The Ima e-Commerce Division is established and proposes E-CO

The IMA Group proudly announces the establishment of a new division to respond to the growing demand for online purchasing and the specific needs of e-commerce with new automated solutions.

A vital part of retail, e-commerce is expected to grow steadily in the coming years. As a result, advanced packaging automation is becoming increasingly important to help online retailers (e-tailers) increase production and contain costs in a highly competitive labour market. Drawing on its experience of over 60 years in packaging, IMA has now designed a range of packaging automation technologies to cater specifically for the unique needs of online retailers.

A single machine performs the functions of several manual packaging stations.

The first machine proposed by the Division is the E-CO Flex packaging station: this cutting-edge technology simplifies the packaging process by interacting with the Customer's management system to select the most suitable box size for the product to be packaged. Once the size has been identified, the box is automatically fetched from the warehouse, formed and closed at the bottom using the water-activated tape dispenser patented by IPG*.

The pre-assembled box is then delivered to the operator, who puts the items to be shipped and the necessary filler material inside. Next, the box is fed back into the machine, which scans the contents and further optimises the dimensions, if necessary, based on the remaining empty space. If necessary, E-CO Flex automatically reduces the height of the box and closes it, adapting the flap folding process to the new dimensions. This way, E-CO Flex automates packaging and automatic box sizing, ensuring that the functions of several manual packaging stations can be combined in a single machine.

The above has no adverse effect on productivity, but significantly reduces both material consumption and the need for empty space fillers, while optimising shipping volumes, in accordance with the latest sustainability policies adopted by the IMA Group.

*The IMA E-COMMERCE Division has now partnered with the American Company Intertape Polymer Group Inc. ('IPG'), a world leader in packaging and protection solutions, which will exclusively distribute this technology on behalf of IMA in North America.