Labor time is one of the least visible packaging costs. Nobody puts it on a spreadsheet, but it shows up every day in small tasks. Someone opens a bag of air pillows. Someone pulls out a sheet of bubble wrap and cuts it to size. Someone tapes it around a product. Someone walks to the shelf to restock. Each task takes seconds, and each task repeats hundreds of times a week. A cardboard shredder removes several of those steps, and the savings are measurable if the operation knows where to look.
Start with where packaging labor time actually goes. In a typical packing station, the time divides into four categories. The first is finding the product and confirming the order. The second is selecting and preparing packaging materials. The third is physically packing the product. The fourth is sealing, labeling, and moving the package. A shredder affects the second and third categories, because it changes how material is prepared and how it is applied.
The first labor saving comes from removing the walk to the shelf. In operations that use purchased filler, the packer walks to the storage area, selects the right material, carries it back, and returns the unused portion. That round trip takes a minute or more depending on the layout. With a shredder at the packing bench, the material is produced in place. The packer presses a button, the machine produces material, and the material goes straight into the box. No walk, no selection, no return trip.
The second labor saving comes from removing material preparation. Purchased filler often requires cutting to size. Bubble wrap comes in wide rolls that need to be cut for small items. Paper padding comes in sheets that need to be folded. Air pillows need to be pulled from a bag and inflated. A shredder produces material in the size needed, so preparation time drops. This is particularly true for operations that ship a variety of product sizes, because the packer no longer has to match purchased material to each order.
The third labor saving comes from removing the decision about which material to use. In operations with multiple filler types, the packer has to decide which one fits the order. That decision takes a few seconds, but it repeats hundreds of times, and it also increases the chance of error. A shredder that produces a versatile material removes that decision. The packer uses the same material for most orders, and only switches when the product clearly requires something different.
The fourth labor saving comes from reducing restocking. Purchased filler has to be restocked from the storage area when the bench supply runs low. Each restock is a trip plus the time to open packaging and arrange material at the bench. A shredder produces material continuously from a paper roll, which means restocking happens less often and takes less time when it does.
The fifth labor saving comes from reducing waste handling. Purchased filler generates waste when material is cut and the offcuts are discarded. It also generates waste when bags are emptied or boxes are broken down. A shredder produces material in the quantity needed, which reduces offcuts, and it consumes the cardboard that would otherwise have to be flattened and stored. The packer spends less time dealing with waste, and the operation spends less time managing cardboard disposal.
The sixth consideration is how to measure these savings. The practical approach is to time a sample of orders before and after installing a shredder. Pick a normal day, time ten orders from start to finish, and note how much of the time is spent on material preparation and handling. Then repeat the exercise a month after installation. The difference is the labor saving per order, and multiplying it by daily order volume gives the daily saving. That number, multiplied by the labor rate, gives the financial saving.
The seventh consideration is machine selection, because the labor saving depends on the machine fitting the workflow. Desktop models cover 350mm, 450mm, and 550mm cutting widths at 10 m/min and up to 10mm thickness, with a ZD brand geared motor rated for 8 to 10 hours of continuous work. These sit beside the packing bench, which is where the labor saving comes from. Industrial models start at 550mm and reach 900mm and 1200mm, with cutting thickness up to 15mm or 20mm and speeds up to 18 m/min with variable frequency control. Larger operations with multiple packing stations often use industrial models to supply several stations from one machine. The P50-X uses two sets of cutter shafts to produce honeycomb mesh and strips at the same time. The P50-3 shreds a 550mm board into three equal pieces in one pass, with customizable cut width and quantity, and this function can be applied across the entire Aircosan range. For operations packing a mix of product types, output flexibility reduces the number of material changes during a shift.
The eighth consideration is the cutter shaft, because a machine that breaks down does not save labor. Aircosan shafts are large, one-piece units rather than thin blades, designed for a service life of over five years and processed through lathe machining, high-frequency treatment, quenching, blackening, and multiple other steps. The material is 40Cr rather than ordinary 45# steel. 40Cr has lower brittleness and stronger impact resistance, and its machining time is more than twice that of 45#. At the same 550mm width, Aircosan shafts are visibly larger and thicker than thinner competing units and cost about 30% more, which shows in the overall machine weight. Some suppliers use thinner shafts that deform or break above 7mm, and downtime erases the labor savings that the machine was supposed to create.
The ninth consideration is the wider cost picture. Waste cardboard disposal is a hard cost in many countries, with fines for improper disposal and no payment for material delivered to collection points. Buying paper filler, air cushions, and foam is a recurring cost. A machine that turns existing boxes into packaging material addresses both at once, and the output is biodegradable packaging and degradable packing material, a practical alternative of plastic packing materials. The labor saving adds to those benefits rather than replacing them.
The regulatory backdrop adds a labor dimension. On August 12, 2026, the core provisions of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation fully entered into force, replacing a directive in use for nearly 30 years. Plastic bans are spreading, and for operations still using large amounts of plastic filler, switching to paper-based cushioning is a question of when rather than whether. Operations that make the switch early learn the new workflow before they are forced to, which makes the transition easier.
Aircosan machines have side sheet metal that fits tightly with no gaps, so paper dust cannot enter the gears and cause abnormal noise or long-term wear. They use a branded motor with ample power, so thick and hard cardboard feeds smoothly. Overload protection automatically cuts power and stops the machine when a jam occurs, protecting the motor.
Aircosan runs its own parts processing factory, controlling part quality in-house rather than assembling from mixed outside sources. The company supports logo customization from one piece and color customization from ten pieces. Products carry CE, ROHS, and UKCA certifications and hold an exclusive EU patent. After-sales responds within 12 hours and connects customers directly with engineers.
For an operation measuring labor savings, the practical approach is to time a sample of orders before and after installation, calculate the difference per order, and multiply by daily volume. The savings show up in the accounts as reduced labor cost or increased throughput, and they add to the material savings that come from the same machine.