Packaging
Robots benefit new Regal Cream plant
Tuesday 08. January 2008 - Regal Cream, producer of popular Australian Bulla brand dairy products, has found it easier to palletize bottles with a robot instead of doing it by hand.
In 1910, Thomas Sloan established Bulla Cream Co. – now called Regal Cream – at Moonee Ponds, a Melbourne suburb, where milk was pasteurized by standing open cream cans in coppers fired by wood.
Cream was collected from the country region of Bulla and then transported by horse and cart to the city and the now famous Bulla brand was born. Now one of the top names in dairy Down Under, the Bulla brand of creams, yoghurts, cream cheese and other dairy products is well-known throughout Australia.
Introducing automation
Of course, the production of dairy products has changed dramatically in the nearly hundred years since the companys founding. At Regal Creams new greenfield plant in Colac, South Western Victoria, for example, Bulla products are now palletized using four ABB FlexPalletizer robotic palletizing systems with IRB 640 robots, two laser-guided automated vehicles (AGVS) and a pallet management system.
Palletizing application
The robots are currently palletizing six of the 10 lines in the Regal Cream factory. The lines process up to 300 bottles a minute, and the bottles then have to be stacked, palletized, wrapped and refrigerated within 10 minutes.
All this is now achieved totally automatically, with the only human intervention being the touch of a button to change product lines and to monitor the controls. In addition, laser-guided forklifts have replaced manual forklifts in the palletizing area and operate seamlessly with the whole system.
In a potentially incident-free environment the robots exceed Regal Creams productivity requirements without any bottlenecks at all, which had been one of the companys concerns.
Exceeded all expectations
“The installation has exceeded the expectations of our management in every respect, including on-time delivery, budget and performance,” says Regal Cream representative.
“Weve also had huge improvements in the OH & S arena. The palletizing robots have released 20 people from physically demanding work with occupational health risks into control and operational roles that allow them to use their intellectual capabilities much more. Were all reaping the benefit of their improved well-being and morale.”
“Robotic automation systems such as these are highly effective in ramping up production, reducing ongoing operational costs and enhancing customers competitive edge,” says Peter Bradbury, sales manager, ABB Robotics.