Automated stacking and loading use cutting-edge advanced robotic systems that handle several production lines and types of packaging. End-of-line robotics are primarily concerned with loading and unloading, product packaging, case packing, and palletizing.
They’ll help you achieve better pallet loading accuracy, lower operating costs, improved efficiency, and higher return on investment.
Maintenance and downtime are minimal, so you’ll have the lowest ownership costs on the market.
According to Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) reports, automation is predicted to raise performance by 30% in 2025. This will lower overall labor costs by 18% or more in the world's largest export markets, according to Boston Consulting Group’s report on the changing economics of global manufacturing.
Manufacturers often incorporate new products on existing lines. Using traditional technology, a significant change over time usually decreases a line's overall productivity.
Integrated robotics like robotic case packing makes it easier for you to add new items to an existing line while retaining efficiency and avoiding extra changeovers.
An industrial robot's end-effector, also known as end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), is a critical component in increasing flexibility. Although the EOAT is not included in the design of the robot arm, it can be added to build a versatile robot capable of doing many different things.
The right EOAT makes automation a task-specific solution. Hence, they're an essential component of any industrial robotics application, and choosing the right EOAT is a crucial decision.
The advantage of investing in automation with variable EOAT is that you can introduce a new product on an existing robotic cell simply by installing new end-of-arm tooling and programming.
That will save time and reduce capital investment when expanding your product line.
You can identify what you need to establish a viable approach through conducting a detailed system audit by a competent system integrator. Or you can opt for a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), which can assist in diagnosing process faults and controlling robotic machinery and case packers.
Highly automated systems such as adaptable case packing, palletizing, and product loading machinery have allowed product changeover time to reduce from 2-3 hours to a few minutes.
User-friendly pneumatic connections and thumbscrews mean you can remove and replace robotic end-of-line equipment with a new one to work on a different product in minutes.
That has significant advantages in packaging lines that use shorter runs for independent Stock Keeping Units.
Overall Equipment Efficiency, or OEE, is used to determine a machine’s contribution to production. Machinery downtime is a crucial factor controlling OEE.
Traditional machinery has significant downtime, especially if they come with sensors that halt production when the workload is reduced. Robotic product loaders or unloaders and case packing machines allow downtime to be eliminated as they can pull 24-hour shifts.
Mishandling of expensive and fragile products is a downside of manual labor.
Products that have been dropped, bent, or broken increase expenditure and reduce efficiency. You can cancel out these losses with precise robotic handling leading to better cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Precision is improved in case packing if you invest in multi-axis robots to work on multiple products using precise electronic line tracking. Product placement and consistency can be carefully managed by integrated vision.
Robotics allows manufacturers to use skilled workers in areas of the manufacturing process that you can’t automate. For example, robotic case packing machines can increase efficiency without hiring more people.
That leads to lower labor costs in the assembly and packaging process, helping fulfill production requirements in companies where human labor is scarce.
Tadahiro Kawada, President of Kawada Industries, a Japanese collaborative robot manufacturer, said that “robots can do the repetitive jobs and people can be creative and improve the ways to do manufacturing. This can make it more efficient and cost-effective.”
Reallocating human resources has the added benefit of protecting worker health from repetitive motion injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Carpal tunnel syndrome is three times more common among assembly line employees than among data entry workers.
For each injured worker, the total lifetime cost of carpal tunnel syndrome, including medical expenses and missed time from work, can reach $30,000. Investing in case packers and palletizers reduces the risk of injuring workers and increases their productivity.
Is your manufacturing equipment reducing profitability and injuring your workforce? Find out using $afety Pays, a resource developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
This program calculates the amount of revenue a corporation would need to produce to offset losses. It’s based on a company’s profit margin, the estimated costs of an accident or illness, and an indirect cost multiplier.
The program raises awareness of workplace accidents and diseases, as well as their financial impacts.
You can significantly cut down overall waste production by investing in end-of-line robotics such as case packing machinery.
Since robots are precise, helping reduce the amount of raw material used, lowering waste costs.
They’ll also reduce the number of defective goods produced and churn out better quality products in a lower amount of time.
Automated manufacturing and packaging lines boost efficiency and Overall Equipment Efficiency while enabling businesses to make better use of their human capital.
These factors contribute heavily to improved sustainability by minimizing waste, protecting workers, increasing line efficiency, and maintaining low expenditures and high return on investment.
Companies can save time and resources by investing in end-of-line robotics.
If you’re considering this shift, start with simple changes like a robotic case packing machine. Contact BluePrint Automation today for more information on user-friendly and cost-effective automation for your factory.
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