Handbook palletizing is without doubt one of the commonest, and most ignored, inefficiencies in meals manufacturing. It occurs on the finish of each packaging line, shift after shift, and since it has at all times been performed by hand, it hardly ever will get flagged as an issue price fixing.
However the prices are actual. Operators performing repetitive lifting all through a whole shift develop persistent again ache. Throughput is capped by how briskly an individual can bodily transfer. And as manufacturing volumes develop, the one resolution out there with out automation is to search out extra folks keen to do a bodily demanding job in a labor market that’s turning into more and more tough to rent from.
That was precisely the state of affairs at Molino Merano, a flour producer primarily based in Merano, within the Trentino Alto Adige area of Northern Italy. With as much as 80 workers and a broad vary of premium flour and grain-based merchandise for each industrial and retail markets, Molino Merano had constructed a robust repute for high quality. However as one in all its key packaging traces grew in quantity, the handbook palletizing course of on the finish of that line was turning into more durable to maintain.
There was no room within the current staff for a devoted palletizing operator. Hiring was tough. And the bodily toll on the folks doing the work was noticeable. One thing needed to change.
Discovering the proper resolution
The trail to automation began the way in which many industrial automation initiatives do at a commerce present. Sebastian Obrist, Technical Supervisor at Molino Merano, was evaluating choices when the staff found Robotiq.
What stood out wasn’t simply the know-how. It was the deployment mannequin.
Many automation initiatives take months generally longer from first dialog to a operating resolution. Integration complexity, customized engineering, security infrastructure, and coaching necessities all add time and value that make the funding really feel unsure, particularly for a producer that can’t afford to disrupt manufacturing for an prolonged interval.
The Robotiq Palletizing Workcell (PE20) supplied one thing completely different: a collaborative robot-based Workcell designed for quick deployment, simple operator adoption, and real-world flexibility with out fencing, with out scanners, and and not using a prolonged integration undertaking.
From discovery to a operating Workcell in 5 days
After choosing the PE20, Molino Merano moved rapidly. Elements have been delivered inside every week, and from that time, the clock began.
Meeting, wiring, and commissioning have been accomplished in three to 4 days. Remaining testing occurred on day 5. By the tip of the primary week with tools on-site, the palletizing cell was operational and operating product.
“After set up, meeting, and commissioning, it was all performed in 4 days. On the fifth day, we did the testing and it labored.”
Sebastian Obrist, Technical Supervisor, Molino Merano
That velocity was not unintentional. A key think about quick deployments like that is having the undertaking correctly validated earlier than something ships. Robotiq’s IQ platform which features a Match Test, Workcell Simulator, 3D scanning functionality, and ROI calculator permits producers to substantiate if the Workcell will work of their particular atmosphere earlier than set up begins. Cycle occasions, attain, pallet configurations, conveyor layouts, and website constraints are all verified via simulation, so there aren’t any surprises when the tools arrives.
What the PE20 truly does at Molino Merano
The answer put in at Molino Merano is greater than a robotic arm stacking containers. It’s a full Palletizing Workcell designed across the realities of the manufacturing ground.
The PE20 at Molino Merano features a vertical interlayer and an built-in sensible infeed, which collectively permit the Workcell to deal with a number of SKUs throughout Molino Merano’s broad product vary of various flour varieties, completely different bundle sizes, completely different pallet configurations with out requiring vital changeover time between runs.
The collaborative facet means the answer operates safely alongside operators with out fencing or security scanners, protecting the footprint compact even on a manufacturing ground with restricted area. And since operators can change pallets whereas the answer continues palletizing, the road by no means has to cease for a pallet swap.
For a facility that had been doing all of this by hand, the distinction was rapid.
What modified after palletizing automation
Three months after commissioning, the outcomes at Molino Merano are concrete and measurable.
The again ache is gone: Operators who spent their shifts manually lifting and stacking containers not try this work. The bodily toll that accrued over years of repetitive handbook dealing with has been faraway from the job totally.
The road can scale with out hiring: Manufacturing volumes on the road have elevated, and Molino Merano has not wanted so as to add a single individual to the palletizing operation. The PE20 absorbed the elevated workload which is especially vital in a labor market the place certified staff for repetitive handbook duties are more and more arduous to search out and retain.
Operators are doing extra beneficial work: Employees who have been beforehand tied to pallet stacking now have time to contribute elsewhere on the manufacturing ground. The automation didn’t remove jobs it redirected folks towards work that’s much less bodily demanding and extra significant.
The funding paid again for itself rapidly: The mix of labor financial savings, throughput enhancements, and operator reallocation produced a fast return on funding. A robust consequence for any tools buy, and a compelling case for different meals producers evaluating automation for the primary time.
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Learn the total case examine
This submit covers the highlights, however the full Molino Merano case examine goes deeper together with an in depth breakdown of the problem, the answer elements, the outcomes, and solutions to the most typical questions producers ask earlier than investing in palletizing automation.
Unsure if palletizing automation is best for you? Begin with IQ.
One of many largest boundaries producers face earlier than investing in automation is uncertainty. Will it slot in my plant? Will it deal with my merchandise? Will the numbers truly work for my operation? These are honest questions, they usually deserve actual solutions earlier than any dedication is made.
That is exactly what Robotiq IQ is built for.
IQ is Robotiq’s AI-enabled platform designed to take producers from first query to deployment-ready Workcell quicker and with better confidence. It’s not a gross sales instrument. It’s an engineering and enterprise validation platform that offers you the data you have to make an knowledgeable choice.
