It’s very evident that our
pack team now shares a
stronger work ethic.
“There’s certainly some correlation between
having a core team of people that are
familiar with the system and the camaraderie
that people build when they work together
daily. It’s very evident that our pack team
now shares a stronger work ethic,” adds
Andy.
To improve how packs were presented
to the manual packers and consequently
presentation within the retail crates, the
Rushton team worked collaboratively
with Brillopak to engineer two modified
PakStations. A hybrid version of five apple
PakStations installed by Morrisons at
the Thrapston depot several years ago,
Rushden’s modified design guarantees
pack orientation to the workforce that
collate the trays. Rather than clusters, packs
come through in single file. This helps to
guarantee consistent presentation of packs
within the trays.
Additionally, the design of the PakStation
lines helps to mitigate repetitive strain
injuries and makes the whole manual
packing process seamless. “Our colleagues
find it much more ergonomic,” states Andy.
“They’re not bending over or moving around
the turntable or repeatedly lifting trays.”
Two PakStations positioned back-to-back for optimal efficiency, and use of agency staff
ZONE CONTROL
By arranging two Brillopak PakStations
staggered back-to-back means one
operative can feed a continuous stream of
crates to both packing lines concurrently,
and remove filled crates placing them on
the conveyor for palletising. Because this
is done at the rear of the machine, crate
clutter is minimised. Rather than doubling
up the role, one crate feeder is deployed
elsewhere in Rushden’s facility.
The lines, which are located in a busy
warehouse, adjacent to the robotic
installation, has also helped the team
to introduce clear work zones, further
reducing trip hazards. The consistent
packing speed and fewer front to back end
bottlenecks means that OEE across the
whole packing zone has improved.
For additional flexibility, the two PakStation
lines can be converged to run through
the robotic cells. Having an equal split
between robotic and semi-automated
pack lines means that Morrisons can move
labour around and scale up production to
accommodate seasonal demands.
Each PakStation system features its
own colour touchscreen control panel.
This enables operatives to control and
adjust the speed in which product is
presented from the flow wrap system. “It’s
so straightforward to use that I’m never
worried about pressing the wrong button
and breaking the system,” comments Dave,
a longstanding packhouse operative.
Workforce moral has improved since Rushden installed the PakStation
Last year the system won the PPMA 2018
Group Award for Innovative Packaging
Machine. Industry judges commented:
“The strength of the PakStation lies in
its optimisation of manual human labour
rather than trying to replace it completely.
This gives a best of both worlds
scenario along with reduced damage
to product. Impressively short payback
time and overall equipment performance
improvements.”
For further information, please visit www.brillopak.co.uk
Issue 43 PECM
75