Douglas Finishing

When Douglas Machine was in its first few decades of existence, machine parts were frequently sent to a variety of metal finishing operations around the state for powder coating and finishing. The process of packing and shipping the parts and waiting for the parts to be completed and returned was not only costly, it also took a considerable amount of time. In 1973, to better serve our customer’s needs, the decision was made to finish many of the parts in Alexandria. This was the start of Douglas Finishing. Finishing operations were set up at another location in Alexandria before they were relocated to the present site in 1975. Original capabilities included decorative nickel/chrome, zinc plating, anodizing and liquid painting.

The ability to manufacture a part in the Douglas Machine facility, walk it across the street to Douglas Finishing, get it finished immediately and ship the part to the customer the same day was extraordinarily valuable to many of Douglas’ customers. This capability was, and still is, a significant competitive advantage Douglas Machine enjoys over other manufacturers of packaging equipment.

Since Douglas Finishing invested in all of the production and support equipment to finish parts, it made sense to offer this service to other local manufacturers as well. Douglas Machine’s parts remain a top priority at Douglas Finishing. Beyond Douglas Machine, there now are many other customers that trust Douglas Finishing to do metal finishing on their parts as well. Over the years, the finishes offered changed slightly – electroless nickel replaced nickel/chrome and powder coat replaced liquid paint. In 2006, a partnership with Alexandria Industries was formed to significantly expand the finishing facility. An addition was built to expand electroless nickel plating and install a new state of the art automated anodize and hard coat finishing line. Our 40,000 square foot finishing facility includes a fully-staffed metal finishing processing area, supplemented by a full service chemical and waste water treatment laboratory. Our regularly scheduled testing procedures ensure that our solutions remain in optimum condition, ensuring a consistent finish. State of the art waste water treatment equipment helps us meet the stringent requirements of our local water treatment facility, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Over the years the sales from outside customers and our partner, Alexandria Industries, has increased dramatically. Douglas Finishing serves the packaging industry, aluminum extruding, material handling equipment, ag equipment, recreational vehicles, power tools, industrial controls and sporting goods industries. Through the work Douglas Finishing does with other customers, we gain experience in aspects that Douglas Machine may not require today, but Douglas Finishing is ready to provide when the need arises.

Douglas Finishing contributes significantly to the success of Douglas Machine in a several ways: providing quick turn finishing services to Douglas Machine, providing finishing services at below market cost, providing quality finishes that meet Douglas Machine’s specific customer needs and contributing margins from the work done for our external customers.

Douglas Finishing has the capability to plate zinc and electroless nickel, anodize, hard coat and chem film aluminum. We offer over 50 colors of powdercoat finishes. We strive every day to improve so that we can meet our mission to Enrich lives by delivering world class quality finishing on time, every time.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. You can find out more about us at douglasfinishing.com. Also feel free to email me if you have any questions about finishing (mike.eye@douglasfinishing.com). With our extensive technical expertise and decades of experience in the industry, we can help you meet your metal finishing needs. Let our experienced staff help you evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of the available coating options. If the best finishing option is not one that we offer, we have multiple connections in the industry and we will gladly give you a referral. We truly want to help you find the best solution for your parts.

 

The Importance of Technical Support & Customer Service

Have you ever purchased an item that appeared to meet all of your requirements and when you received it either a part was missing, it didn’t work, or the instructions were not clear enough to use? Upon calling technical services, you’re placed on hold for ten minutes, transferred five times and hang up more frustrated than when you started? Don’t let this happen to you with your capital packaging equipment purchases! Technical support can make or break your packaging operation.

Douglas offers a multitude of technical support programs and benefits to enrich our customer’s experience. From best-in-class warranty to support through the life of your equipment, Douglas is here for you every step of the way.

Warranty

The base frame of new Douglas equipment has a lifetime warranty. Douglas standard components carry a three year warranty and buyer-specified components carry a one-year warranty.

