What Is The Typical Payback Time On a Palletiser?

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Granta

The typical payback time on a palletiser system can vary significantly between specific applications. This is due to the fact that calculating payback relates to the comparison between the cost of running your current palletising process, and what savings you will make once the new system is installed, versus the cost of installing and running an automated system.  Automated palletising systems will also vary in cost due to the fact that some systems may be very simple such as a single pallet position robotic palletising cell, whereas others will be multi-faceted and have multiple robots palletising off multiple production lines with automatic pallet feeding conveyor systems. As a result, the payback time for each palletising application needs to calculated based on its own merits.

As with any type of capital investment, the shorter the time between when you part with your money, and the capital equipment is up and producing, the quicker the return on investment.  This makes it important to include lead time and installation time in your payback calculations, as this can have a significant impact on the payback time.  Systems that have a staged payment process throughout the project rather than an upfront payment scheme will enable you to spread the initial capital outlay over a longer period of time, and the time between full capital outlay and payback will be shortened. Also, a palletiser system that can be installed quickly on a short lead time, with minimal disruption to your current production process, will improve your payback period as the time between initial capital expenditure and production throughput will be shortened.

Typically, the payback period of a capital investment is often calculated as Cost of Investment ÷ Average Annual Cash Flow.  In this instance, average annual cashflow relates to the savings made each month as a result of the capital investment. ie. If you spend £5,000 to install a capital item, and following install you make savings each month as a result of this investment of £100, it would take 4.2 years to reach the payback period for this investment. However, this is a very basic payback calculation, and doesn’t take into account all of the surrounding dependent factors that will be affected as a result of the capital investment, such as increased OEE, less downtime, greater production throughput, etc.  Therefore, when making a significant capital investment, it is better to take more of a holistic view to calculating the return on investment, and include all of the related dependencies and how they will be affected when making your calculations. There are several free downloadable tools available to help you with these more complex payback calculations, and links to some of these are included below:

  • Automation Payback Calculator   https://www.granta-automation.co.uk/automation-project-payback-calculator

    This calculator relates specifically to production/manufacturing environments, and includes all of the key factors you need to included when calculating payback for a palletising system.  Along with the standard costs such as labour and maintenance costs, this calculator will also take into account production efficiency improvements, reduction in product defects, increased throughput, increased profits, etc, when calculating the payback time. This gives you a more comprehensive view of what the payback time is likely to be for a palletiser system.

  • Intangible Benefits Calculator  https://www.granta-automation.co.uk/news/how-to-define-the-value-of-intangible-benefits/

    This calculator combines many different factors that companies don’t typically look at when investing in capital items, but they do however have a significant impact on payback time. It includes items such admin cost savings, health & safety savings, reduction in repetitive strain injuries and the associated absences they can bring, increased sales, improved selling prices, increased market share; all of which will have an impact on the payback time, but are often overlooked when making payback calculations.

As we have mentioned earlier, the payback time for your specific palletiser application will be unique to your situation, but typically, as a rule of thumb, if you have the equivalent of one person employed full time for palletising, there is payback in less than 2 years.

Palletiser leasing is also another option to consider when calculating payback, as typically with leasing you don’t have to make any initial capital outlay for the project. You will only begin making payments against the project at the same time as you start realising the benefits of having the capital equipment installed.  As an example, over the last few palletiser installations we have completed, with a 3 year lease scheme, our customers would make an average production cost saving of £63,063.60 per year after making the lease payments. These savings do not include the value of any production increase, which with a palletiser is typically at least 15%, and more commonly around 40%. They also don’t include any of the other benefits such as; reduced H&S claims, reduced HR, and boosted staff morale.   Leasing is an attractive option where there is a good payback case for investing in an automated palletising system, but you don’t have the required capital available to invest.

If you would like any help on calculating the payback period for your specific application then please do get in touch on 01223 499488 or helpline@granta-automation.co.uk and we will be very happy to help.

 

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Palletisers for the Food & Beverage Industry

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Granta

With the many stringent quality standards in the food and beverage industry, it is very important to ensure that you choose a palletising system that will enable you to maintain these high-quality standards. You will want to ensure that the automated palletising system you choose will be able to palletise your products without causing damage to the packaging or the product itself.

