how a pizza dough producer tackled palletizing challenges

Palletizing could appear easy—till you’re lifting 43-pound bins all day, stacking them six ft excessive, and struggling to search out staff prepared to tackle the grueling job. For one pizza dough producer, this bottleneck wasn’t simply slowing manufacturing—it was making staffing a relentless headache. The answer? Automation. See how Robotiq’s PE20 palletizer helped them overcome house constraints, scale back reliance on temp labor, and hold manufacturing transferring. 

The corporate

This specific buyer has a singular focus: they make and distribute pizza dough. With only a handful of SKUs, their course of is streamlined—however not with out its challenges. Their dough balls are packed into bins and shipped to distributors serving eating places, retail, and meals service companies.

The problem: a job nobody needed

Palletizing may seem easy, however for this producer, it grew to become a serious bottleneck. The bins weighed as much as 43 kilos every (20 kg), and stacks reached as much as six ft excessive (1.8m). The repetitive lifting and overhead work made it an extremely strenuous job—one which was virtually unimaginable to employees.

The corporate relied closely on temp labor to fill their two 10-hour shifts, which got here at a excessive value and with fixed turnover. In some circumstances, manufacturing needed to decelerate simply to shift staff to cowl the palletizing job. It was clear: this job wanted automation.

Why Robotiq’s resolution was the proper match (actually)  

A number of components made Robotiq’s palletizing resolution the correct alternative:

1. Dealing with Heavy Containers – The corporate was initially contemplating a heavier-duty industrial robotic, however the timing was excellent: Common Robots had simply elevated the payload capability of the UR20 from 20 kg to 25 kg. This meant that as a substitute of going with a bigger system, they may deploy the compact and environment friendly PE20 cobot palletizer, which was more cost effective and higher fitted to their wants.
2. A Compact Footprint – Area was tight. Conventional industrial palletizers have been removed from excellent as a result of their massive footprint. Robotiq’s resolution, with its versatile and compact design, was in a position to match into the client’s obtainable house with simply inches to spare. With the assistance of Robotiq’s utility staff, the setup was optimized to operate seamlessly inside these constraints.
3. Sensible Path Planning – In a cluttered atmosphere, motion issues. Robotiq’s software program permits customers to outline restricted zones, guaranteeing the robotic can function effectively even in shut quarters. This was important in making the system work throughout the buyer’s workspace.

Recommendation for producers contemplating automation

When you assume automation isn’t doable to your facility, assume once more. This buyer initially assumed their constraints—field weight, restricted house, and the character of their operation—would make robotic palletizing unimaginable. However by bringing the problem to Robotiq, they discovered an answer tailor-made to their wants.

For any producer going through labor shortages, excessive turnover, or bodily demanding duties, the important thing takeaway is that this: don’t rule out automation earlier than exploring the probabilities. With the correct expertise and the correct staff, even the hardest challenges may be solved.

When you’re fighting an analogous bottleneck, attain out. We’ll enable you to discover a option to make automation give you the results you want.