Unparalleled Technical Support

Douglas technical support is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Find answers to your questions about Case & Tray Packers, Shrink Wrap Systems, Sleevers, Cartoners, Multipackers, Palletizers and equipment branded Douglas Machine, APV Douglas, APV Rockford, AccuLift, Davis Engineering, Douglas/Davis and Dimension Industries.

Our Field Service Support Technicians are cross-trained in mechanical, electrical and programming. They are equipped with the latest portable computers and remote software and available for preventive maintenance, machine surveys, machine modifications and routine or emergency service work.

Douglas’ Regional Technical Support program was established in 1998 to provide local and immediate support by strategically locating technical support technicians throughout the United States. These knowledgeable technicians are familiar with a variety of Douglas products and have skills to provide support for emergency issues, routine maintenance, audits, training and courtesy visits.

PartsDirect™

In our continuing commitment to create more value, the Douglas PartsDirect™ program provides a single, convenient source for your replacement parts. With this comprehensive program, you’re ensured the guaranteed best price in addition to immediate, single source availability for all OEM replacement parts. Technical/selection assistance will be provided from packaging machinery experts. There is an extensive machine database and expert spare parts advisory to assist you. Pre-assembly of components provide added customer convenience and savings.

Reliability Assurance Program (RAP)

The Douglas Reliability Assurance Program provides scheduled comprehensive machine inspection, along with preventive maintenance audits and analysis services to help improve your bottom line. Our goal is to provide the knowledge and services you need to reach your maintenance goals and ensure maximum productivity. The standard plan schedule consists of six visits; four machine tune-ups, one major rebuild and one minor rebuild.

Robot Maintenance Program (ROB)

The Robot Maintenance Program provides you with an experienced technician who conducts visual inspections and preventative maintenance for your robot and equipment, and identifies worn or broken parts. The technician will make simple adjustments and provide informal hands-on training to help increase machine efficiency. This program consists of two visits made over a 12-month period and as a benefit, you receive five percent (5%) off the current published hourly service rates.

Technical Machine Training

Douglas’ Technical Machine Training provides high levels of technical training to strengthen your staff’s technical skills and streamline the performance of your staff and machine. With a well trained staff, satisfied with knowing how to do their job well, your organization will benefit from increased performance and maintain its competitive edge. Available training programs include Introductory Hands-on Training, Formal Training (Operation and Maintenance) and Advanced Electrical Training. Training materials include Training Manuals, Multimedia Presentations and optional Job Aids.

Enhancement Bulletins & Tech Tips

Stay up-to-date on new technologies available, innovative solutions and best practices for maintaining your equipment with our Enhancement Bulletin and Tech Tip communications. These enhancements target improvements such as efficiencies, changeover and reliability to name a few.

Machine Enhancements

Experience, innovation and dedication to customer satisfaction are part of our unique brand of equipment refurbishment and modification services. Customers from a wide range of industries maximize productivity and extend the useful life of their secondary packaging equipment with our range of solutions from light modifications to complete ground-up refurbishments. We refurbish and modify case and tray packers, cartoners, sleevers, multiwrappers and shrink packers. Solutions are available to increase speed, expand product size range, new package designs, upgrade machine controls, alternative infeed solutions, upgraded technologies and guarding, line efficiency assessments and much more.

Douglas Provides More

Douglas Technical Support provides unparalleled in-house, field technical support. Available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, our experienced Technical Advisors provide you with superior knowledge and quick, clear responsiveness. We are here for you. Contact us at any time at +1.320.763.5507 or service@douglas-machine.com. We would be honored to partner with you.

Retail Ready Packaging

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2019, Packaging World Editor Emeritus Pat Reynolds reviewed the Douglas TriVex® SL top-load case packer during his Day One Podcast. Here are Pat’s comments regarding the retail ready case packer for pouches.