Types of Palletiser

There are many different types of palletising system on the market, and it will depend on your process, and the product being palletised as to which system will be best suited to your application.  Some of the more common types of automated palletising systems are:

  • Robotic palletisers – these are typically the most versatile, and are suited to almost any palletising application. They can palletise product as single items, rows, or even whole layers depending on the application and speeds required. Some systems can be quickly re-programmed by your production staff for different box sizes and layer configurations.
  • Layer formers – these are typically used for very high-speed palletising applications where the product is of a consistent shape and size. Product is usually palletised as layers.  If your product or palletising requirements change, a programmer will usually be needed to set up new products and layer configurations.
  • Collaborative palletisers – these are best suited to very low speed, low payload applications, where the product can be vacuum picked from the top. Underneath gripping and bag gripping are not possible with collaborative palletisers due to their low payload. Although collaborative robots are called collaborative, the forces and speeds that are usually involved when palletising still technically require guarding or laser area scanning for them to be compliant.  

Types of Product That Can Be Palletised

Virtually any type of product can be automatically palletised, and it is usually just a case of using the right gripper to enable the product to be picked and placed onto the pallet. Slip sheets can also be automatically placed between layers, and the pallet can be automatically shrink wrapped when complete. Some of the most common types of products that are automatically palletised include:

  • Boxes/cartons/display boxes
  • Bags/sacks
  • Open top boxes
  • Trays/bale arm crates
  • Bottles
  • Cans
  • Barrels/Drums
  • Collation/Transit trays

Palletiser Gripper Types

The type of gripper required will depend on the product you wish to palletise, and most grippers can also pick and place slip sheets and pallets.  Below is a brief summary of the different types of grippers that are commonly used, and the types of products they are usually used for.

  • Foam vacuum gripper – A foam vacuum gripper is typically used where the top of the product is flat and it can be vacuum picked from the top. Products that are usually vacuum picked include: boxes, display boxes, cartons, some types of bags, and some types of cans.
  • Vacuum row gripper – Vacuum row gripping works on the same principle as a foam vacuum gripper but it picks and places multiple items at once. This is usually used to increase the palletising speed, and products that this may be used for include: boxes, cartons, and some types of cans.
  • Bag gripper – A bag gripper has positioning pins, lifting pins and a centre clamp which provides extra support as the product is moved. This all helps to form a neat stack once the bags are on the pallet.  Bag grippers are usually used for sacks and bags that are not suitable for vacuum picking.
  • Underneath gripper – An underneath gripper has tines that go underneath the product and a clamping arm that clamps onto the top of the product whilst it is being lifted. Underneath grippers are used for a variety of different applications such as open top plastic or cardboard crates, open top boxes, boxes that are not strong enough to be lifted with a vacuum gripper, shrink wrapped items such as packs of bottles, products that are in collation or transit trays, etc.
  • Parallel gripper – A parallel gripper has two side plates that close parallel to each other onto the two sides of the product and then lift it.  This type of gripper is usually used for boxes where the product is a regular shape, but vacuum gripping is not possible.
  • Barrel Gripper – A barrel gripper has two curved arms that clamp together around the barrel. This type of gripper is usually used for barrels or drums that aren’t suitable for vacuum gripping.
  • Bespoke gripper – Sometimes a standard gripper will not be suitable to lift a product due to its size or shape. Therefore, a bespoke gripper may need to be manufactured to suit the product. Items that require a bespoke gripper are usually irregular in shape and cannot be lifted by vacuum such as big 25L bottles that need to be lifted by their handle.

You can watch some videos showing some of the different gripper types and products being palletised here.

