CO-PACKING is found in all fast-moving consumer goods markets, especially in the higher-priced product segments such as personal care and confectionery. It’s a fast-growing activity in response to satisfying consumer demand for more variety. In response to a study published by the European Co-Packers Association, three-quarters of co-packers said requirements, particularly in terms of quality, have become significantly more demanding.
What should be considered in connection with co-packing processes and the demand for variant-rich products in small individual quantities – high-mix, low-volume (HMLV)? New strategies and technologies are needed to support packaging processes and co-packing in the HMLV environment.
Flexibility matters
Consumer behaviours are changing significantly: the trend is moving away from mass consumerism to consumers who make purchasing decisions based on individual preferences. Added to this are changes in pack format, leading to polarisation in pack size, different store displays, and advertising banners.
In this context, HMLV manufacturing models are a consequence of the growing diversity of products and packaging. A good example to illustrate the HMLV process is the repackaging of food products in multipacks – for example, different chocolate bars in a single box. Here, the focus is not only on physical packaging and re-packing, but also about supply chain and logistics expertise, warehouse availability, the ability to defer packaging tasks, flexibility, and agility. And the most important: quality. The right amount of the right products in the right package.
Robot-assisted automation
Smart robot-based automation solutions can help to overcome the need for manual labour that arises in HMLV production. Such solutions include robotic picking, packing, palletising, machine tending, and optimised automated intra-logistics. Robot-based automation gives co-packing service providers or producers who handle this activity in-house the flexibility, productivity, and reliability they need to handle ever-shorter product life cycles, changing package designs, different package sizes and product variants.
The following five deployment challenges and solution options show what this can look like.
Challenge 1: Mixing products in secondary packaging
Mixing different single products in a display carton presents challenges. One example of this is that the integrity and correctness of multipacks must be ensured. Manual processes might be flexible but may affect quality and are not ideal for repeatability. In addition, it may be hard to find and retain employees for these tasks. Another requirement is the transport of goods and consumables. Incoming goods waiting for packaging need to be processed quickly, but the packaging material must also be readily available. To cope with this, pick-and-place technology for secondary packaging processes is the ideal solution.
To handle and improve the flow of goods, one solution could combine a complete range of different robotic automation technologies into a single, fully integrated packaging system that offers built-in algorithms to co-ordinate different production lines and optimise flow rates.
No programming skills are required, as the graphical user interface is easy to understand and use. With the help of a recipe manager, the line can also be configured for several products and switched between them at the touch of a button. For users, this means greater flexibility, fewer machine idle times, a reduction in the workload for employees, and lower costs and complexity in the (re)packaging line.
Challenge 2: Material replenishment on the line
Optimal replenishment on the line is key to improving overall equipment effectiveness and avoiding waiting times at machines. The manual activities involved in performing these tasks are often not ergonomic and can pose safety problems. It makes sense to improve line-side replenishment while avoiding the need for operators to perform these repetitive tasks. Automating the supply of consumables minimises intermediate storage of consumables and waste in the re-packing area.
Cobots, perhaps combined with mobile robots, can remedy this situation by assisting with material feeding. Such collaborative robotic solutions can improve throughput, allowing employees to focus on value-added tasks. The cobot picks up packaging materials from one position and places them directly onto the conveyor belt or into the packaging machine. Consumables no longer need to be unloaded manually.
Examples of cobots, include: selective compliance assembly robot arms (SCARA) tasked with loading bottles or other containers, or high-speed parallel robot solutions used to align and position items. Automated consumable supply reduces cost and effort and improves production consistency and output. Employees are freed from repetitive tasks and packaging and product combinations can be better controlled through traceability.
Challenge 3: Intra-logistics and intermediate storage
Basic processes, such as production flow in a factory, are already highly automated. Secondary processes like the supply of consumables or the disposal of waste are often not automated. Employees still carry or push materials around, which can hinder efficiency and lead to errors. Temporary storage or occupied production space involve significant, often hidden, costs for production managers. Innovative robotic solutions can help to optimise the throughput and availability of goods. Material transport and shipments can be also handled by autonomous mobile robots.
The advantages of automated material transport include: automatic replenishment, which ensures reduced inventories, space optimisation, and just-in-time procurement. Waste can be minimised and safety strengthened. Pallets are no longer needed along the line and waiting times are eliminated. Added to this is the traceability and control of stock, while the movement of small-batch inventory is automated.
OMRON robot solutions are based on traditional stationary robots, collaborative robots (cobots), autonomous mobile robots (AMR), or the MoMa (mobile manipulator). For the AMRs OMRON Fleet Simulator offers the industry’s first mobile robot simulator for factory and manufacturing applications. It plans traffic and workflows for fleets of autonomous mobile robots, allowing users to identify potential bottlenecks early and optimise workflows without having to deploy a real robot.
Challenge 4: Unpacking and distribution
Distribution centers or repacking sites deal with other challenges such as depalletising and unpacking cartons, transporting goods to be repacked, and waste disposal. There is a steady increase in SKUs and a shortage of skilled labour, which further complicates the tasks. Fully- or semi-automated handling and robotic transport can save a lot of effort.
Robots can be used to unload pallets and inspect incoming goods. Cartons can then loaded either onto a conveyor belt or an autonomous mobile robots to transport them further.
AMRs can operate as part of a fleet that drives autonomously and executes orders based on a picking system. The AMR can identify obstacles, avoid them, determine the optimal path, and adjust it if the environment changes. At the same time, cobots can open boxes with automated cutting processes. Here, the size of each incoming box is first determined to automatically find the programmed cutting lines. Cartons can be fed in a pre-determined size sequence or mixed order. Packaging lines become more flexible and efficient using these solutions, and traceability and safety also benefit.
Challenge 5: End-of-line palletising
Palletising is not a suitable task for human workers. It is repetitive, high cycle, and exposes workers to muscle aches and injuries. Workers can make mistakes such as mixing the wrong products or mis-position and miss boxes inside the pallet. The market is increasingly demanding palletising solutions that are easy and quick to install and configure without the need for complicated robot programming.
Innovative EOL palletising solutions provide support. Cobots simplify palletising and collaborative robots helps users quickly set up palletising specifications. Compared to industrial robots, this solution requires 50 percent less floor space. A safety fence or cage is not required and operators can safely work with the robot, enabling continuous operation.
Operators can also easily remove an entire pallet without stopping the cobot.
Modern automation and robotics solutions help to make co-packing and packaging operations fit for the factory of the future by enabling a perfect balance between productivity and ease of use. Solutions are available that are scalable both upwards and downwards to handle swinging demands from the supply chain and reduce total cost by reducing topics such as floor space requirements or intermediate stock.
