FEATURE SORTING & PACKING
UNIPICK ROBOTS MAKE A CASE FOR CONVENIENCE
use of half size crates for the smaller store format. To ensure that we can pack these products with the flexibility required, we have moved to single pick for most of our machines. This enables packhouses to seamlessly switch between products.” Marking a step change in automation
performance, Brillopak’s P160 Unipicker packs product into crates and cases at high speeds, averaging over 100 packs per minute. Two three-axis robot spider arms individually place each pack one by one gently into a retail crate. Highly dexterous, with a reach of 1130mm, this gentle handling helps to prevent bruising and damage to delicate and perishable fresh items, while ensure C-store presentation standards are maintained. Designed to handle tray seal punnets,
David Jahn, director at automation specialist Brillopak examines the benefits of using high speed case loaders and how single picking caters to rapidly evolving British shopping habits
A
s a business model, convenience shopping is rapidly overtaking large
format stores, with nine out of ten consumers claiming to have a visited a convenience store in the last month. Yet, the rise in popularity is placing packhouses under greater pressure to supply retailers of all sizes with a good selection of quality fresh produce, chilled and frozen foods, little and often. Of 2017’s £184.5bn total grocery sales, convenience stores (C-stores) accounted for £40bn, The segment’s value is expected to rise by 17.7 per cent by 2022, compared to just one per cent for hypermarkets and over five per cent for supermarkets during the same period. With consumers looking to cut down on
the amount of time spent doing a big food shop, C-stores are anticipated to remain the third fastest growing grocery channel between now and 2022 (after discounters and online retailing). The ability to do a top up shop, access a good selection of fresh produce, take a more flexible approach to meal choices, while fitting a quick shop in around other daily tasks are cited as the most common reasons that consumers visit C-stores. According to grocery research
organisation IGD, one in five (19 per cent) of 18 to 25-year-olds mainly shop in C- stores. That’s more than double the
18
number of those aged 26 and over (seven per cent).
Reflecting on how times have changed,
Jahn comments: “Twenty years ago I might have purchased the occasional staple items, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of purchasing my family’s supper at a fuel station. However, today’s Gen Y consumers are big fans of C-store food, not only because of the convenience factor but also because of its affordability, choice, improved quality and better merchandising.”
DELIVERING CHANGE AT SPEED For C-stores, this means daily deliveries to replenish shelves, placing pressure on packhouses to be more responsive to influences like store demand patterns, seasonality, weather, and special promotions, scaling up and down as required. Responding to demand from packhouses for an automated solution that would enable them to pick multiple SKUs and present different pack formats, Brillopak launched its Unipick P160 high speed case and crate packer. Jahn explains: “Packhouses that supply
the 41,000+ C-stores across the UK, also tend to supply the supermarkets and hypermarkets. This means an ever- increasing range of SKUs in terms of size, packaging and weight. It also means more
SEPTEMBER 2018 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS
Brillopak
www.brillopak.co. uk T: 01622 872907
Nine out of ten consumers visit a UK C- store at least once a month
flow wrap and vertical form fill seal products, including fruit, vegetables, packaged meats, grated and solid cheese and ambient products, Jahn says: “For many products, single pack picking is the safest and fastest way to meet a C-store retailers’ specified case loading patterns and deliver good presentation. “Traditionally, to achieve anywhere close to 100 packs p/m in case loading, machines pick layers or rows of product. However, this method tends to use mechanical devices such as belts and turners for collating products. This means more moving parts; more opportunities to damage the fresh produce items, e.g. apples, and more line stops. These frequent line stops have a significant impact on line efficiency and ultimately bottom line profit.” With the UK continuing to be a
laggard when it comes to adopting robots in food manufacturing, particularly at the end of the packing line, Jahn has observed a notable shift in attitudes: “The food industry operates with a cost-driven mindset, with the focus firmly on efficiency, cost-saving and food safety. To keep pace with consumer’s evolving shopping habits, technology and processes need to adapt.” Jahn concludes: “C-stores are rapidly
evolving to become foodservice destinations. The technology utilised by other retail channels to manage stockholding and deliver the choice consumers expect requires speed and consistency. Whichever way you look at it, robots help to make shopping more convenient by ensuring shelves stay stocked with products people want to buy.”
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