The problem of mixed packaging of multiple products is easily solved by intelligent packing lines

In the food, daily chemicals, leisure retail and other industries, "mixed packaging of multiple items" is becoming more and more the norm.

A box of products may contain both flavor A and flavor B; both main products and gifts; and even cross-category combinations, such as mixed packaging of "biscuits + drinks + handkerchiefs".
For consumers, this "rich combination" is an experience upgrade.
But for factories, it is often a "packaging disaster".

Mixed packaging, seemingly simple, but actually complex
You may have encountered such problems:

There are many types of products and different specifications, and the error rate of manual packaging is high;

It is difficult to unify the stacking methods of products of different sizes and shapes, and they are easy to be squeezed and deformed;

Mixed packaging combinations often change, equipment lines are frequently changed, and debugging costs are high;

E-commerce small orders are returned quickly, SKU combinations are not fixed, and manual picking efficiency is low;

Gift boxes/set products have high requirements for aesthetics. Once they are skewed or misplaced, they will affect the brand image.

Traditional packing methods often seem powerless when facing these challenges.

How can intelligent packing lines solve the problem of mixed loading?

In recent years, more and more factories have chosen to introduce intelligent packing lines to cope with the high complexity of mixed loading scenarios through technical means such as visual recognition, flexible control, and robot collaboration.

Taking the mixed loading line case provided by Maike Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. to customers in recent years as an example, its packing system can achieve the following functions:

✅ Automatic identification of product types and directions
Use industrial vision systems to quickly identify the shapes, labels, colors and other characteristics of different products for intelligent classification and positioning.

✅ Flexible grasping and multi-item combination
Equipped with multi-axis robots and variable fixtures, it can adapt to packages of different sizes and shapes for free combination and placement.

✅ Diversified and switchable packing modes
Support different modes such as "one box with multiple products", "fixed combination" and "random mixing", and can quickly switch combination rules to adapt to market changes.

✅ Automatic detection of wrong/missing packaging
With the help of vision + weighing + sensor system, each box of finished products is tested for integrity, effectively reducing the risk of customer complaints.

What are the typical application scenarios?
The intelligent packing system is currently widely used in:

Food industry: mixed packing of multi-flavor cakes, biscuits, and snacks;

E-commerce gift boxes: festive combination gift boxes, promotional packs, family packs, etc.;

Daily chemical personal care: small samples of washing and care, trial packs;

Fast-moving beverages: mixed gift boxes of multiple cans and bottles, small batch customized combinations;

Pet food: staple food + snacks + instructions + gift packaging

In a project for a food customer, Maike Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. realized the automatic identification and packing of 12 different combinations through a customized packing system. With the intelligent batching system, the whole process does not require manual intervention, and the packaging efficiency is increased by about 45%, and the labor is reduced by 2/3.

Not just "packing", but also a key node of flexible production
The essence of the mixed packing challenge is actually a challenge of flexible manufacturing capabilities.

Today, when customization, multiple SKUs, small batches, and fast response are becoming trends, if the packing process cannot keep up with the pace, it may become a bottleneck restricting the efficiency of the entire supply chain.

Intelligent packing lines not only improve assembly efficiency, but also help companies achieve:

Controllable costs: reduce dependence on manual labor and reduce losses caused by rework due to wrong installation;

Stable quality control: data-based management, each box of products is traceable and reviewable;

Fast response: digital configuration of combination rules, only switching programs is required for production changes;

Visual management: access to MES/WMS system to achieve production line data linkage and monitoring.

Conclusion: Behind the diverse combinations is a test of intelligent manufacturing capabilities
Mixed packaging of multiple products is not just an idea for marketing packaging, but a comprehensive challenge to production processes, supply chains, and packaging capabilities.

In the future, more efficient, flexible, and intelligent packing methods may be the key to brands winning the "last mile" of terminals and markets.