MSO (Multi-State Operator) Case Study

Surterra Wellness · Operations Manager

From 15,000 to 50,000
Pre-Rolls a Day

Q: What was production like before FlexPak?

We had four or five knockboxes, then an ActionPac RollMaster 420, and then the Eight-Channel JuanaRoll. The biggest issues were labor, downtime and consistency. With the JuanaRoll, there were only a few times we hit 15,000 in a 10-hour day—and that was still with five or six people.

Q: What changed after the workflow consultation?

We went over the workflow and the timing for every stage. I took the notes straight back to the team, and we added a fourth cone plate. Once they got the feel for it, they went from about 20 trays in a day to 45. The stress started coming down because we knew we could hit the numbers.

Q: What did the full two-line setup produce?

With one box, four plates and four technicians, each line was producing about 24,000 to 25,000 in a 10-hour shift. Adding the second line doubled it. We were hitting 48,000 to 50,000 pre-rolls in a single 10-hour day.

Q: How did finished quality and waste compare?

I like how firm and almost perfect the pre-roll comes out. There's very minimal waste—less than 1% rejects for us. And when there was a reject, it usually came back to how the material was prepared, not the machine.

Q: What would you tell an operator who is still hesitant?

Just buy it. Trust it, man. Look at what you're using, look at where you want to go, and understand that you can alleviate a lot of stress and problems through this machine. You're going to hit your numbers.

How the vertically integrated Florida operation of a large multi-state operator (MSO) replaced high-downtime equipment with two repeatable FlexPak production lines built to supply 45 dispensaries.

"It's easy to speak to because it works."David B. · Operations Manager, Parallel (MSO)

48–50KPre-rolls in one 10-hour day

25–27KAverage output per FlexPak line

4Technicians per production line

<1%Reported reject rate

Enterprise-scale MSO operator

This wasn't a small producer trying to grow. It was an MSO (multi-state operator) supplying 45 retail stores.

As the vertically integrated Florida operation under Parallel, Surterra Wellness carried the production demands of a large multi-state operator (MSO). David B. oversaw a 24-person flower-production team responsible for keeping a substantial retail footprint supplied without sacrificing finished-product quality.

Surterra had already invested in several ways to scale pre-roll production: four to five knockboxes, an ActionPac RollMaster 420 and an Eight-Channel JuanaRoll system. The problem was not a lack of equipment. It was the gap between advertised throughput and a repeatable production day—after clogs, downtime, manual finishing, inconsistent pack quality and the labor needed to keep everything moving.

Before FlexPak

Every attempt to scale created another bottleneck.

4–5 knockboxes

Mechanically simple, but output only grew by adding more stations and more labor.

ActionPac RollMaster 420

Eight technicians on the line. Five were needed on the back end to crown and finish cones.

Eight-Channel JuanaRoll

Promised 4,000 per hour. In practice, a good 10-hour day reached roughly 12,000–15,000 with five to six people.

The JuanaRoll's small feeder tubes repeatedly clogged. Firmware and mechanical problems stopped production. Its twist-and-cut process sometimes left paper attached, creating more manual trimming, while inconsistent packing contributed to loose pre-rolls and canoeing.

There were only a few times where we really hit 15,000 pre-rolls on that machine—and that was a good day.

David B.

The first FlexPak line

The machine worked. The workflow unlocked it.

Surterra's first FlexPak Max setup used one machine, three cone plates, two setup boxes and four technicians. Even before the process was optimized, it produced roughly 12,000–15,000 per day—already meeting or beating the larger equipment it replaced.

But David knew there was more capacity in the system. He contacted FlexPak, and a 30–35 minute call with Zach Sparks became the turning point.

Map each stage

The team assigned a clear time target to loading, filling, crowning and pack-out.

Add one cone plate

The line moved from three plates to four, keeping each production stage supplied.

Train to the flow

After a few weeks of repetition, the team moved from roughly 20 trays per day to 45.

They were crushing it—45 trays in a day from 20 trays in a day. Doubling just from the conversation.

David B.

The production result

One repeatable line became two—and the output compounded.

The optimized first line moved into the 25,000–27,000 range with four technicians. Surterra then added a second FlexPak Max and dedicated one line to 0.35 g dogwalkers while the other handled 0.5 g and 1 g products.

More than 2× output per person

A FlexPak line produced 25,000–27,000 with four technicians, compared with 12,000–15,000 from the previous eight-channel system with five to six.

