How Automation Transformed a Growing Snack Manufacturer

Robotiq CEO Samuel Bouchard dives into how a regional snack producer leveraged automation to beat labor challenges, increase effectivity, and scale manufacturing. On this dialog with Mike Welch, Channel Gross sales Supervisor, they discover the journey to success and the advantages of automation with Robotiq.

Background

This week’s featured Robotiq buyer is a regional snack meals producer specializing in popcorn merchandise. Primarily based in a distant northern location, their enterprise has skilled exponential progress over the previous few years. Regardless of not but attaining nationwide distribution, their manufacturing quantity has surged, straining their current gear and sources. To help their progress, they’ve constantly invested in revolutionary options to help their fast growth.

Enterprise Challenges 

This buyer confronted important challenges tied to their fast progress and geographic location:

• Labor Shortages: Working in a distant space made it troublesome to recruit and retain sufficient employees for his or her end-of-line palletizing operations.
• Growing Throughput: Their rising manufacturing demand required a dependable and scalable answer to eradicate bottlenecks of their palletizing course of.
• Tools Limitations: Early automated programs they carried out in 2021 struggled with heavier payloads, necessitating slower manufacturing speeds for some product traces.
• Value and Effectivity Pressures: To maintain their progress and stay aggressive, they wanted to optimize their operations and guarantee a fast return on funding (ROI) for brand new gear.

These challenges prompted the corporate to revisit their automation technique and discover upgraded options to satisfy their evolving wants.

Why Was Robotiq’s Palletizing Answer a Good Match?

The corporate in the end selected Robotiq’s palletizing solution for a number of causes:

1. Flexibility and Scalability: Our answer’s adaptability allowed the corporate to transition seamlessly from their older mannequin, decrease payload palletizer to at least one extra tailored to their evolving wants. This enabled them to deal with heavier payloads (as much as 25 kg) with ease whereas repurposing the older unit for lighter merchandise.
2. Ease of Use: With intuitive software program options like recipe choice and fast SKU setup, the system simplified product modifications and modifications. This was particularly necessary for a facility with a small upkeep employees. Their new palletizer used the identical software program interface, making it seamless for operators to work the brand new one
3. Excessive Efficiency and Reliability: The upgraded system supplied enhanced pace and effectivity, decreasing downtime and guaranteeing uninterrupted operations whilst manufacturing calls for grew.
4. Fast Transition and Minimal Downtime: The transition from the PE10 to the PE20 was accomplished inside a couple of hours, with minimal disruption to manufacturing. The group solely needed to palletize one load manually throughout the swap.
5. Proven Track Record: Robotiq’s standardized and dependable merchandise supplied confidence within the long-term ROI and operational stability of their automation funding.

Ideas for Automating Finish-of-Line Palletizing

• Begin Early: Delaying automation can put you at an obstacle. Start integrating automation options now to place your online business for scalable progress.
• Deal with ROI: Consider the potential return on funding. With programs like Robotiq’s, prospects like this one achieved a ROI inside 9 months on a three-shift operation.
• Prioritize Flexibility: Select options that may adapt to altering manufacturing wants, together with new SKUs, field sizes, and line configurations.
• Leverage Confirmed Options: Go for customary, field-tested merchandise over customized options. Confirmed programs are much less dangerous and simpler to deploy so that you get a quicker and predictable ROI
• Work with Dependable Companions: Collaborate with suppliers who supply high quality merchandise and likewise robust native help to make sure most uptime and effectivity.

  Automation is not a luxurious however a necessity for companies aiming to remain aggressive. By investing in scalable, dependable options, corporations can overcome labor challenges, enhance effectivity, and place themselves for long-term success.

  Craving extra automation success tales about snack producers? Check out how Deanan Popcorn leverages our answer to remodel their operations!