”Robot-In-A-Box” on lease makes money for Sara Lee Nordic from day one
- Costs reduced by 50% - with full flexibility!
From 0 to operation in 3 weeks!
When Merrild Kaffe in Denmark, part of Sara Lee Nordic, had a new customer in week 29 this year requiring handling of their products just after the summer holiday a speedy solution was required. Either extra assistance had to be called in for manual palletising or the company would have to obtain automatic palletising. According to Factory Manager at Sara Lee Nordic, Rune Engell-Hansen, working environment and finances were decisive factors for choosing automatic palletising. However, with 2 days left before the summer holiday, there was no time for “engineering projects” and “tailored solutions”. Rune Engell-Hansen, therefore, contacted SOCO SYSTEM already on Wednesday in week 29 regarding their unique Robot-In-A-Box concept.
2 days later, an agreement was concluded and the Factory Manager went on holiday as planned.
3 weeks later when Rune Engell-Hansen was back in office the robot was in place and in operation at Sara Lee Nordic.
Robot-In-A-Box – a simple and naturally integrated part of the Sara Lee Nordic streamlined packaging line.
Leasing contract – the way to speedy decision and halving of costs
The key word behind the speedy decision was the leasing agreement. Rune Engell-Hansen tells: ”The leasing agreement gave us the desired flexibility in the invested capital and, at the same time, a relatively simple and quick decision process. In addition to this, the leasing price was just half of the wage costs for a new employee which meant that there was no hesitation as to the automation solution.
With the robot, the investment pays off from day one and it operates day and night”. Rune Engell-Hansen continues: ”Another benefit regarding the leasing agreement is the flexibility. With the leasing agreement, we are not committed for a long period of time which means that we can easily adjust our costs to the level of activity. Especially in connection with a new product, it is an advantage that we do not have to invest too much money in the project before we can see whether it will be a success.”
Robot-In-A-Box – does not take up more space than a pallet place and is, therefore, particularly suitable if limited space is available.
Unpack, connect, operate!
The concept of Robot-In-A-Box is that purchase of a robot must be as easy as purchase of a mobile phone. No complex extra selections – everything is included in the standard model. The robot is even delivered with a foldable roller conveyor which can easily be connected to the existing conveyor system. The concept is in short: “Unpack, connect, operate”. The commissioning time is reduced to the time it takes to unpack the Robot-In-A-Box. From the moment the robot has been connected, everything is done intelligently and fully automatically. The robot control system is prepared for “self-programming” thus eliminating the last element of manual intervention: If a new carton size arrives at the robot the dimensions of the carton are scanned automatically and the control system chooses the optimum pallet programme and 30 seconds later palletising has started – and the user has not even lifted a finger.
Factory Manager, Rune Engell-Hansen, continues: “The simple handling is an important competitive parameter for us as we are able to adjust to a new carton size very quickly for instance in connection with campaigns. This also means that the robot – as opposed to our existing palletising – is perfect as buffer capacity from other packaging lines when the need arises.” The Robot-In-A-Box has also been well received by the employees partly because it does not require constant monitoring and partly because it has eliminated repetitive work and heavy lifts.
A relaxed Factory Manager, Rune Engell-Hansen, can tell that Robot-In-A-Box has palletised more than 40,000 cartons without stop in only 2.5 weeks of operation.