At the Douglas Machine booth, one especially intriguing machine on display was the TriVex SL top loader. This machine is designed specifically for putting pouches into retail ready cases. According to Steve Lipps, Senior Director of Product Management, the approach taken with this machine is similar to the one behind other robotic systems from Douglas, like the Contour 60-Series Shrink Wrap Multiwrapper. The Douglas-made SCARA robot is deployed in a way that simplifies machine design by eliminating the need for a separate robot controller and the need for additional mechanisms. Controls are all from Rockwell, so it’s a SCARA robot, but with Rockwell’s ControlLogix controller, Rockwell’s Panelview as the HMI and Rockwell drives and motors.

Benefits accrue to Douglas as the machine builder because the machine design is simplified, but the most meaningful benefits are enjoyed by Douglas customers. Complexity is out, footprint is minimized and they’re already well accustomed to the Rockwell controls.

Operating at up to 25 cases per minute and suitable for products like frozen vegetables, bakery mixes and confectionery products, the machine relies on two robots, each equipped with a bucket-like end effector. Each robot positions itself in front of an infeed conveyor to receive the appropriate number of pouches and then pivots to deposit the pouches into a waiting case as the other robot moves its bucket into position. If need be, the end effector bucket can be replaced with a vacuum cup pick up end effector.

Retail Ready Case Packing with Douglas

Douglas Machine’s TriVex SL top loader is designed to pack pouches and bags in a standup configuration into retail ready display cases with 1 or 2 product facings. With a quick & simple changeover it packs pouches and bags flat with 2 or 3 products per layer. The dual Scara robotic solution uniquely combines the functionality of a product infeed, pack pattern collation and case loading functions into one mechanism.

Our top load and product collation technologies ensure optimum interaction between product, packaging materials and machinery to create the most effective solutions for your applications. Ranging from bags, pouches, cartons, trays, cups, cans, bottles and retail ready display cases in flat or vertical configuration, Douglas’ Top Load Case Packing offers innovative loading solutions that accommodate a wide variety of unique package designs.

To learn more about our TriVex SL/SLi Top Load Case & Tray Packers, contact us and feel free to download the brochure. Connect with us today to discuss your retail ready packaging application. We would be honored to partner with you.

PACK EXPO 2019 Las Vegas Wrap Up

Individuals from around the world gather every year for PACK EXPO International, the premiere packaging trade show designed to showcase innovation across the packaging industry. PACK EXPO is an annual trade show hosted by PMMI Media Group. PACK EXPO International is located in Chicago, Illinois USA during even-numbered years and in Las Vegas, Nevada USA odd-numbered years. PACK EXPO 2019 was held in Las Vegas in September and was a record-breaking show with over 30,000 packaging professionals attending and 2,000 of the industry’s top suppliers exhibiting. PACK EXPO 2020 will take place in Chicago and is expected to see 45,000+ attendees and 2,500 exhibitors.

PACK EXPO also features Healthcare Packaging EXPO and several pavilions, including The Reusable Packaging, Education, Associated Partner, Containers and Materials, PACKage Printing, PACK to the Future and Confectionary Pavilions. The PACKage Printing Pavilion features digital printing solutions for folding cartons, flexible packaging & corrugated packaging. Labeling, coding and marking technologies are also available as well as solutions that make customized, on-demand and smart packaging more cost effective. The Containers and Materials Pavilion is full of paperboard, glass, metal, plastic, flexible and resealable packaging, innovative containers and sustainable choices. It is a priority stop for Brand Managers and Designers looking for ways to enhance their brand, differentiate products and pursue more environmentally friendly packaging. It also attracts attendees with an inspiring display of award-nominated packages. Candy and snack producers head to the Confectionary Pavilion for industry-specific solutions such as aeration, batch refining, shaping, cluster production, cooling conveyors, easy-open packaging, enrobers, resealables and portion control. The Candy Bar lounge attracts attendees interested in casual networking, informative presentations and a place to put their feet up. The Reusable Packaging Pavilion is where industry-leading suppliers showcase the latest and best reusable products, services and supply chain solutions, and provide valued advice on sustainable business operations.

