In 2021, just 10% of cannabis cultivation operations used automation technology for packaging.
Yet in 2024, over 80% of cannabis cultivators are moving toward utilizing automation to streamline processes and reduce costs, particularly for plant trimming and packaging.
What led to the 70% jump in just three years?
The widespread recognition of the benefits of automation, to start. When it comes to packaging, automation ensures consistent product packaging and labeling, which in turn, helps brands stay compliant with regulations. More than that, automated packaging increases productivity, improves operational efficiency, and allows employees to move into value-adding roles such as customer service or quality control.
As major cannabis trailblazers adopt automation for packaging (or for any process, for that matter), other operations with the objective to scale will follow in their footsteps. These benefits, coupled with the realization that automation is no longer a luxury but a need for cannabis operations, have led to the inception of the Anti Hand Packing Movement.
What Is the Anti Hand Packing Movement?
Packaging is labor intensive. And this isn’t just a cannabis industry issue; it’s the same for many startups, including those in produce, beef jerky, and candy.
Whereas cannabis is all about community and culture, the Anti Hand Packing Movement honors this sentiment while promoting the benefits of automation in cannabis. This movement is educating and uniting cannabis cultivators and operators on what automation really is and how it can streamline the packaging process.
Why the Anti Hand Packing Movement is Crucial
Manually packaging cannabis products is like that episode of “I Love Lucy” when Lucy and Ethel are working on an assembly line at the chocolate factory and can’t keep up with how quickly the chocolates are being produced. There is just too much product for a team of 5-12 people to package each day.
This process is inefficient, inconsistent, slow, and riddled with errors. Many times, manual packaging leads to inaccurate weight, misplaced labels, poorly sealed bags, mislabeled jars, and even inconsistent dosages.
The Anti Hand Packing Movement is a shift away from manual headaches and a push toward maximized efficiency and output.
With an automated packaging system, operators can double or triple their output in a day. One company used to produce 2,500 packaged tins in master cases per day, manually. Once they added an automated packaging machine into their operations, the company was able to package upwards of 10,000 within a day, with just a single operator.
The Anti Hand Packing Movement is the Future of Cannabis Packaging
Often, a cannabis operation’s biggest point of contention is packaging. Operators are always concerned with packaging being a slow process without the right technology. Which is why it’s no surprise that today, 40% of cultivators consider automation for production processes valuable.
Today’s cultivators understand the critical role technology plays in improving operational efficiency.
Cannabis packaging can no longer be a manual process—not with the growing demand for cannabis products as more states legalize adult recreational use of the plant. That being said, I believe we will soon see a trend towards packaging that supports even higher-speed automation. This includes using materials like film, various types of jars and caps, and more unique rigid packaging styles.
When automation is the key to scalability and productivity, there is no going back to manual packaging systems or any situation that would slow down production.
So the question now is, will you be joining the Anti Hand Packing Movement in the near future?
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
