One of the reliable things about using a robot is that it always shows up to work; never calls in sick; and does its job without complaining.
With the ongoing labor crunch that is affecting so many industries these days, having that type of reliability on your packaging line is a valuable asset to have. And that is one of the main reasons why we are seeing more queries about adding automaton and robotics to end-of-line operations.
The upside to automation has never been clearer than now. A well-designed system can replace three to four employees (more depending on the application) who were tasked to manually build, pack and stack cases. For many employees, this type of repetitive, strenuous work is not very motivating, which is why retaining staff can be challenging. Automation reduces the number of employees needed to complete menial taskings, while relocating them to areas where they can be more beneficial to the company.
Safety is another advantage of automation. Repeatedly bending over, lifting and stacking pallets can lead to painful back strain injuries. When that occurs, that employee is now off the job and costing you money in lost production, medical bills and workers compensation claims. For employees manually stacking pallets, it is not a question of if they’re going to get injured, it’s when.
If your end-of-line operations are still performed manually, now may be the time to consider automation and robotics. An increase in efficiency and safety awaits you.
Ryan Glenn is the Vice President of Sales at Brenton (https://www.brentonengineering.com/). He can be reached at Ryan.Glenn@promachbuilt.com