Attendees at PACK EXPO are often influential decision makers from a wide variety of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, retailers and other end users. Food, beverage, healthcare, household, automotive and many other vertical markets are represented. As PACK EXPO is dubbed “the Main Event” for the packaging industry, many top professionals attend to learn about evolving technology, receive education about industry breakthroughs, stay on top of current trends, expand their professional network and most of all, view solutions in action. Education is available for sustainability, digital printing, food safety, career pathing and much more.

Packaging industry suppliers exhibit at PACK EXPO for a wide variety of reasons including brand exposure, lead generation, recognition as an industry leader, relationship building and market penetration. Exhibitors showcase many product categories, including:

• ACCUMULATING / COLLATING MACHINES
• BLISTER, SKIN / VACUUM PACKAGING MACHINES
• CAPPING, OVER-CAPPING, LIDDING MACHINES (Uses A Closure)
• CARTONING MACHINES
• CASE / TRAY SEALING MACHINES
• CASE / TRAY, LOADING / UNLOADING MACHINES
• CASE ERECTING / TRAY FORMING MACHINES
• CASE GROUP / LOAD AND CLOSE / SEAL MACHINE
• CLEANING, STERILIZING, COOLING AND DRYING MACHINES
• CLOSING, SEAMING & SEALING MACHINES
• CODING, DATING, PRINTING, MARKING, STAMPING AND IMPRINTING MACHINES
• CONVERTING MACHINES – CONTAINER / MATERIAL MANUFACTURE
• CONVERTING SUPPORT / SPECIALTY MACHINE
• CONVEYING MACHINES
• DECORATING / MARKING / PRINTING MACHINES
• FACILITIES EQUIPMENT, SYSTEMS, SUPPLIES & SERVICES
• FEEDING MACHINES
• FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINES
• FILLING MACHINES – DRY / POWDER / SOLID PRODUCT
• FILLING MACHINES – LIQUID / GAS / VISCOUS PRODUCT
• FORM / FILL / SEAL MACHINES – HORIZONTAL
• FORM / FILL / SEAL MACHINES – VERTICAL
• INSPECTING, DETECTING AND CHECKWEIGHING MACHINES
• LABELING MACHINES (Product Identification, Decorating)
• MACHINERY SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS
• ORIENTING, UNSCRAMBLING MACHINES
• PACKAGING / PROCESSING SERVICES
• PACKAGING COMPONENTS
• PACKAGING CONTAINERS
• PACKAGING MATERIAL
• PALLET UNITIZING MACHINES
• PALLETIZING – ANCILLARY MACHINES
• PALLETIZING / DEPALLETIZING MACHINES
• PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS, DEVICES AND SUPPLIES
• PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES
• PROCESS COMPONENTS – PIPING, PUMPS, STORAGE
• PROCESS CONTROL – INSTRUMENTATION & SYSTEMS
• PROCESS MACHINERY – LIFE SCIENCES
• PROCESS MACHINERY – PRODUCT COOKING, HEATING, COOLING, PASTEURIZING
• PROCESS MACHINERY – PRODUCT PREPARATION – MIXING, SEPARATION, FILTRATION
• PROCESS MACHINERY – PRODUCT PREPARATION – SIZE / SHAPE MODIFICATION
• PROCESS MACHINERY – SPECIAL PRODUCT MODIFICATION
• SPECIALTY PACKAGING MACHINES
• SUPPLY CHAIN / MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS AND SERVICES
• WRAPPING / BANDING / BUNDLING MACHINES

With 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space being utilized during PACK EXPO 2020, you’re sure to find the right solution for your packaging needs.

