The UK food industry is heavily reliant on a wide workforce. With thousands of applications in complex and simple processes, robots can substantially improve supply chains by replacing labour intensive processes. Such integration will realise substantial production cost reductions and with rapidly developing technologies, the cost to utilise robotic systems is lower than ever. Whereas robotic systems may have seemed impractical and unaffordable, many systems can now achieve payback timescales within two years.

By reviewing your current production chain setup, companies such as Elevate Installations, are able to identify key areas where automation can be implemented, enabling productiveness and consistency improvements throughout. Building upon FANUC’s diverse catalogue of systems, ideal solutions can be investigated and implemented. The robotic systems available are capable of a wide range of functionalities and can be integrated alongside existing infrastructure or new systems at the customers discretion.

Figure 2 – Six FANUC M-710iC/50H robots have been installed to automate removing boxed bottles from pallets to conveyors. Image source from FANUC America Corporation Youtube Channel.

Ideal for food or beverage industry supply chains, FANUC supply multiple robots capable of handling or picking almost any product. Such systems may be used to transfer product between locations, for example from containers to a conveyor system for further processing.

Further down the production line, systems can be installed to automate product packing and pallet stacking, ready for transport. Intelligent vision systems can function alongside all solutions to track and recognise varied loads, adjusting positioning to transfer products and sort them most efficiently, achieving improved cycle times and compact loading.

Figure 3 – FANUC robots can be integrated to achieve picking and placing of many complex and irregular shaped products. Sourced from FANUC.EU

Through simple to change pre-set programs a system can rapidly transition from one application to another, often with minimal interaction required. Such systems then become multi-purpose and minimise changeover times, further reducing production costs.

With such diverse systems available, capable of wide-ranging load capacities, reach distances and functionalities, Elevate Installations can integrate robotics to assist alongside existing workforces or to fully automate processes and production lines with ease.