Swiss condiment producer Brunos has introduced a six-axis robot to automate the palletising of its bottled salad dressing line.
According to Brunos, this upgrade has significantly alleviated production inefficiencies, enabling the company to keep pace with growing demand.
The robot, from industrial robotics company FANUC, will be used to support the company’s annual production of four million products at its 3,500m² facility in Sarnen, central Switzerland.
While Brunos’ production line was already automated, the packaging and palletising process remained manual until recently.
This manual approach caused bottlenecks, as employees struggled to keep up with the automated line, Brunos said in a statement.
Faced with the challenge of meeting increased order levels, the firm sought a solution that could handle complex palletising patterns within limited space.
“We had reached our limits,” explained Michael Arnold, managing director, Brunos.
“We needed an automated palletising solution with a compact footprint that integrated seamlessly with our existing processes.”
Brunos collaborated with Robotec Solutions AG, a local partner in robot-assisted automation, to address these challenges.
The solution involved the FANUC M-710iC/50, a strong, lightweight and compact six-axis robot reportedly capable of handling 50kg payloads and reaching 2,050mm.
Some of the key benefits of the solutions highlighted by Brunos include low energy consumption, a small footprint and excellent availability of spare parts.
“We are very happy with the results,” added Arnold. “The [solution] meets our expectations in terms of quality and productivity. We are completely satisfied.”