The old machines stopped running

Surterra tried operating its legacy equipment alongside FlexPak. The other systems ultimately collected dust. FlexPak became the production standard.

Output without the quality tradeoff

Firm, consistent pre-rolls. Less than 1% rejects.

For David, the difference was visible in the finished product. FlexPak produced a firmer, more consistent pre-roll than the loose output he had seen from prior equipment. Rejects fell below 1%, and the remaining issues were typically tied to material preparation—not a machine failure.

That consistency changed more than production. Higher dependable output gave the retail side the inventory to sell more pre-rolls and support aggressive promotions across the Florida market.

In my mind, it's almost like a perfect pre-roll. There's very minimal waste—less than 1% rejects for us.

David B.

Support that kept production moving

The system stayed simple. The support stayed close.

When Surterra needed help, the response did not require a technician flight or extended downtime. David described FlexPak's support as consistently fast and specifically called out how quickly the team exchanged cone plates when cones began sliding through.

For another multi-state operator's perspective on rebuilding a collapsed pre-roll category, see how Perpetual restored its pre-roll production from 40K to 140K per month after replacing fragile full automation with a FlexPak Pro.

Anytime we needed something, you guys got back to us very quickly. It's been exceptional as far as the support.

David B.

5 questions with the operator

The answers buyers actually want before changing equipment.

01What was production like before FlexPak?+

We had four or five knockboxes, then an ActionPac RollMaster 420, and then the Eight-Channel JuanaRoll. The biggest issues were labor, downtime and consistency. With the JuanaRoll, there were only a few times we hit 15,000 in a 10-hour day—and that was still with five or six people.

02What changed after the workflow consultation?+

We went over the workflow and the timing for every stage. I took the notes straight back to the team, and we added a fourth cone plate. Once they got the feel for it, they went from about 20 trays in a day to 45. The stress started coming down because we knew we could hit the numbers.

03What did the full two-line setup produce?+

With one box, four plates and four technicians, each line was producing about 24,000 to 25,000 in a 10-hour shift. Adding the second line doubled it. We were hitting 48,000 to 50,000 pre-rolls in a single 10-hour day.

04How did finished quality and waste compare?+

I like how firm and almost perfect the pre-roll comes out. There's very minimal waste—less than 1% rejects for us. And when there was a reject, it usually came back to how the material was prepared, not the machine.

05What would you tell an operator who is still hesitant?+

Just buy it. Trust it, man. Look at what you're using, look at where you want to go, and understand that you can alleviate a lot of stress and problems through this machine. You're going to hit your numbers.

"Just buy it. Trust it, man."

David B. · Operations Manager, Surterra Wellness · Parallel (MSO)

Interview responses and quotations have been lightly edited for clarity and length without changing their meaning. Production results reflect Surterra Wellness' reported operation, staffing, material and 10-hour schedule. Surterra's approximately 28,000-unit single-line record was produced using the previous 551-cone plate configuration; current FlexPak Max and Edge systems use redesigned 513-cone plates for improved packing performance.

From 15,000 to 50,000
Pre-Rolls a Day

This wasn't a small producer trying to grow. It was an MSO (multi-state operator) supplying 45 retail stores.

Every attempt to scale created another bottleneck.

The machine worked. The workflow unlocked it.

One repeatable line became two—and the output compounded.

Firm, consistent pre-rolls. Less than 1% rejects.

The system stayed simple. The support stayed close.

The answers buyers actually want before changing equipment.

More Case Studies

FlexPak Max — Built for this kind of output.

From 15,000 to 50,000 Pre-Rolls a Day

This wasn't a small producer trying to grow. It was an MSO (multi-state operator) supplying 45 retail stores.

Every attempt to scale created another bottleneck.

The machine worked. The workflow unlocked it.

One repeatable line became two—and the output compounded.

Firm, consistent pre-rolls. Less than 1% rejects.

The system stayed simple. The support stayed close.

The answers buyers actually want before changing equipment.

More Case Studies

Perpetual — From a 40K Low Back to 140K Pre-Rolls a Month

Rebel Roots Farms — From a 5,000-Unit Daily Struggle to 2 Million Pre-Rolls a Month

Modern Distribution — From 8,000 a Day With 8–10 People to 40,000 With Four Operators

My Friend Processing — From 2,000 Finished Pre-Rolls a Day to 22,000 Retail-Ready—With the Same Four-Person Crew

FlexPak Max — Built for this kind of output.

From 15,000 to 50,000
Pre-Rolls a Day