Manufacturers look increasingly at their options for external engineering services

Skills shortages and shortfalls across in-house engineering are causing manufacturers of food, drink and other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) to look at outsourcing these services, says Packserve.

With vacancies often remaining open for extended periods and planned shutdowns increasingly difficult to resource, the way engineering services are being applied to packaging lines is changing, director Jon Puleston-Jones reports. “Rather than acting purely as emergency cover, specialist external engineering support is increasingly being deployed as a structured means of protecting uptime and maintaining stability,” he explains.

The trend, says the engineering services supplier, also reflects the increasing technical complexity of modern packaging lines, typically involving a range of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“Many lines now combine equipment from multiple OEMs, each with its own control philosophy, mechanical characteristics and service requirements,” Puleston-Jones points out. “Even well-established in-house teams may only encounter certain machines infrequently, making it inefficient to hold deep expertise internally across every technology on site.”

According to Packserve, external engineering services are being applied in three main areas. The first is the provision of short-term capacity during planned downtime or seasonal peaks, particularly where shutdown windows are tight and delays would have a direct impact on production schedules.

The second area is in project support for upgrades and integration work. This often includes assisting with the installation of new equipment, co-ordinating between different suppliers and aligning controls and interfaces across mixed OEM lines. Early involvement at this stage can reduce commissioning time and avoid downstream reliability issues.

“The third is targeted specialist intervention where recurring problems require deeper diagnostic knowledge,” he says. “In several cases, focused external support has resolved persistent performance issues linked to accumulation systems or interface behaviour, delivering measurable improvements in line stability.”

When deployed effectively, engineering services offer more than additional labour, says Packserve. It argues that they provide access to specific expertise at critical moments, without long onboarding periods or disruption to existing teams.

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