The ongoing economic challenges facing manufacturing persist due to regional inflation, global conflicts, an aging workforce, supply chain disruptions, pandemics, and other complex factors. Business owners who reevaluate their strategies and consider automation are ahead.
As demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, companies with automation are more resilient to change than their peers. “Investment in automation and robotics is one way companies are coping with the loss of workers,” ASME noted. Not long ago, manual tasks like palletizing were relatively simple. Abundant human resources, limited e-commerce, and reduced product complexity make it possible to do business through manual labor.
Today’s economic environment is almost completely different. The available (and interested) workforce is shrinking, e-commerce continues to grow, and product variety is expanding. These headwinds have created a new boom in automation investments, especially in the field of collaborative robots. For example, manufacturers are discovering that collaborative robot palletizers are more accessible, have a smaller footprint, and are budget-friendly. This helps address workforce, productivity, and adaptability issues. This article explores how these automated palletizing systems are becoming important tools in industries such as food and beverage, consumer goods, and pharmaceutical production.
People: Strengthening workforce dynamics
Automation is doing things people don’t want to do.
Automation is doing things people don’t want to do.
Frozen fish producer Korea Pelagic needed help finding someone to stock pallets of fish in its freezer. Palletizing fish on very tall pallets is physically demanding work in cold weather, making it difficult to find willing workers. Few people were willing to undertake this repetitive, monotonous and dangerous work. Since time is essential in food production, Korea Pelagic turned to automation to ensure timely delivery.
Palletizing cobots were the perfect solution for this challenging environment. Not only was the collaborative robot willing to work in the cold, it resulted in a 200% increase in productivity and the opportunity to provide more rewarding and sustainable work for employees. Read the full case study.
Show respect for your employees.
TIDI Products, a leader in infection prevention and patient safety products, faced inefficiencies due to staffing shortages. One person performed two tasks to meet production requirements. Placing undue burden on individuals slows production, increases backlogs, reduces morale, and limits the number of orders that TDI products can accommodate. TIDI invested in an end-of-line automated palletizing system. This solution solved operational bottlenecks, reduced ergonomic issues, and increased team work satisfaction.
The palletizer performed better than expected, so TIDI purchased two additional systems.
At first, people were worried that robots would take their jobs. People now expect employers to invest in supporting and helping employees. This includes allowing automation to take on the burden of manual, repetitive tasks that you don’t want to do. If employees don’t like their jobs or feel like their employer is not investing in them, they will leave. This is more prevalent among the younger generation who feel the need to change careers to look after their own interests.
According to Business Insider, 73% of Gen Z workers are willing to take a pay cut or downgrade if their job does not meet their needs.. Generation Z (born 1997-2012) is rejecting monotonous, physically demanding jobs and further shrinking the available workforce. If this trend continues, companies will inevitably need to invest in automation.
Companies must invest in their employees to increase employee retention. Cameron Lemke, TIDI Product Value Stream Manager, summarizes: “For businesses that care about their teams, this is an easy investment that will help them feel supported and encourage business continuity.”
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“If you are a business that cares about your team, this is an easy investment to help them feel supported and encouraged to live long with your business.” |
Read and watch TIDI product case studies.
Create sustainable jobs (people want them).
Cascade Coffee, a roasting and co-manufacturing company, was experiencing chronic labor shortages and safety issues in its manual palletizing operations. Work satisfaction and safety have improved with the introduction of automated palletizing devices. The adaptability of the system allowed for seamless integration, optimization of productivity and development of employees. Training the operator on the collaborative robot took 5 minutes. Palletizers now have low-paying jobs, and people are promoted in the company. See how cascade coffee Palletize 6,500 cases per day and increase staff.
Productivity: Maximize operational potential
Every palette counts.
The goal is to prevent unplanned downtime. Although often overlooked, the palletizing process can present a bottleneck. In a single-flow environment, cycle times must be reduced to match the speed of the slowest operation. Automation can alleviate these bottlenecks and bring cycle times closer to takt time. Cascade Coffee converted from manual to automated palletizing to address labor shortages and eliminate bottlenecks.
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“A simple manual process would actually waste a huge amount of time leading to machines stalling because the operators couldn’t palletize fast enough.” – Ron Kane, COO of Cascade Coffee. Watch the full video. |
Cobots can ensure a continuous and efficient production flow, optimizing resources and meeting delivery deadlines.
Automated palletizing increases throughput.
TIDI products have seen a significant increase in productivity after incorporating an automated palletizing device. They recorded a 30% productivity increase in their first palletizing cell. Follow-up cells saw a similarly impressive 25% increase. Increased productivity allows manufacturers to optimize resource utilization, reduce production costs, and maintain competitive prices.
Robotic palletizers also increase productivity in food production. Spanish bread manufacturer Antic was struggling to manually palletize products on its two production lines. The company needed a scalable, automated solution that could accommodate a variety of product weights and improve production speeds. Labor shortages have made it urgent to find effective solutions. The search resulted in a collaborative palletizing robot that operates two automated lines and increases production speed by 30%.
Automated systems can follow suit.
Automated palletizing systems keep pace with manufacturing processes and provide high efficiency. User-friendly software allows you to easily adapt your palletizing cobot to fit new carton sizes or pallet configurations. For example, Robotiq palletizing solutions automatically generate and optimize trajectories and collaborative robot movements. Robotiq uses auxiliary tools and simple configuration. Input requirements as follows:
- Box size, weight and orientation
- pallet dimensions
- Pallet Configuration
This software works for non-working people. With just a few minutes of training, your operator can have an automated palletizer stacking box.
Adaptability: Easily meets market requirements
Drive by customer needs and market opportunities, not factory limits.
Despite economic pressures in the manufacturing industry, all companies aim for customer-centric leadership rather than being influenced by external factors. This means factories must remain agile and productive.
Coffee distribution company Napco highlights the productivity gains that can be achieved by using a palletizing system. Senior operators with no prior experience in robotics were able to quickly learn how to operate the system. This automated palletizing system increased productivity by 15%.
Simplified Scaling: Timing Costs to Benefits
The flexibility and modular design of our automated palletizing solutions allow for efficient expansion. The ability to replicate and integrate additional devices into different production lines allows manufacturers to scale effectively in response to fluctuations in demand. TIDI has seen this firsthand. Scalability combined with a typical payback period of one year ensures a significant return on investment and has a positive impact on your bottom line.
Automated palletizing systems with integrated cobots have become indispensable allies for food and beverage, consumer goods and pharmaceutical manufacturers facing ongoing economic pressures. These systems help solve labor-related challenges, improve productivity, and increase adaptability.
Take control of your future
At Robotiq, we follow the principles of LEAN ROBOTICS to create standardized solutions that are more easily scalable, repeatable, and easy to use. We understand the economic pressures of manufacturing and have experience working with food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Let’s get started. Implementation is easier than you think. Talk to an automation expert today to get started on your project.
