In 2002, Crocs introduced the world to one of the most unique brands that anyone had ever seen. Both the product and the company were a bit different and left some people scratching their head. But now, with 600 million pairs of shoes later, the company claims it makes the world more comfortable. Crocs, the ubiquitous, bright-colored rubber clogs are sold in more than 90 countries around the world, and with annual sales topping 18 billion dollars, the company has grown to become one of the world’s largest non-athletic footwear brands. The company brand promises “confident comfort” because when you are comfortable you can achieve anything. 

Adapting to changing consumer trends

For Crocs, achieving anything included adapting to changing consumer trends, and the company wished to add factory-direct online ordering to augment traditional retail sales. Crocs had just moved to into a new facility and the advanced automation systems there made it possible to divert online orders from retail orders quickly and easily. The automated process that segregated online orders from retail orders had been accomplished. But the packaging operation for fulfillment orders was not feeling the comfort. Bagging the online orders was being done by hand, and in order to scale up the online program to its fullest potential, an automated bagging system would be required.

Crocs did what 30,000 other packaging professionals do to solve their packaging
challenges: they attended Pack Expo, the leading packaging industry exposition in North America. There, attendees were able to see full-scale technology in action, find various solutions to product and production challenges, identify packaging best practices and discover the latest packaging trends. Visiting the PAC Machinery booth was on the Crocs to-do list. Once there, they surveyed the large product line. One machine caught there attention immediately. It was the Rollbag™ R3200 Fulfillment. Coincidently, the bagger on display was poly bagging boxes that closely resembled the size of a Crocs shoe box. The consensus was that the Crocs folks had discovered their solution.

But you don’t become an industry leader by making rash decisions. After arranging
for a demo at PAC Machinery’s Berea, Ohio location, the evaluation team learned that the Rollbag R2300 fulfillment bagger had a few additional features that made it favorable to their requirements. The R3200 bagger was extremely flexible as it could utilize bags on a roll or poly tubing to create bags of a specific length, based on the size of the product being packaged. Plus, the poly tubing could be printed with company logo and corporate colors. Finding the bright green bag with characteristic visual branding at the front door could differentiate the package from all the other packages that arrive in a nondescript, white poly bag. The messaging was clear: your Crocs are here!

Crocs arranged to have an evaluation machine shipped to their facility. There the
machine was mated to their warehouse management system and the inline conveyor that separated the online orders from those shipping to retail establishments. The machine was put through its paces, and the next bag out feature worked flawlessly.

Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment Automatic Bagger
After careful consideration, Crocs chose the Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment Automatic
Bagger. The Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment bagger is an elite mail order fulfillment bagging system that delivered on all requirements defined by Crocs. The automatic bagger works with poly tubing as well as bags on a roll. Crocs chose to utilize tubing, as the benefits of poly tubing include lower material costs as well as the ability to right-size the bag to the product. The R3200 was capable of quickly changing bag length on the fly. The objective was to streamline the packaging process and lower shipping costs.

The Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment bagger that Crocs chose was equipped with a label
printer applicator, for next bag out printing; the system provided a fully-integrated order fulfillment bagging solution. For added flexibility, the bagger could be equipped with a TwinPrint® dual sided label printer applicator to include the shipping information and packing slip on a single label. Perfect for the kind and size of shoes manufactured by Crocs, the standard Rollbag R3200 is designed to work with bags up to 16″ wide (22” wide with the R3200XL).

This bagger is engineered specifically for e-commerce, order fulfillment, e-tail, and
distribution facilities that require the highest level of performance in their order fulfillment packaging operation. This lined up perfectly with the intended use was at Crocs. At the completion of the trial period, the decision to go with the R3200 Fulfillment Automatic Bagger required no additional consideration – Crocs ordered several machines that would serve as the core of their fulfillment packaging operation. So far, the decision for Crocs to add the web-direct channel to their overall sales strategy is working out well. As web sales increase and efficient packaging grows in importance, additional Rollbag R3200 baggers can be added to support growth.

Crocs arranged to have an evaluation machine shipped to their facility. There the
machine was mated to their warehouse management system and the inline conveyor that separated the online orders from those shipping to retail establishments. The machine was put through its paces, and the next bag out feature worked flawlessly.

Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment Automatic Bagger
After careful consideration, Crocs chose the Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment Automatic
Bagger. The Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment bagger is an elite mail order fulfillment bagging system that delivered on all requirements defined by Crocs. The automatic bagger works with poly tubing as well as bags on a roll. Crocs chose to utilize tubing, as the benefits of poly tubing include lower material costs as well as the ability to right-size the bag to the product. The R3200 was capable of quickly changing bag length on the fly. The objective was to streamline the packaging process and lower shipping costs.

The Rollbag R3200 Fulfillment bagger that Crocs chose was equipped with a label
printer applicator, for next bag out printing; the system provided a fully-integrated order fulfillment bagging solution. For added flexibility, the bagger could be equipped with a TwinPrint® dual sided label printer applicator to include the shipping information and packing slip on a single label. Perfect for the kind and size of shoes manufactured by Crocs, the standard Rollbag R3200 is designed to work with bags up to 16″ wide (22” wide with the R3200XL).

This bagger is engineered specifically for e-commerce, order fulfillment, e-tail, and
distribution facilities that require the highest level of performance in their order fulfillment packaging operation. This lined up perfectly with the intended use was at Crocs. At the completion of the trial period, the decision to go with the R3200 Fulfillment Automatic Bagger required no additional consideration – Crocs ordered several machines that would serve as the core of their fulfillment packaging operation. So far, the decision for Crocs to add the web-direct channel to their overall sales strategy is working out well. As web sales increase and efficient packaging grows in importance, additional Rollbag R3200 baggers can be added to support growth.