Robotiq CEO Samuel Bouchard sat down with Josh Davis, senior channel gross sales supervisor, to debate a number one meat producer’s automation journey.
Background
This Robotiq buyer is a big meat processing facility that provides a few of the greatest quick meals chains in the USA and globally. They’ve constructed their popularity as leaders in automation, repeatedly innovating to remain forward of their business. With a manufacturing setup already leveraging expertise, they confronted challenges of their end-of-line palletizing operations. The corporate operates 11 manufacturing strains with plans to scale as much as 50 extra, signaling important development potential.
Enterprise Challenges
The important thing driver for automation was the rising demand from their high-profile quick meals purchasers. The rising manufacturing quantity required a dependable resolution to remove bottlenecks of their palletizing course of. Relying solely on human labor was now not a possible choice given the rising throughput calls for. Moreover, sustaining profitability with tight margins from massive purchasers necessitated operational effectivity.
Particular challenges included:
- Assembly the manufacturing forecasts for the following three to 5 years.
- Reaching a fast ROI by lowering labor prices and rising manufacturing effectivity.
- Overcoming stress to stay aggressive whereas managing prices.
By addressing these challenges, the corporate aimed to make sure they might proceed to scale whereas sustaining the excessive requirements anticipated by their clients.
Why Was Robotiq’s Palletizing Resolution a Good Match?
Our palletizing resolution supplied the pliability and scalability the shopper wanted. Key components that made it the best selection included:
- Flexibility: The system may simply adapt to altering manufacturing wants, together with SKU and field measurement changes. This functionality was important for a dynamic manufacturing setting with a number of strains.
- Compact Design: The space-efficient system match seamlessly into their current setup with out requiring important modifications.
- Ease of Use: The answer featured intuitive programming, making it easy for the shopper’s group to function and keep.
- Efficiency: Throughout side-by-side testing, the answer outperformed opponents by a formidable margin, processing 10 extra packing containers per minute. This superior efficiency was a decisive issue.
- Native Help: Distinctive native assist ensured the shopper had entry to knowledgeable steering and troubleshooting at any time when wanted, additional cementing their resolution.
- Confirmed Observe File: The answer had been tried and examined in comparable functions, offering confidence in its reliability and ROI potential.
Suggestions for Automating Finish-of-Line Palletizing
- Begin Early: Delaying automation places you at an obstacle in a aggressive market. Firms that adopted automation years in the past are actually scaling efficiently with 10 to twenty items. When you haven’t automated but, now could be the time.
- Deal with Confirmed Options: Go for normal, non-customized options with a brief lead time and fast payback interval. Confirmed merchandise are much less dangerous and ship constant outcomes.
- Prioritize Flexibility: Select a system that adapts to altering manufacturing wants, whether or not it’s new SKUs, field sizes, or line configurations.
- Leverage Native Help: Work with companions who can present not simply one of the best product but additionally sturdy native assist to maximise system uptime and effectivity.
- Break the Money Constraint Cycle: Whereas investing in automation requires upfront capital, the ROI is usually realized in a yr or much less, particularly with a number of shifts. Investing now will get monetary savings and improve profitability in the long term.
Automation isn’t only a pattern; it’s a necessity for firms aiming to remain aggressive. The sooner you make investments, the earlier you possibly can reap the advantages of improved effectivity, lowered prices, and elevated manufacturing capability.