Things To Consider When Specifying Your Palletiser

There are many different things that need to be considered when specifying a palletiser, and some of the key things to consider include:

  • Purpose and scope of palletiser – What does the palletiser need to achieve? Where will the product come from and where does the finished pallet need to be removed from?
  • Product type – What is the product that needs to be palletised? Is it ambient temperature or chilled? Is the size consistent?
  • Process information – How will the product arrive at the palletising cell?  Will it arrive as single products or as multiple items?
  • Installation environment – What is the hygiene level of the area where the palletiser will be installed?
  • Project specifications – How many lines will the palletiser need to palletise? What are the key things that the palletiser needs to achieve? What speeds are required?
  • Equipment specifications – Typically for a palletiser, you would normally specify that the HMI touch screen interface would provide all necessary information for the operator to operate the machine and deal with minor stoppages without the need for the maintenance team.
  • Training – Typically staff training on the system should be provided by the supplier.
  • Pallet specification – What type of pallets will be used? Does the machine need to be able to palletise onto different sizes of pallet?

This is just a brief overview of the many different things that need to be considered when specifying your palletiser, and they are all explained in more detail here.  There is also a downloadable Palletiser URS document available for you to download and modify to suit your specification, to ensure that you have covered everything when specifying your palletiser.  It can be downloaded here.

If you would like to discuss your specific palletising application, feel free to contact us on 01223 499488 or helpline@granta-automation.co.uk and we will be very happy to help.

 

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Robot Sales Surge in Europe, Asia and the Americas – Are You Part of The Trend?

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Granta

According to the latest report from the International Federation of Robotics, robot sales in Europe, Asia and the Americas have surged in 2021 (https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/robot-sales-surge-in-europe-asia-and-the-americas), with a new record of 486,800 units being shipped globally.

Sales in Asia/Australia were the strongest with a 33% increase in installations, Americas increased by 27% and Europe by 15%. At 486,800 robot installations, sales have exceeded the pre-pandemic record of 422,000.

Some of the industries that this robot installations increase has come from are:

  • Food & Beverages +24%
  • Plastics & Chemical +21%
  • Electronics +21%
  • Automotive +37%
  • Metal & Machinery +38%

There are many reasons that manufacturers are turning towards automating processes and installing robots, and with all companies it’s a case of making the decision as to when you will adopt automation rather than whether or not you will.  All companies will eventually have to adopt automation if they want to stay ahead of their competition and remain competitive.

If we turn back in time, there are many industries that simply would not have survived and kept up with the current demand if they had not automated.  One of the key examples of this is car manufacturers. In Spring 2021, VW manufactured around 40,000 cars per day https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/production-and-locations-3695: a completely unachievable figure if production wasn’t automated! 

These stats all point to the fact that no manufacturing company is exempt from automating their production, and really, it’s just a case of ‘when’ to automate rather than ‘if’.  Some of the key factors that often lead a company to automate include the need to:

  • Overcome labour shortages
  • Boost productivity
  • Improve safety
  • Reduce labour costs
  • Improve product quality
  • Reduce downtime
  • Bring production back in house

Automation can take many different shapes and forms and can be something as simple as picking and placing a product, or it can be as complex as automating the complete manufacturing process of a product from raw material right through to the finished product being put on pallets ready for shipping. 

 

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10 Ways to Motivate Manufacturing Employees

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Granta

As a manager, one of your many responsibilities is to ensure that your manufacturing staff are engaged and motivated.  Motivated staff will generally work harder and have higher productivity levels, which in turn increases production output and business profitability. Motivated employees are also less likely to be absent from work and staff retention levels will be higher.

However, motivating factory staff that are doing monotonous, repetitive tasks can at times be very difficult. You will also find that what motivates one member of staff won’t motivate another, so you will often need to be creative in the techniques you use, and may have to use different methods for different employees. To help with this, we have created a shortlist of 10 ways in which you can motivate your manufacturing staff.

  1. Lead with Vision

Leading with vision is key to motivating your staff.  If you as a leader don’t lead with vision, your employees are not going to be able to see or fulfil the vision you have.  Having a visual road map for the vision and frequently referring to it will enable your staff to know where they fit in the vision, and enable them to fulfil their part in it.

2. Explain the Why

When you explain the ‘Why’ to your staff, you are likely to get far higher buy-in.  Asking staff to complete a task when they don’t understand the reason behind it will often result in low motivation and disengagement.  Once your employees understand the benefits to themselves and the company, they will be more engaged and motivated.

