The robotic packing solutions that Brillopak builds are extremely intuitive to operate and very reliable .
transformational benefits . Most importantly , Brillopak was completely aligned to the investment roadmap that assisted Thrapston in reaching its end point .
Phasing in the flow
In 2016 , Brillopak delivered stage one - optimising the manual packing of apples into crates . Thrapston commissioned five of Brillopak ’ s award-winning and ergonomic PAKStations to replace less efficient manual packing and turntable operations . This was the first step to automation and enabled the site to get familiar with the automation .
To support these apple-packing lines and eliminate any potential bottlenecks , two Crate DESTAKers , five bale arm closers and five double stackers for palletising were also introduced . The result was five integrated packing lines that maintained a consistent packing pace , each feeding out onto the main track to an existing palletising system .
This first phase was intentionally designed as a holding pattern in Thrapston ’ s automation plan , allowing for the subsequent robotic machines that were to follow . “ As a result of the fast payback due to labour efficiency , enhanced produce quality and reduced complaints , the plan was always to replace the PAKStations within two years . Swapping out with three fully automated UniPAKer robotic crate packing systems in phase two ,” reflects Matt . It was , he affirms , always central to their produce strategy of improving quality and process efficiency and reducing costs and waste .
Having got the measure of the design requirements and long-term goals at the outset , Brillopak ’ s Automation Architecture meant that the innovative firm had already factored in the available real estate . The team built the framework of the PAKStations to match the dimensions of the UniPAKer machines , as well as the conveyor infeed and outfeed heights ; enabling a seamless and simple swap over , to mitigate any packaging disruption .
“ We literally pulled out the UniPAKer machines and inserted the robotic machines into the apple lines ,” affirms David . Local power requirements and access points , as well as feeds to the main conveyor track for each line had already been considered at the initial due diligence planning phase . Craig Savage who project managed the entire programme , affirms that the devil really was in the detail . “ It involved multiple simulations to define the best approach .”
New access doors and platforms were inserted and refrigeration doors were moved . Approximately one fifth of the main track was removed along with the overhead crate feed track . To optimise efficiency a two-tiered conveyor track was proposed . Now , the lower level feeds all the clean empty crates to the 11 packing lines , while the top tier transports filled fresh produce crates to the palletiser .
Another key advantage of this modular line design and phased introduction of machinery was that Brillopak was able to retain and redeploy the existing conveyors , which previously transferred crates to the PAKStations . “ From a sustainability perspective , where components can be repurposed , we do , as it boosts the ROI even further ,” adds David .
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