Product category:
Food and drink manufacturing: processing equipment
News Release from: ABB Robotics | Subject: Automated robotic cell
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 November 2007
Robots cut labour turnover at dairy
products plant
An automated robotic cell handles 150 picks/minute, ensuring that cheese blocks are moved quickly and precisely, one at a time, from one production location to another.
Two years after adding two ABB robotic cells to its production line, Ilchester Cheese is continuing to maintain improved labour and material savings Ilchester reported that its product consistency and levels of productivity have also improved at its factory in Ilchester, Somerset, UK As the UK's biggest producer of speciality cheeses, its parent company exports to over 20 countries internationally as well as delivering its products to a wide range of food manufacturers, wholesalers, supermarkets and independent stores
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 27 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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* Global competition - recognising the need to keep up with its global competition, in 2005, Ilchester Cheese approached systems integrator RTS for a an automated production line to help improve labour efficiency and increase product yield.
Working as partners, RTS and ABB quickly examined the key stages of the production line to determine what the robots would need to achieve and how.
The answer, said ABB Robotics to manufacturingtalk.com, was to provide Ilchester Cheese with two IRB 340 Flexpicker robots.
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Each robot can handling 150 picks/min.
Th robots ensure that cheese blocks are moved quickly and precisely, one at a time, from one location to another.
Operating in two, 8h shifts, the Flexpicker robots have now reduced labour turnover by half.
Only two employees are now needed to monitor and maintain the smooth running of the production lines.
Before the robots, four employees carried out the task of picking and packing.
* Product consistency - ABB's Flexpicker robots ensure product consistency by selecting only perfect products.
The robot scans the production line to identify the optimum height of a block of cheese.
If the product does not fit into the pre-determined height restrictions, the cheese is left on the conveyor, ready to be cut and sent through the production line again.
Engineering and Business Development manager at Illchester Cheese, Tony Helyar, said: "Since installing the ABB robots, we have seen significant improvements in our productivity.
Production errors have been greatly reduced, resulting in reduced wastage and increased yield on our products.
The solution has been successfully in operation for over two years and has already enabled Ilchester Cheese to recoup its initial investment. Request a free brochure from ABB Robotics ...
Our initial requirements have all been fulfilled and we look forward to implementing robotics elsewhere in our business.".
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