3. Culture of Recognition and Appreciation

Everyone likes to be recognised and appreciated for what they do, and often it’s the small things that count the most.  Showing staff that you notice and appreciate what they do helps to boost morale and engagement. Simply voicing your appreciation, or saying a simple thank you for something that a staff member has done goes a long way to motivating staff to go the extra mile in completing their day job. 

4. Offer a Clear Path for Advancement

Typically, no one likes to be stuck in a dead-end job.  Showing your staff that there is a clear path for advancement within the company, and working with them to set goals in relation to the career path they’d like to take, helps them to be more engaged and motivated to complete their daily activities.

5. Job Rotation

Job rotation has as twofold benefit.  Rotating staff between different manufacturing roles helps to keep them motivated and reduces the risk of repetitive strain injuries as they’re not doing the same thing every day.  It also provides you with a back up plan if staff are unexpectedly off ill, as you will always have more than one person on site that knows how to fulfil the role.

6. Empowerment

Empowering staff to take responsibility and make decisions themselves will have a very positive impact on their motivation.  This will require training, and they may make some decisions that you don’t agree with, but if they have a clear idea of the company vision and you coach them well, they will soon become indispensable to you. With a shared vision, you will all be working towards the same goal, and there are often many different ways to reach a goal.

7. Training/Professional Development

Well trained staff are likely to perform better and be more engaged as they know what is expected of them in their role and they have been taught the skills that they need to complete the job effectively.  It is also important to encourage continuous professional development in staff as this helps to stretch them and keep them engaged as they move towards new roles within the company.

8. Profit Sharing

Sharing some part of the profits with your staff is a very good way of keeping manufacturing staff engaged.  If they can make an impact on their wage by what they do each day, they are likely to be far more motivated to improve manufacturing techniques and production output as they will see some financial gain from doing so.

9. Performance Related Pay

Performance related pay is a good way of keeping staff motivated.  If they are able to influence how much pay they receive by the tasks they complete, they are far more likely to remain engaged with their work, and to work to the best of their ability. This also enables you as a manager to set standards and targets that are in line with the company vision and goals.

10. Scoreboard/Celebrate Wins

Having an up-to-date scoreboard that your staff can track throughout the day is key to motivating staff.  If staff don’t know whether or not they’re meeting targets they will quickly become disengaged and performance levels may start to lag.  Celebrating wins when they meet a target is also a key part of having a scoreboard as this helps to promote a culture where staff want to meet and exceed targets.  Rewards don’t need to be huge, and can be as simple as a free lunch, or a small gift voucher.

Whilst this list is not exhaustive, these are some of the key methods which can be used to improve employee motivation.  Finding what is right for your manufacturing employees will be a case of trial and error, if you try a technique and it doesn’t work, move on to the next one until you find something that does work.  What works for one member of staff may not work for another, so you will need to be flexible in the techniques you use, and you may have to use a variety of techniques.

You may also find our downloadable resource pack useful as it has some tools that you can use to measure your current output and the improvement in output following the implementation of these techniques.  The pack is downloadable here  https://www.granta-automation.co.uk/freepack and includes an OEE calculator and basic productivity calculator amongst other useful tools.

 

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Why Are Automated Palletisers Becoming More Financially Viable?

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Granta

With the many social and economic changes that have occurred in the last few years, along with the advances in automation and technology, automated palletising systems are becoming more financially viable than ever before.

In this article we will cover a few of these factors and explain how they have made automated palletising more financially viable for a large number of businesses.

  • Rising Wage Costs
    Rising wage costs, along with the fact that automated technology is becoming cheaper and more commonplace, has had the effect of closing the cost gap between palletising by hand and automating it.  Currently, if you have staff palletising by hand, they are entitled to breaks throughout their shift, and this can mean that production stops during these breaks.  Staff can also be unexpectedly off sick at short notice, which can have the effect of stopping your production process and reducing production output. An automated system will continue to palletise 24/7 and keep your production throughput consistent, quickly improving the payback time of an automated system.

