Defining the details
How Brillopak made a difference at Morrisons
Conceptualising the bigger picture when re-designing the automation of a large packing hall is quite an art . As the project manager overseeing the Morrisons Thrapston fresh produce Centre of Excellence automation program will testify , success comes down to one thing : a sound strategy underpinned by detailed planning .
Having project managed countless food factory packing halls , Morrisons Engineering Manager and Project Engineer , Craig Savage , shares the benefit of his wisdom . Including how the phased investment approach , managed in total collaboration with British automation specialist Brillopak , helped the fresh produce site to successfully realise its five-year automation ambition .
50 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk
Although somewhat smaller than other projects Craig has masterminded over his four-decade career , the complete restructuring of 11 packing lines , including 180-degree rotation of all equipment at Thrapston tops the list of one of the most complex he has overseen . “ Switching from manual packing to automated lines in this instance was an even greater undertaking as we had to work around and maintain packing operations while minimising the upheaval of taking lines out of action ,” recaps Craig .
Rather than do it in one big hit , which the now-retired project manager implies is virtually impossible unless you have a green field site , Thrapston introduced Brillopak ’ s modular packing and cratehandling technology in three phases , spread over 2016 , 2018 , and 2021 .
From the start , former site manager of Thrapston , Matthew Peczek , was resolute that linear production lines – from the chillers through flow wrap packaging , weighing , crate filling and on to palletising – were the best approach to improve efficiency and product quality . It meant flipping the entire layout , which Craig recalls was the greatest logistical challenge . Drawing upon Brillopak ’ s design , AutoCad and engineering expertise , Craig and the Kent-based automation team started to map out their phased plan .
Craig expands : “ There were numerous design iterations . With projects of this magnitude , the devil is always in the detail . So we worked collaboratively with Brillopak constantly revising the 3D AutoCad drawings until we were