THE SITUATION
A food manufacturer operates a line producing bags of popcorn. At the end of this production line, two members of contract staff were required per shift over three shifts, to palletise the finished goods, ready for dispatch. A number of challenges associated with palletising were identified by the local HAYLEY DEXIS sales engineer during one of his regular visits to the factory:
- Increasing reliance on contract staff at
higher costs - Strain on internal resources due to
labour-intensive processes - Operational inefficiencies
THE SOLUTION
A proposal was put forward to deploy a UR20 cobot for the end-of-line palletising task. A meeting was arranged and a demo cobot palletiser brought along to prove concept. The customer was happy to go ahead with the purchase of the UR20 unit, after being impressed by the easy-to-programme functionalities of the technology. In addition, HAYLEY DEXIS designed a fully-guarded fence system, complete with safety interlocks and scanning systems. Everything is integrated into a PLC control system, ensuring seamless communication between all equipment. Also incorporated is a light beacon status system, at the customer’s request. This allows remote monitoring of stacking progress by teams on-site.
"PAYBACK ON THE INITIAL INVESTMENT WILL BE ACHIEVED IN JUST 14 MONTHS."
THE RESULT
The successful implementation of the UR20 cobot for the end-of-line palletising of popcorn products represents a significant advancement in operational efficiency for the customer. By leveraging automation, the customer has also continued to demonstrate its commitment
to operational excellence and innovation in manufacturing. Thanks to the redeployment of human resources that the solution has enabled, the business is also able to enjoy an annual cost-saving of around £93,000. This means that full payback on the initial investment will be achieved in just 14 months.