The Challenge

An e-commerce fulfilment warehouse near Graz, Austria ships around 480 cartons per day, mostly medium-sized boxes. All cases were previously formed by hand at the start of the packing line. One operator spent most of the shift opening flats, folding bottoms, and holding boxes while packers tried to load products.

The manual process limited output to around 2 cartons per minute and created a persistent bottleneck. Operators reported wrist and shoulder strain from continuous folding, and supervisors regularly had to pull a second person to help with peaks, driving up labor cost per shipment.

Manual Process

With the manual workflow, one dedicated operator handled case forming, while packers often helped during busy periods. Cycle times were inconsistent and ergonomics were poor.

Before Automation:

• Daily volume: 480 cartons/day
• Cycle time per unit: 40 seconds/carton (opening, squaring, folding and holding)
• Total daily time: 480 × 40 seconds = 19,200 seconds ≈ 320 minutes (5.3 hours/day)
• Additional assist time: ~1.1 hours/day (packers helping during peaks)
• Total daily forming labor: ≈6.4 hours/day
• Labor cost: 6.4 hours × €25/hour = €160/day
• Rework/issues: About 3% of cartons needing refolding or re-taping due to poorly squared bottoms

The forming station frequently slowed the entire line when the main operator was interrupted or needed breaks. In addition to lost time, management recorded several repetitive strain complaints per quarter linked directly to manual folding and holding of cases.

Automated Solution

The warehouse installed the FLEX BOX Semi automatic Case Erector at the head of the packing line, connected to an existing carton sealer. One operator now loads blanks into the magazine and places them into the machine; the erector folds the bottom flaps pneumatically and holds the box upright for easy filling.

After Installing FLEX BOX Semi automatic Case Erector:

• Machine operates at 60% of maximum capacity for reliability
• Effective forming speed: ≈4 cartons/minute at 60% of 6–7 cartons/min
• New cycle time: 15 seconds/carton (including placement and transfer)
• Total daily time: 480 × 15 seconds = 7,200 seconds = 120 minutes (2.0 hours/day)
• Additional coordination/short breaks: ~1.3 hours/day
• Total daily forming labor: ≈3.3 hours/day
• Labor cost: 3.3 hours × €25/hour ≈ €82/day
• Quality improvement: rework down from 3% to 0.5% of cartons due to consistently squared bottoms

The FLEX BOX eliminated the need for packers to assist with forming. The dedicated operator now spends less than half a shift on box erection and can support other tasks, while ergonomics improved thanks to the adjustable worktable and reduced manual folding.

ROI Calculation

Investment:
Machine price: €2,199
Daily time before: ≈6.4 hours/day
Daily time after: ≈3.3 hours/day
Daily hours saved: 6.4 − 3.3 = 3.1 hours/day
Daily savings: 3.1 hours × €25/hour ≈ €77.50/day (rounded to €78/day)
Additional savings from reduced rework and overtime: ≈€22/day
Total daily savings: ≈€100/day
Monthly savings (22 working days): €100/day × 22 days = €2,200/month
Payback period: €2,199 ÷ €100/day ≈ 22 days (≈1.1 months)

Conclusion

By introducing the FLEX BOX Semi automatic Case Erector, the Austrian e-commerce warehouse removed a chronic bottleneck, nearly halved box forming labor, and cut rework to a fraction of previous levels. The investment paid back in just over one month while improving operator comfort and freeing capacity for growth.

“With the FLEX BOX, we form the same 480 cartons in about half the time, and our forming labor dropped from €160 to roughly €80 per day. Hitting payback in around 22 days while easing strain on the team made this one of our quickest and most tangible improvements.” — Markus Huber, Operations Manager, E-Com Fulfilment GmbH / Graz, Austria