From time to time, a challenge comes alongside that jogs my memory why I like what I do. This latest deployment within the beverage sector did simply that. It began with a telephone name, moved quick, and ended with a small producer punching nicely above their weight.
A beverage producer on the rise
This buyer is a smaller operation, however with massive progress forward. They’d simply secured main contracts with household-name retailers and wanted to point out they might scale. Quick. Automation was not only a nice-to-have.
They reached out via their trusted community at Common Robots. That preliminary belief laid the groundwork for an environment friendly and assured gross sales course of. I shortly introduced in our native associate, ACS, and inside per week they have been on-site evaluating the area, the conveyors, the product sorts, and the road setup.
Bottling line, excessive expectations
Once I heard “bottling,” I’ll admit I braced for velocity challenges. Beverage functions can transfer quick, and packaging may be tough. However right this moment’s palletizing options are way more succesful than they have been even a yr in the past.
With UR20 and UR30 robots within the combine, and our improved gripper design, we are actually selecting and stacking a number of beverage instances directly. This buyer wanted to palletize 24-pack instances and was additionally getting ready for 2 12-pack SKUs to roll out quickly. We have been capable of create a dual-zone gripper that might deal with each: a future-proof answer proper out of the gate.
Pushed by progress, not simply labor
Sure, labor shortages performed a job within the choice to automate. However what actually drove the urgency was demand. This producer wanted to display to their new retail companions that they might meet quantity and supply expectations. We see this an increasing number of within the meals and beverage area — small companies touchdown massive contracts and needing to scale up quick.
Understanding these pressures is essential. These corporations are navigating strict necessities from prospects like Costco and Walmart. After we present them that our methods are versatile sufficient to fulfill these packaging and throughput calls for, the dialog turns into much more related.
Quick choice, quicker outcomes
What stood out about this deal was the velocity. We have been talking on to the proprietor. He knew what he wanted, trusted the answer, and will transfer shortly. From first contact to closing, all of it occurred in a couple of month.
He even plans to do the mixing himself, which is one other nice reminder of the place this business started: small producers adopting cobots for sensible, hands-on causes. It was inspiring to look at this come full circle, with a small producer adopting a sophisticated but accessible answer
Trying to future-proof you personal palletizing course of?
We have made it extraordinarily straightforward to see if a Robotiq Palletizing Resolution is an efficient match on your manufacturing facility! Merely reply a sequence of questions and we’ll ship you a personalized 3D simulation and report exhibiting precisely which answer matches your manufacturing facility area and wishes in only a matter of minutes.