Connect with Douglas at PACK EXPO

As a recognized leader in the packaging industry, Douglas attends PACK EXPO annually. During PACK EXPO Las Vegas, Douglas unveiled a new booth. As an employee owned, customer driven company, we want our booth to speak directly to our customers. We achieved this by displaying finished product packages in 22 display cubes and playing solution-driven videos and simulations throughout our booth to provide clarity of product and purpose. Our innovative CpONE Intermittent Motion Wraparound Case packer, TriVex SL Top Loader, Spectrum Multipacker and Contour M-60 Multiwrapper were on display. Douglas also launched our new Prisma Variety Pack Systems during the Main Event.

We look forward to exhibiting at PACK EXPO International 2020 in Chicago on November 8-11. We would be honored to partner with you. Contact Douglas for complimentary access to the show. We hope to see you there!

 

Welcome to the sixth installment of Women in the Workplace Series. If you’d like to read the previous articles, check out the links below!

Interview with Pat Thoen

Interview with Becky Iverson

Interview with Therese Jakes

Interview with Jackie Caron

Interview with Brenda Larson

Did you know that just over 11% of all Douglas Machine employees are female?

In order to get a credible perspective on the women who have been employed at Douglas since the company was first established in 1964, seven women were interviewed, including one retiree and six current employees. Their work spans every decade of Douglas’ existence and therefore provides insight into the experiences of women in the workplace over time, the variety of work that women have contributed to Douglas, and their advice for women who are interested in working in a similar industry.

Interview with Kylie Harer

1. How long have you worked at Douglas, and in what position/s?

KYLIE: Two years as a Mechanical Engineer.

2. What drew you to this line of work? What specifically brought you to Douglas?

KYLIE: Growing up on a farm, I was always mechanically inclined. I spent time with my dad when he was running harvesting machinery. I’d be assisting him and giving him his tools. It gave me hands-on experience and I got to see what was being done. Helping him out sparked my interest in mechanical engineering. What brought me specifically to Douglas was the faith-based values. There was a different feel at Douglas compared to other places I interviewed. The people at Douglas care about you and who you are. I also had a family friend that moved here, and they recommended the company to me.

3. In a nutshell, what do you do?

KYLIE: I work in the Top Load business unit. It is a newer business unit so many of our machines require troubleshooting, along with designing and detailing. In a nutshell, we design packaging machines for customers.

4. Were you married and/or were you raising a family when you started working at Douglas?

KYLIE: Neither.

5. Was it usual for women to be working at the time when you started? Did many of your friends and female peers work?

KYLIE: At the school I went to, our male to female ratio was higher than bigger universities, but a lot of women I went to school with started having families and stopped working, while others had full time jobs before graduation. A lot of my female friends work, including those who have jobs outside of engineering.

6. How many of the people on your team are also female? What is that like?

KYLIE: None. Sometimes it’s difficult, but it can be nice. There can be a lot going on and it’s sometimes a high stress situation. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have someone to relate to. But there are other women around I can go talk to, so I’m not completely isolated. Ten years ago I may have been more isolated.

7. In your opinion, how has the role of women in the workplace changed over time?Why do you think those changes have occurred?

KYLIE: I would say gender roles have changed. You have stay-at-home dads now, whereas before men used to be the bread-winners. Now females are taking on that role too. A lot more women are getting degrees and going into the workforce. It’s continuing to improve. People are acknowledging the gender wage gap to make that less prevalent.

8. If you were to guess, what percentage of Douglas employees today do you think are women?

KYLIE: 11% companywide; 5% or less in engineering specifically.

9. What advice would you give women who are considering working in this industry?

KYLIE: There will always be a balance of good times and stressful times. I’ve experienced when someone doesn’t value your opinion because you’re a female voice. Don’t be afraid to put your foot down. Respect yourself so you can gain the respect of others. There may be people who don’t like that, but times are changing. It’s not as hard as it used to be. It can be fun, so don’t give up.

Connect With Douglas Machine

Reach out to us today to learn more about Douglas Machine and our family! You can also connect with us for more details on our powerful secondary packaging solutions.