  • Labour Shortages
    Since Brexit, there has been a nationwide labour shortage, which is expected to last until at least 2023 and potentially beyond.  This has also been compounded by Covid, and many manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit staff to perform manual jobs within their production processes.   Automating your palletising process gives you the security of knowing that you don’t need to recruit for this area, and staff can be redeployed elsewhere within to company to perform other tasks.  It also gives you the peace of mind, knowing that your palletiser will never phone in sick or have unexpected days off and will be ready to work 24/7.  Depending on the layout of your production, one palletising system will often be able to palletise off multiple lines, and dramatically reduce the head count needed for manual palletising.

  • Advanced Software
    There have been many advances in automated technology over the recent years, and these developments have led to a reduction in the cost of automation.  One of the key areas this has affected in palletising, is the fact that some palletising systems no longer need to be programmed by a skilled robot programmer, they can be programmed by your factory staff instead.  This enables you to palletising different sizes of box or bag off one system, and saves having to pay for a skilled robot programmers time each time you need to set up a new bag or box size.
  • Palletisers That Change With Your Process
    Some palletiser designs have moved away from the traditional style, and have been created to grow with your company; the Granta GA15 palletiser is an example of this. It has been designed as a modular system, that can be added to as your production grows. It can also be easily moved to a different area of your site if your requirements change.  This saves you having to make large capital investments on new palletising systems as your production process change, instead you can simply purchase additional modules for your current system as you require them.
  • Finance Leasing Schemes
    Finance leasing schemes are available and enable you to realise the benefit of automation without having to make a large capital outlay.  To give you an example; over the last few palletising projects we have installed, with a 3 year lease scheme, our customers would make an average production cost saving of £63,063.60 per year after making the lease payments. These savings do not include the value of any production increase, which with a palletiser is typically at least 15%, and more commonly around 40%. They also don’t include any of the other benefits such as; reduced H&S claims, reduced HR, and boosted staff morale. This makes purchasing a palletising system on a finance lease scheme a very attractive option for smaller businesses that don’t have the capital available for an initial outright purchase.
  • Super-deduction Scheme
    The UK Governments Super-deduction scheme is a very attractive tax incentive: for capital expenditure incurred from 1st April 2021 until the end of March 2023, companies can claim 130% capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery investments.  It allows companies to cut their tax bill by up to 25p for every £1 they invest. This scheme has been created to encourage firms to invest in productivity-enhancing plant and machinery assets that will help them grow, and to encourage them to make those investments now.  Taking advantage of this scheme will effectively enable you to purchase a £100,000 palletising system for as little as £75,300.
  • Payback On Investment
    Typically the payback time on a palletising system is very quick.  This is due to the fact that not only are you saving on staffing costs, but you are also improving the OEE of your process.  Other factors that are often overlooked and affect the payback time include: production throughput increase, reduction in defects/damage, less downtime, reduction in RSI issues.   These two downloadable calculators will enable you to work out the predicted payback time for your process; automation payback calculator and intangible benefits calculator.

As you can see, with the many changes there have been in recent years, along with the current Super-deduction scheme being offered by the UK Government, investing in palletising equipment is a very viable option for most businesses.  For each company it is obviously slightly different, but as a rule of thumb, if you have the equivalent of one person employed full time for palletising, there is payback in less than 2 years.

 

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UK Government Super Deduction Scheme – How Will It Affect My Purchase?

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Granta

The UK governments Super-deduction scheme is one of the most attractive tax incentives for business investment that has ever been offered by the UK Government.  The scheme has been created to encourage firms to invest in productivity-enhancing plant and machinery assets that will help them grow, and to encourage them to make those investments now.

For capital expenditure incurred from 1st April 2021 until the end of March 2023, companies can claim 130% capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery investments.  It allows companies to cut their tax bill by up to 25p for every £1 they invest.

Below is a worked example showing what the tax benefit to you would likely be when purchasing a palletising system.

