Schrobbelèr B.V., producer of an iconic Dutch herbal liquor since 1973, was ready to automate its palletizing tasks but needed an approach that could seamlessly integrate into its operations without disrupting the company’s traditional craftmanship.
User-Friendly Palletizing System Powered by D:PLOY Up and Running Within One Day at Dutch Distillery
James Taylor, General Manager, Americas | OnRobot
Labor-intensive processes like manual palletizing pose challenges, particularly in the beverage industry, where product weight and repetitive tasks can lead to ergonomic strain for workers palletizing 6-bottle boxes, each weighing 24lb. “We decided to automate this physically demanding task to enhance efficiency and prevent potential physical complaints over time,” says Jan Eijsermans, Commercial Director at Schrobbelèr.
Schrobbelèr faces challenges that are familiar across the food and beverage industry, including changing consumer preferences, increasing demand for diverse products, and heightened competition. Automating labor-intensive processes such as palletizing helps reduce productivity bottlenecks and protects workers from the physical strain of handling heavy beverages, while freeing them for more valuable tasks. But for companies with limited automation skills in-house, palletizing systems can be complex to program and use. And once deployed, they can’t be easily redeployed for new products or palletizing formats without ongoing integration costs.
The Dutch distiller chose the MoveComponents® palletizing system because of its competitive pricing and easy approach. “Thanks to the OnRobot D:PLOY platform installation was seamless—it only took us a day, and we were able to implement it during active production without any disruptions,” says Eijsermans.
D:PLOY-powered Off-The-Shelf palletizer is a powerful, flexible, and inexpensive choice
Schrobbelèr turned to Just Automate, a local automation integrator and OnRobot partner, and selected the MoveComponents® palletizing system. The MoveComponents ®palletizer offers powerful performance at a fixed, affordable price, and features ease-of-use and flexible, fast, in-house redeployment for product or palletizing changes.
The MoveComponents® system is a complete Off-The-Shelf solution powered by D:PLOY, a revolutionary automation platform that powers off-the-shelf robotic systems designed for specific high-demand and high-mix applications. Just Automate was able to use D:PLOY to quickly and cost-effectively develop the MoveComponents® system with all the key features its customers need. As an Off-The-Shelf solution, the MoveComponents® palletizer was available to Schrobbelèr for immediate delivery with full price transparency, without concerns of ongoing (and unbudgeted) integration costs.
"Right from the start, everything was clear and straightforward,” says Eijsermans. “We got detailed technical specs for the entire solution, a full list of components, and a simple, no-surprises price. It made the whole process easy to understand and gave us confidence in what we were getting."
With a maximum payload of 16kg for product and gripper, and maximum throughput of ±8 cycles per minute, the MoveComponents® Cobot Palletizer effectively meets Schrobbelèr’s production demands. Its compact design requires minimal floor space, and it offers a stacking height up to ±2.400mm (94.5in).
One of the standout benefits of the MoveComponents® solution is its rapid and hassle-free installation and quick adaptation by the Schrobbelèr team.
“Our liquor comes in various bottle sizes, and I manage the palletizing system entirely on my own,” Eijsermans explains. “I don’t have a technical background, so having an easy-to-use solution was crucial for us; the palletizing system, powered by OnRobot’s D:PLOY platform is incredibly straightforward and intuitive. It allows me to independently redeploy the system whenever we switch to new bottle sizes in production.”
MoveComponents palletizer features a maximum payload of 16kg for product and gripper, and maximum throughput of ±8 cycles per minute, and can handle different types of products, such as cardboard boxes, open boxes, trays, and sealed products. Credit: OnRobot.
Scalable growth achieved thanks to a truly standard solution
By automating the palletizing operations, Schrobbelèr has significantly improved efficiency, reduced worker strain, and laid the foundation for future expansion. The flexibility of the MoveComponents palletizer allows the company to adapt quickly to evolving production needs. It can handle different types of products, such as cardboard boxes, open boxes, trays, and sealed products.
The MoveComponents system not only met Schrobbelèr’s immediate needs but also empowered the company to plan for a scalable future, ensuring that its production can grow alongside demand while staying true to its heritage. For a business like Schrobbelèr, finding this complete, ready-to-use automation solution has been transformative. It demonstrates that even traditional companies can embrace modern automation to thrive while maintaining control over their processes.
Eijsermans says, “We’re planning to expand the application to accommodate our new production line at the back of the hall. The solution powered by D:PLOY has given us the confidence to scale up efficiently. As we introduce additional products for palletizing, we’ll be able to redeploy and adapt the solution seamlessly.”
About OnRobot
OnRobot A/S was founded in 2018 with the mission of breaking down automation barriers and bringing the benefits of automation to manufacturers of all sizes. Headquartered in Odense, Denmark, with offices spread across the globe, OnRobot is the world’s leading provider of the broadest range of tools and application solutions for collaborative applications. All offerings are based on the same ‘One System, Zero Complexity’ philosophy, delivering a unified interfacing experience.
OnRobot products and solutions are provided through more than 700 distribution and system integration partners and used in many different industries, making it easier and faster to automate tasks such as material handling, machine tending, assembly, and surface finishing. Please visit www.onrobot.com for more information.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of RoboticsTomorrow
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