After years of hesitation, a well known chocolate producer in Quebec, Canada lastly took the leap and modernized their automated palletizing course of. What modified? The fitting timing, the appropriate drawback, and the appropriate answer. Their journey highlights key takeaways for meals producers contemplating upgrading their automation however uncertain when or find out how to begin.
The Problem: A Bottleneck in Manufacturing
This firm, with a number of places and over a thousand workers, had been increasing its retail choices. Extra merchandise meant extra demand—but in addition extra pressure on manufacturing.
Their largest subject? The second shift. Like many producers, they struggled to seek out and retain employees, particularly for late-hour positions. On prime of that, their current industrial palletizer was unreliable, vulnerable to breakdowns, and finally failed fully final summer season. This left them with a transparent alternative: both persist with an outdated, labor-intensive course of or spend money on new automation to maintain up with demand.
The Turning Level: An Engineer Who Noticed the Large Image
Automation wasn’t a brand new concept for them. The engineering supervisor had been in discussions with Robotiq about palletizing options for just a few years whereas working for a special firm, however by no means had the appropriate alternative. When he joined this chocolate maker, he instantly acknowledged that upgrading to a contemporary, robotic palletizer may resolve their labor points and enhance effectivity.
With an ROI in below 2 years and the flexibleness to develop, the choice turned a straightforward one.
Key Advantages Achieved
- Area Optimization: Flooring house was tight, however the brand new palletizer’s superior software program allowed them to put in it near current buildings with out interfering with operations.
- Quick Set up: Inside in the future, they have been operating their first SKU. Inside two days, full integration was full.
- Ease of Use: The earlier system required a single skilled to troubleshoot and preserve it. Now, even second-shift upkeep workers may function the gear with confidence.
- Scalability: With their first robotic palletizer up and operating, they’re already planning for a second one.
What Different Meals Producers Can Study
- Don’t Watch for a Breakdown to Automate. In case your gear is unreliable, don’t threat productiveness losses. The sooner you improve automation, the earlier you begin seeing returns.
- Suppose Past Labor Shortages. Automation doesn’t simply resolve hiring challenges—it could optimize house, velocity up manufacturing, and enhance flexibility.
- Think about Ease of Use. Fashionable options are designed for easy operation. Your workforce doesn’t have to be specialists in robotics to run and preserve them.
- ROI Can Be Quicker Than You Suppose. A payback interval below 2 years is cheap, however in lots of instances, advantages begin showing instantly with elevated productiveness and workforce morale.
This chocolate maker is proof that automation doesn’t need to be sophisticated or disruptive. When the appropriate circumstances align, the transition could be clean—and the outcomes, game-changing.
If you happen to’re dealing with related challenges, now is perhaps the appropriate time to take that subsequent step.
