For one main U.S. espresso roaster, the every day grind of end-of-line palletizing had grow to be an actual ache level. Handbook stacking was bodily demanding, time-consuming, and more and more unsustainable in a good labor market. Excessive turnover, security issues, and manufacturing bottlenecks have been limiting development — and stretching each folks and gear to the restrict.
With the assistance of Lean Palletizers, deployed in collaboration with Olympus Controls, this espresso producer discovered a greater strategy to roast, pack, and ship extra effectively. Six palletizing items later, they have a 13-month ROI and a workforce that’s happier, safer, and extra productive than ever.
Conventional automated methods have been too costly or too inflexible to fulfill their wants. What they required was a versatile, cost-effective, and operator-friendly palletizer that would sustain with altering carton codecs and excessive volumes — with out disrupting manufacturing.
Brewing a greater workflow
Earlier than automation, the corporate’s staff of 120 workers manually stacked hundreds of espresso instances every day. The work required fixed bending, twisting, and lifting — the type of repetitive pressure that results in fatigue and accidents. Turnover hovered round 60%, and every new rent required coaching throughout greater than 400 SKUs and dozens of pallet configurations.
As the corporate grew, these challenges intensified. Manufacturing strains needed to pause as a result of palletizing couldn’t sustain, and operators have been left operating from station to station to fill gaps. For a enterprise constructed on high quality, precision, and reliability, this merely wasn’t sustainable.
Why cobots, not standard robots?
The corporate explored a number of automation choices — from hydraulic lifters to conventional industrial robots — however most have been too inflexible, too pricey, or too space-hungry. With restricted flooring house and the necessity to maintain pallets on the bottom for pallet-jack entry, the staff wanted one thing compact, versatile, and straightforward to make use of.
That’s the place collaborative robots (cobots) got here in. Robotiq’s PAL Collection with a PE Collection Palletizer, powered by a Common Robots cobot, checked each field:
✅ Small footprint – suits seamlessly into present strains
✅ No security cages – due to built-in scanners and sensors
✅ Quick deployment – put in and operating in only a few days
✅ Easy to function – new workers be taught in minutes
As one engineer put it:
“The truth that Robotiq built-in that seventh axis made us really feel like they did extra homework than anybody else. It confirmed they’d actually thought of what makes palletizing environment friendly.”
Seamless collaboration from begin to end
The deployment was dealt with by Olympus Controls, a trusted Robotiq associate identified for precision and customer support. The three-way collaboration between the producer, Olympus, and Robotiq made set up and coaching clean from day one.
In simply three days, the primary cobot was absolutely operational:
- Day 1: Mechanical set up
- Day 2: Software program setup
- Day 3: Operator coaching
“It was uneventful — it simply labored,” stated the corporate’s Director of Engineering.
With Robotiq engineers onsite for startup teaching, the staff rapidly grew to become self-sufficient — assured sufficient to program, preserve, and even optimize new functions independently.
A safer, happier, and extra productive flooring
Probably the most seen change wasn’t simply in throughput — it was in morale.
Operators now work with the robots, not towards them. Every cobot even has a reputation — an indication of how naturally they’ve built-in into every day life on the ground.
“My life has modified for the reason that cobots arrived,” shared one operator. “No extra again ache, no extra speeding, and I nonetheless get every thing accomplished.”
Throughout a office security audit, native inspectors have been impressed by how seamlessly the robots operated alongside folks, calling it a mannequin setup for collaborative security.
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The numbers communicate for themselves
Efficiency positive factors have been quick and measurable:
- 6 palletizing strains absolutely automated
- Throughput: as much as 6,500 instances per day on the quickest line
- ROI: achieved in 13 months
- Turnover: dramatically decreased
By automating essentially the most bodily demanding job, the corporate didn’t get rid of jobs — it elevated them. Former end-of-line staff moved into higher-paying technical roles, even resulting in a rise within the plant’s minimal wage.
A sustainable path ahead
What began as an answer to a labor problem grew to become a blueprint for sustainable development. The success of this deployment paved the best way for future automation initiatives — each designed across the identical ideas: security, simplicity, and scalability.
Because the COO summed it up:
“The ROI was a slam dunk. The set up was the smoothest of any gear I’ve seen in 28 years.”
With Robotiq and its companions, this espresso producer proved that automation doesn’t simply change handbook labor — it empowers groups, boosts efficiency, and retains manufacturing flowing, one pallet at a time.
Able to see how briskly your manufacturing unit can scale?
Cobot palletizers will help you overcome labor shortages, scale back ergonomic dangers, and maintain manufacturing operating easily.
Your first step is straightforward: strive the Palletizing Match Device.
In only a few clicks, you’ll get:
- A customized 3D simulation of your palletizing cell
- ROI and payback interval primarily based in your actual information
- A shareable report for inside decision-making
Begin quick. Scale with confidence.
Fill out the Palletizing Match Device at present and see if Lean Palletizing is true to your operation.
