LemuGroup, which is making significant inroads in the North American marketplace, is changing the way manufacturing equipment is produced to meet the new challenges in the label business. In addition to improving operational efficiency at fully-functioning label shops, LemuGroup’s machinery has targeted the ongoing workforce crisis facing manufacturers across the globe.

LemuGroup’s equipment ranges from high-speed converting equipment and turret rewinders to fully automatic end-of-line boxing and palletization. This optimization has been made for the business owner tackling the new normal of the American workplace. With a large amount of the population incentivized to work from home, finding skilled labor has become a tall task.

First, the Covid-19 pandemic brought the manufacturing industry to a virtual standstill. As restrictions eased, government subsidies were provided for workers who were hesitant to return to their place of business. These challenges have left the converting sector desperately lacking for production manpower – either because it cannot be found or does not want to be found. This dilemma has forced the label business owner to spend much of their time serving as a full time HR officer on an endless hunt to recruit even unqualified applicants to fill the gap.

“The LemuGroup has become the global answer to these and other production issues, which can all be solved by our GTU high-speed converting equipment, glueless turret rewinders and end-of-line boxing and automation,” explains Andre Beaudoin, head of North American sales and marketing.“We now deliver proven robotic automation roll label packaging systems that are curing the lacking manpower issues in the industry. These systems can be purchased as turnkey single operator systems or interfaced with existing press or converting systems currently in production in the plant. Our systems provide for unwind to palletized boxes of product ready to ship in a single pass.”

The company’s product range includes width solutions from 13″ up to 60″ wide, with total customization engineering capabilities to address nearly any requirement. LemuGroup’s high-speed glueless/linerless and automated roll packaging systems are focused on issues facing converters, which include: waste reduction, operator efficiency and 100% uptime production that pushes product out the door quickly and efficiently.

All of LemuGroup’s systems are scalable, which allows for the machinery to be placed with any existing or new flexograhic press or converting system in any plant. These systems have been shown to increase operator efficiency and daily production by 30% to 50%. In fact, LemuGroup’s setup drew strong praise from attendees at Labelexpo Americas. At the company’s booth, end-of-line automation packaging of digitally printed labels was featured. This also shows the versatile adaptability of the system within the production environment, where output is a constant.

“The response from converters and other OEMs to our live demonstrations was overwhelming, to say the least,” notes Beaudoin. “LEMU systems are the only fully integrated automation solution for the roll label market available today. This technology has been vetted and proven over the last 10 years and actually came from the POS side of our business, where machinery speeds are substantially higher and human intervention only slows the production efficiency down.

“LEMU is providing today what converters thought would only be available tomorrow to address the issue of lacking and/or missing production staff,” he adds. “Through these innovations we are giving converters a way to completely make their manufacturing flow efficient and literally non-stop, from the unwind to the pallet.”

The LemuGroup system provides a complete solution, for unwind roll to closed, addressed and fully palletized products ready for shipment – all in one pass. LemuGroup boasts the ability to automate a single machine or an entire production facility with multiple converting lines feeding into one single packaging system. Subsequently, the company can then robotically remove the full pallets to the warehouse.

LemuGroup has significantly invested in research and development to address the common refrain of, “We’ve always done it this way.” LemuGroup is, in fact, leading the charge in the new way the industry must approach work for the new normal work environment.

“We have eliminated the need for multiple people standing around doing nothing or slowing down line speeds so people can keep up with the press. These people can be redeployed elsewhere in the facility,” explains Beaudoin. “LEMU’s systems are all digitally equipped with memory retention for repeat work and instantaneous job setups.”

Partnerships with many of the industry’s leading suppliers, such as Martin Automatic, have played a pivotal role for LemuGroup, as well. LEMU has installed numerous automation systems globally with many of the largest label converters in the industry.

“Not only are we working in the logistics label end of the business, but we are now in collaboration with Mark Andy to provide intelligent end-of-line automation in conjunction with their Performance Series and Evolution Series presses for the prime label segment of the business, which will include roll mapping and defective label removal,” comments Beaudoin. “We’re ensuring that only good product is actually boxed and shipped to the customer and virtually eliminating the need for the second pass for roll rework.”

The partnerships have extended to the customer, too. LemuGroup has heard its customers pain points and incorporated their needs into its newest equipment. LemuGroup will often collaborate with its customers to design modular solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of the customer.

“What we’re doing is talking to the customer and listening to their problems, not just throwing a bunch of brochures at them and telling everybody how great we are with an off-the-shelf solution,” says Beaudoin. “We are providing real-world workable solutions for the future with a fast ROI. Their success is our success.”

These systems are not complicated to run, either. “We have installations around the globe where we have one operator running two systems,” remarks Beaudoin. “That’s how easy these systems and turret rewinders are, because the systems are totally intuitive. They know based on the roll diameter that’s being ejected because everything is tied in to a central HMI. The conveyors know when to speed up and when to slow down when analyzing the spacing and the timing of the rolls based on their diameter. It’s an amazing thing to watch, it really is.”

LemuGroup is currently touting a number of new space efficient, end-of-line automation systems, which are very controlled units that use safety checks in the process to ensure only the correct product leaves the production floor. All electronic parameters are stored within the system’s memory for recall along with run rate data. Any defective or damaged roll is addressed by the robot and removed without stopping the entire system. Plus, the company’s GTU “roll to box” system can often outpace two flexo presses with automated functions and less manpower as it runs at twice the line speed with one operator. This can free up capacity throughout the facility.

“We have assessed that this is what our industry has needed and has asked us to provide,” states Beaudoin. “In response to industry demand, LEMU and Mark Andy have directed our attention to the need for end-of-line automation. The future has arrived, and we are here to provide these solutions to label converters – both large and small – with new and advanced operational variations to follow.

“As we continue to evolve and listen to what the industry and converters whom we meet with are asking for, there will be solutions and additional products that will further our reach into defining the label plants of 2023 and beyond,” Beaudoin concludes.