QR-Based Automation & Online Scanning for TPAC Packaging

• Client: TPAC Packaging (Thai Plaspac Public Company Limited)
• Sector: Plastic packaging manufacturing
• Location: Andheri, Mumbai
• Engagement: August – September 2025
• Scope: Fixed scanners, QR pallet tracking, mobile computers, ERP/SAP integration

Overview of the Customer

TPAC Packaging India is part of Thai Plaspac Public Company Limited, a Thailand-listed rigid plastic packaging group. TPAC manufactures rigid plastic packaging for the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care and homecare markets, and also supplies common moulds under its SUNPET brand. The group operates well beyond Thailand — across India, the UAE, Malaysia and the Philippines — with international operations now contributing the majority of its sales. Its Indian business runs through several entities, including TPAC Packaging India Private Limited.

Packaging production for regulated end markets like pharma and food puts traceability at the centre of the operation: every carton has to be tied to the right SKU and batch, and every pallet to the right location and shipment. TPAC’s production, warehouse and dispatch functions were running this on manual barcode scanning, which was slow at volume and left the plant exposed to dispatch errors and blind spots in SKU, batch and pallet visibility — the kind of gap that is costly to unwind when a customer queries a consignment. TPAC’s IT team engaged SNA Infotech to design an automated, QR-based scanning workflow that would digitise material handling end to end.

Scope of Work

• Fixed Wide-Range Scanners: Real-time carton identification on the production line without manual scanning.
• SKU & Batch Validation: Line-side validation of SKU and batch data to ensure traceability.
• Automated QR Tag Linking: Linking cartons to QR-tagged pallets for seamless pallet tracking.
• Warehouse Location Automation: QR-tagged storage zones for accurate stock placement and retrieval.
• Mobile Computing: A fleet of CipherLab RS36 / RS38 Android mobile computers with single-slot cradles, pistol grips and 3-year comprehensive warranty.

The Requirements

• Eliminate manual scanning: Remove dependency on operators scanning every carton at each touchpoint.
• Zero dispatch errors: Ensure the right SKU and batch leave the warehouse on the right pallet.
• Real-time visibility: Live view of SKU, batch and pallet movement across production, warehouse and dispatch.
• ERP/SAP integration: All scan events had to flow into TPAC’s central ERP/SAP system.
• Scalability: Infrastructure that can extend to future automation requirements.

The Solution

A. Fixed Scanning at the Line

SNA Infotech proposed fixed wide-range scanners on the production line to identify cartons automatically as they move, with SKU and batch validation at source.

B. QR-Based Pallet & Location Tracking

Cartons are linked to QR-tagged pallets, and warehouse zones are QR-tagged so every pallet’s storage location is captured digitally.

C. Android Mobile Computers

CipherLab RS36 (SE4770 engine, 4GB/64GB, Android 12/14, Wi-Fi 6) and RS38 (SE4770, 8GB/128GB, Android 13, Wi-Fi 6) mobile computers were specified for warehouse and dispatch staff, with single-slot cradles with spare-battery charging, pistol grips and 3-year comprehensive warranty — rugged Android hardware chosen so the devices survive a packaging plant floor and stay supportable for years rather than months.

D. ERP/SAP Integration

Scan data is designed to feed TPAC’s ERP/SAP for centralised data management, working with TPAC’s implementation partner.

The Outcome

• Automated identification: Manual carton scanning replaced by fixed, line-side QR/barcode reads.
• End-to-end traceability: SKU, batch, pallet and location linked in a single digital record.
• Reduced dispatch errors: Validation at production and dispatch designed to stop mismatched shipments.
• Future-ready: A scalable scanning backbone that supports further warehouse automation.

Conclusion

The TPAC engagement shows SNA Infotech moving beyond supplying scanners to designing a complete QR-based automation workflow — from line-side identification to pallet, location and ERP integration — to give a packaging manufacturer an error-free, traceable dispatch operation.