Westrock redesigned the punnet for automated production, dramatically increasing packing efficiency while preserving the appearance, functionality, and product protection of the original design.

The Challenge

Pomares do Sol used plastic punnets before converting to paper-based punnets in order to become more sustainable. The only downside with this change was that they had to be manually assembled which took 12 seconds per pack. In order to save time, Pomares do Sol decided it was time to switch to an automated solution without affecting the appearance.

The Approach

The Smurfit Westrock design team in Portugal amended the manually erected punnet design and replaced folding points with glue points. This enabled the punnet to be automatically assembled on a Boix MCT1/V punnet erecting machine. The numerous ventilation holes allow the fruit inside to breathe whilst being transported in challenging supply chain conditions.

The Result

The automatically erected punnet solution reduced assembly time by more than 1400 hours subsequently increasing the assembly speed to 4000 punnets per hour. In addition to this, Smurfit Westrock were able to redesign the punnet without changing its appearance therefore fulfilling all of Pomares do Sol's wishes.

Products used by this client

Punnet | Fruit Punnets

Our portfolio of paper-based punnet packaging is thoughtfully designed to provide freshness, functionality, protection and exceptional visual appeal for many different types of produce.

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