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FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY HEADING W
hen Matthew Peczek, the site manager of the Morrisons Centre of Excellence in Thrapston, decided
to redevelop the factory layout in 2017, he decided that all machinery needed to be designed and placed linearly, with everything coming from the chillers and out to the back end for distribution, in one continuous flow. Now head of operations for produce at the
company, Peczek explained that he wanted a cohesive automation investment approach to increase efficiency, achieve packing consistency and optimise produce quality. As a result, he turned to Brillopak.
THE INSTALLATION Supporting the site during the five-year programme, Brillopak installed 11 fully integrated fresh-produce packing lines comprising around 40 machines, with equipment and capital investments split across three defined phases. In 2016, it delivered stage one: optimising the manual packing of apples into crates. Thrapston commissioned five of Brillopak’s ergonomic PAKStations to replace less efficient manual packing and turntable operations. This was the first step to automation and enabled the site to get familiar with the automation. To support these apple-packing lines and eliminate any potential bottlenecks, two Crate DESTAKers, five bale arm closers and five double stackers for palletising were also introduced. The result was five integrated packing lines that maintained a consistent packing pace, each feeding out onto the main track to an existing palletising system. This first phase was intentionally designed as a holding pattern in Thrapston’s automation plan, allowing for the subsequent robotic machines that were to follow. “As a result of the fast payback due to labour efficiency, enhanced produce quality and reduced complaints, the plan was always to replace the PAKStations within two years. Swapping out with three fully automated
18 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JUNE 2023
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Feature
A FRESH SOLUTION FOR AUTOMATED PACKING
From the Morrisons Centre of Excellence, 130 million packs of
fruit are prepared and delivered to 82 stores every year. To increase efficiency and optimise produce quality at the site, Brillopak has developed an automated solution featuring 40 machines…
UniPAKer robotic crate packing systems in phase two,” explained Peczek. The framework of the PAKStations were built to
match the dimensions of the UniPAKer machines, as well as the conveyor infeed and outfeed heights. This enabled a seamless and simple swap over to mitigate any packaging disruption. The design involved multiple simulations to define the best approach, with new access doors and platforms inserted and refrigeration doors moved. Approximately one fifth of the main track was removed along with the overhead crate feed track. To optimise efficiency a two-tiered conveyor
and grapes, Brillopak delivered a further five UniPAKers, one PAKstation, six bale arm closers, two Crate DESTAKers and six double stackers. There are now 40 individual Brillopak machines
on site and running continuously; and Peczek upholds the value of working with a single and reliable integrator. One that can factor in all the unknowns and deliver innovative yet easy to operate ‘plug and play’ machines that talk seamlessly to each other. Peczek said: “The robotic packing solutions that Brillopak builds are extremely intuitive to operate and very reliable. As testament, our robot potato lines in Gadbrook continue to run as efficiently as the day they went in seven years ago. We know they are always going to work and maintain their efficiency and presentation consistency.” In addition, the smoother and
gentler handling of fresh produce has been proven to reduce complaints by over 30%. “Brillopak will often go
above and beyond during the handover to ensure all their machinery is seamlessly integrated with conveyors, downstream camera graders and other equipment. Even when it’s not technically their responsibility. I don’t know of many other integrators that would undertake this level of meticulous service and support
track was proposed. Now, the lower level feeds all the clean empty crates to the 11 packing lines, while the top tier transports filled fresh produce crates to the palletiser. Another key advantage of the modular line design and phased introduction of machinery was that Brillopak was able to retain and redeploy the existing conveyors, which previously transferred crates to the PAKStations.
THE NEXT PHASE In 2021 Thrapston completed its full-scale automation transformation with the rollout of six new linear packing lines. Handling a range of flow-wrapped and tray-sealed fresh produce, including pears, tomatoes, apricots, blueberries
before, during or post install,” added Peczek. With all five fresh produce sites now kitted out with end-to-end Brillopak machinery, a side-line benefit is how much the manufacturer has been able to streamline its stockholding of spares and components. “Dealing with one or two machinery suppliers, versus liaising with multiple contacts, is evidentially more straightforward. Being able to pre-plan projects and roll automation platforms out in phases as part of a wider, aligned plan, certainly helps to mitigate investment risks,” concluded Peczek.
Brillopak
T: 01622 872907
www.brillopak.co.uk
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