modern packing hall
Automation should not be feared says robotic case loading systems manufacturer Brillopak’s director Peter Newman, who explains that technology combined with proper planning can prevent a myriad of issues and deliver increased performance.
Investment in automation in food packing is no longer a medium term aspiration, it is now a short term business imperative.
This push to automate is being driven by end users and several factors including the proliferation of digital supply chains and labour market shortages.
But deploying automation is a big step, as it can be very different to manual operations.
There is also an element of perceived risk. Many food processors and packers have said they are not making full use of their new automation equipment, often for simple reasons that were overlooked at the planning stage.
These can include simply not asking ‘why are we automating?’, failing to create forward looking requirement plans, engineers and operators being reluctant to use more complex technology, failing to consider future business when planning and failing to involve all stakeholders.
A good analogy is to compare your investment in automation to designing a house. When you design a house, you need complete architectural plans which will include boundaries, utility availability and routing, floorspace, the impact on your neighbours, pathways to and from the entry points and the fence line. All of these are comparable to factory and machine design. You must think beyond the machine and look at the whole project holistically.
Brillopak recommends working with a manufacturer who can act as an expert guide, as you prepare and transition towards automation. From planning through design, deployment, evaluation and enhancement, onto carefully phased and fully scaled operations: there is a lot to consider.
By taking a holistic view of your requirements, facilities, business plan, plant capabilities and customers’ needs, we can help create an automation action plan that delivers desired improvements in operations efficiency – and quickly.
We have created a multi stage process that captures all plant, project and business requirements and addresses many of the issues before they appear.
Step one is a full plant audit and requirements capture. We ask the questions: ‘why are you automating?’ and ‘what are your business goals, drivers and needs?’
In step two we look at the plant architecture to assess space, utilities, flow and potential. We then look at your packaging in terms of the product, the package types, the primary materials and the desired throughput. We look at this in order to define the robotic systems required.
Designing the end of line packaging machine comes next, where factors are examined that could influence design or operation. At this and every stage, we must not forget people in terms of workforce preparation, skills and staffing levels. Following this a discussion is had about what you will need in terms of maintenance and servicing.
Once this has all been finalised the installation can be examined and the new automation solutions tested and commissioned. We aim to minimise downtime and ensure your engineering team is part of the process as early as possible.
The final step is to study your future requirements and see how a phased approach can take you on to the next step. We can look to help you enhance and grow your initial installation, maybe add a second packer and additional conveyors.
At each phase it is important to examine any lessons learnt to define best practice for the next stage. You can grow and expand at your own pace.
Our robotic case loading systems include single system solutions and end-to-end packing lines, including pack management conveyor systems, robotic product loaders, crate de-stackers, bale arm closers and palletisers. Our solutions are best suited to load horizontal and vertical wrapped bags, punnets and sealed trays into shallow cardboard cases and retail crates.
www.brillopak.co.uk | technicalsales@brillopak.co.uk | t: 01622 872 907