Field manual 03 · Packaging
Filling, capping, labeling, sealing — packaging machinery eats knives, belts, cups, and change parts on a schedule, and the exact OEM part is the only one that fits. CrateScan puts your re-order button on the machine, where the third-shift operator can actually use it.
Food, bev, and pharma lines don't stop to shop. Whoever's part number is on the machine gets the order.
| Part | Why it comes back | Typical interval |
|---|---|---|
| Knives & blades | Dulling on every cut — the original consumable | 1–3 mo |
| Vacuum cups & grippers | Abrasion, ozone cracking, product residue | 1–6 mo |
| Heat-seal elements & wire | Thermal cycling, PTFE cover wear | 3–9 mo |
| Timing belts | Tooth shear, tension creep on 24/7 lines | 6–12 mo |
| Tape heads & cartridges | Roller wear, spring fatigue, rebuild cycles | 6–12 mo |
| Chains & sprockets | Stretch and tooth wear under washdown | 12–24 mo |
Scenario · Third shift, dead tape head
The same event without CrateScan: a sticky note for the day shift, a maintenance binder from 2019, and a week of "did anyone order that cartridge?"
Night shift at a co-packer. The case sealer starts laying tape in waves — the head cartridge is done. Your label is riveted right next to it.
The operator scans it. Your portal answers: Tape Head Cartridge TH-50, quick-change spec, their contract price, the rebuild-vs-replace bulletin attached.
Quantity 1 plus a blade kit, ship-to Plant 4, submit. The RFQ is in your queue with the machine serial attached before the line restarts on the spare.
Your inside sales rep prices it at the morning desk and sends the quote.
Purchasing approves from their phone. PO issued — before the shift lead's coffee went cold.
01
Change parts are your highest-margin SKUs — and the easiest to lose to a local machine shop. A label on the machine keeps the order yours.
02
One branded portal across every line you support. Operators scan; you quote; nobody transcribes part numbers off a worn nameplate.
03
Tag your own fleet. Every plant re-orders the same proven part from the same approved supplier — no rogue substitutes on the line.
Label the machines you ship and support. We'll import your change-parts catalog with you.