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Bag Insert Dispensing System for On-Line Grocer
Film Embossing Unit with full tension control
Bag Insert Dispensing System for On-Line Grocer
[While Process/Product Development Manager at Vanguard Plastics]
A new startup in the Dallas area called GroceryWorks was growing rapidly and our sales team was looking for a way to secure the business of this unique market. What could we offer than our competitors couldn't?
GroceryWorks' process of loading a customer's order in their warehouse was to place 3 grocery sacks into a plastic tote, which would then progress through the warehouse on a motorized conveyor. Workers would fill the order as the tote came through their area. It would be very helpful if there were a way to hold the bags upright and open to facilitate loading. A rolled plastic insert was the solution.
Manually rolling and inserting these sheets would not be easy..... Let's automate that also. The above machine was conceptualized and this prototype built for that purpose. It would utilize the existing bag rack system and "One Touch" self-opening feature. Inserts were drawn into the throat of the machine, rolled, and awaited the operator to slide them into the open bag below. Removal of an insert automatically started the next cycle.
Before totes were loaded onto the delivery trucks, the inserts were pulled and stacked like sheets of paper, then periodically returned to the dispensing unit.
Patent applications for the insert and dispensing system were abandoned after a major grocery chain purchased GroceryWorks and subsequently closed the operation.
