We have 51 packed cartons in the proposed first trial. Supplier showed a smooth untaped sample. Our boxes have normal tape overlaps, printed areas and two board finishes. I want the comparison to include what arrives at the station, not a cleaned-up carton prepared for the photograph.
Have packing identify ordinary accepted examples across those conditions, then ask the supplier to compare the complete pickup, transfer and release. Keep the preparation they perform visible too
Include who presents them. We had a proposal where somebody quietly rotated every box to offer the clean face, then everyone quoted the robot time as though that person didn't exist.
And ask what happens when the pickup condition is not met. The operator needs a defined response, not a demonstration that only shows the cartons which sealed.
Theo's preparation point can decide the job. In our comparison the extra handling overlapped packing work, so the problem was not just a few seconds added to the timer.
Treat that as a different workflow option, then ask whether they can also assess the existing presentation. You need both the technical result and the labour implication
We abandoned it for that order mix. Nobody had spare capacity at the right time, and adding cover removed the benefit. Another allocation might work elsewhere; ours did not.
For Jasper's samples, keep both finishes and the ordinary seams in each defined option. Otherwise the rotated-box test could quietly become a nicer-board test as well.
Both options are in the request now. Packer is estimating the extra preparation against those same cartons. Supplier hasn't completed a representative handling trial yet.