Super-Deduction Scheme Worked Example
  • A company spends £100,000 on qualifying assets
  • Deducts 130% of the initial investment when computing taxable profits which equates to £130,000
  • Deducting £130,000 from taxable profits will save the company up to 19% of that, which equates to £24,700, on its corporation tax bill

Taking advantage of the Governments Super-deduction scheme will effectively enable you to purchase a £100,000 palletising system for as little as £75,300. 

Full details of the scheme are available on the UK government website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/super-deduction . Please check with your accountants to confirm the extent to which you can benefit from this scheme in your particular circumstances.

If you would like to know more about the Granta GA15 palletising system, feel free to get in touch on 01223 499488 or helpline@granta-automation.co.uk and we will be very happy to help.

 

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Can Palletising Be Automated Where The Product Size Changes Frequently?

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Granta

This is a question that is often asked when automated palletising is being considered. In the past, the answer to this question would have been ‘no’, but with the many advances in technology, multi box, multi line palletising has become possible to automate.  As a result, this has enabled many companies that were not previously able to automate their pallet stacking processes, to now automate, and realise the benefits that automated palletising brings.

Systems have been developed with easy programming software where your staff can input the product dimensions, and then stack patterns are automatically generated.  The video below shows an example of easy programming software on a robotic palletiser.

With the right robotic palletising system, you will be able to program the robot to stack different size boxes off multiple lines simultaneously. This has the added benefit of reducing the amount of capital needed to install a palletising system, as one system can be used for two or more lines.

This video clip below shows a robotic palletiser palletising two different box sizes simultaneously off two production lines onto separate pallets.  This functionality has been made viable by the development of palletising software that can be programmed by factory staff. 

Before purchasing a palletising system it is well worth carrying out research to ensure that the system will meet your requirements.  Some of the key points to ensure you have covered include:

  • Can the system palletise as fast as, or faster than, the speed the production process can run at?
  • Will the gripper head handle the product appropriately without damaging or dropping the product?
  • If you are using slip sheets, can it place them?
  • Can the system be quickly reprogrammed for different bag or box sizes?
  • Can the system be adapted/moved as production processes change?
  • Has your product been tried on the system to ensure it will work?

You may also find this Palletiser URS template useful. https://www.granta-automation.co.uk/news/downloadable-palletiser-urs-template/

If you are unable to make the initial capital payment for purchasing a palletising system, you may wish to consider a leasing scheme.  Purchasing via a leasing scheme enables you to realise the benefits of automating the process without having to make a large, upfront payment for the system. There are various types of leasing options on the market, and more details on the leasing scheme we offer are available here

To discuss your specific application in more detail, feel free to contact us on 01223 499488 or helpline@granta-automation.co.uk and we will be very happy to help.

 

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Have You Seen This Palletising Video?

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Granta

This video shows the GA15 palletiser in action! Picking and placing slip sheets and using row gripping to palletise boxes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dCD_zQc9jk

If you would like to know more, feel free to contact us on 01223 499488 .

 

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Can You Automatically Palletise Open Top Crates or Boxes?

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Granta

Well, the short answer to this is yes! With the right gripper head, palletising of open top boxes and crates can easily be automated.

Below is a short video showing an underneath gripper palletising open top plastic trays.

As it is not possible to lift open top crates or boxes with a vacuum gripper, an underneath gripper will typically be used. However, bespoke grippers can also be made to lift the product should an underneath gripper not be appropriate. An underneath gripper has tines that slides underneath the open top crate or box, and an arm that goes across the top of the item and clamps down onto it to hold it in place. Once the product has been placed in the desired location on the pallet, the top clamp is released and the gripper tines are withdrawn from under the product.

An underneath gripper also has an integrated vacuum gripper that is used to pick and place pallets onto the conveyor, and also to pick and place slip sheets.

With the GA15 palletising system, stack patterns are automatically optimised in the software, and you can then select the stack pattern that best suits your requirements. The easy programming software also allows your factory staff to reprogram the palletiser for different sizes of crate of box within minutes.

An automated palletiser can also often be used to palletise two types of product off two different production lines.  This helps to minimise capital outlay requirements and helps to keep the floor space requirements to a minimum.

If you would like a budget quote on an automated palletising system, then simply give us a call on 01223 499488 or if you prefer, simply enter your project details into our project builder and we will send you a budget quote.

