Equally, if Brexit is a success, then
these businesses will be optimised
for future growth.”
1. Industry recognises the
importance of automation
Automating manual tasks like case
loading and palletising has long been
proposed as a solution to labour
shortages and a way of increasing
productivity. For the uninitiated there
have been many uncertainties about
investing in suitable technology,
from questions about flexibility and
managing new machinery, to queries
over the return on investment.
One thing the recent labour crunch
has done is to focus the whole
industry on what technology
can currently deliver, and what it
may be capable of in the future.
AHDB Horticulture is currently
organising its first ever event to
focus on technological advances and
overcoming labour issues, with its
SmartHort event scheduled for early
March 2019.
There are compelling economic gains
to invest in automation in order
to achieve UK productivity gains,
improve grower returns and enhance
routes to market, emphasises David.
Having focused its R&D efforts
almost entirely on fresh produce
case loading in recent years,
Brillopak’s most popular systems
comprise its PPMA award-winning
Semi-Automated Packstation, the
P160 three or four axis robotic duel
cell single pick automated case
loading system which applies a
combination of robotics, encoders,
vision and mechanics to load
100 packs per minute into retail
containers, plus its newest addition
- the mechanical-style BR Punnet
Packer, which can handle 180 top
seal punnets and top seal trays p/m.
The migrant labour argument
looks set to rattle on for months
to come. Yet, if food packhouses
don’t act now and examine how
automation can make them more
David concludes: “Brexit is cost competitive and productive,
presenting UK food businesses with they may not have a sustainability
an exciting opportunity to get back business when we leave the EU. By
to the basics and do what we do that stage, lack of labour effectively
best. becomes a moot point!”
16 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk
Brillopak
Tel: 01622 872907
mail: [email protected]
web: www.brillopak.co.uk