 

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Bag Palletiser

Bag Palletiser

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Barrel Palletiser

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Crate Palletiser

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Tray Palletiser

Posted in Auto Palletiser, Automated Palletising, Palletiser - Granta Palletiser System, Robotic Palletiser, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on Can You Automatically Palletise Open Top Crates or Boxes?

What Efficiency Increases Do You Get With Automated Palletising?

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Granta

This is a question that is well worth answering before you commit to investing capital in an automated palletising solution.

Here are some of the efficiency increases that some of our customers have experienced after installation of an automated palletising system:

  • Distribution Centre – automated container unloading and box palletising system installed at a leading supermarket brand. This is saving them a minimum of 119 man hours per week.
  • Chemical Factory – 25kg bag palletising system installed which has resulted in improved efficiencies and improved stack quality, resulting in a reduction in the number of pallets required.
  • Food Factory – palletising system for 25Kg sacks installed which has resulted in an increased production throughput of 150%. It has also reduced labour requirements by 1 person.
  • Refractory Specialist – bag palletising system installed which has resulted in operator requirements being reduced from 2 persons to 1 person. Production throughput is up by 45% and all manual handling elements have been removed.

However, as each application is different, the efficiency increases you may achieve will likely be different to someone else, so we have outlined some of the more common efficiency increases below.

Production Throughput Increase
With an automated palletising system, your palletising process will not have to stop when staff have breaks, fill out paperwork, move goods, etc. Therefore, if your production process is automated and can run without any manual input, your production output will increase with an automated palletising system. Ie, if during an 8 hour shift your production stops for an average of 1 hour due to breaks, forklift movements, etc, your production output will increase by 14% with an automated palletising system.

Improved OEE
In some production processes, the main production line is not able to be run at full capacity as those palletising the product are not able to keep up with these speeds.  An automated palletising system can be designed to pick and palletise layers, or rows of product, onto the pallet to improve the palletising speeds.  This then allows you to run your production process at full capacity and thus increase your output and OEE.

Reduction in Labour Requirements
With an automated palletising system, it is possible for one system to simultaneously palletise different types of product off multiple lines. This can increase you efficiencies dramatically, especially if you currently have more than one member of staff palletising the product off the various lines. Personnel that are no longer required in the palletising department can be redeployed elsewhere within the company.

Reduction In Downtime
With a manual palletising system you always run the risk of downtime due to staff being off sick or on holiday etc. With an automated system this risk is removed, and makes your production process far more predictable and controllable, thus reducing your downtime and increasing your efficiencies. 

Reduction In Defects
Resolving issues related to goods damaged in transit can be costly and time consuming.  An automated palletising system will consistently palletise product to the same standard, and therefore reduce the risk of goods being damaged in transit. This will not only remove the need to spend time sorting damaged goods issues, but will also help with customer retention.

Improved Working Conditions
Automating the palletising process improves working conditions and removes the risk of your workers suffering from repetitive strain injuries. This helps to create a safer working environment for your workers and can improve staff morale as they are redeployed to work in other areas of the company.


These are just some of the efficiency increase that you may experience with an automated palletising system. However, depending on your production process, there will likely be other efficiency increase that you will see as a result of installing an automated palletising system.

To help with giving a value to these predicted efficiency increases, we have created a couple of free downloadable calculators:

You may also find our project builder tool very useful for getting a quick budget quote on an automated palletising system.  https://www.granta-automation.co.uk/project-builder

If you would like to discuss your palletising application, then feel free to get in touch with us on 01223 499488 or helpline@granta-automation.co.uk and we will be very happy to help.

 

contact us

Bag Palletiser

Bag Palletiser

Barrel Palletiser

Barrel Palletiser

Box Palletiser

Box Palletiser

Crate Palletiser

Crate Palletiser

Tray Palletiser

Tray Palletiser

Posted in Auto Palletiser, Automated Palletising, Palletiser - Granta Palletiser System, Palletising, Robotic Palletiser, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on What Efficiency Increases Do You Get With Automated Palletising?