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PROCESS AUTOMATION DEALING WITH THE DEVIL THAT’S IN THE DETAIL


Brillopak has helped Morrisons successfully realise its five-year automation ambition


the project manager overseeing the Morrisons Thrapston fresh produce Centre of Excellence automation program will testify, success comes down to one thing: a sound strategy underpinned by detailed planning. Having project managed countless food


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factory packing halls, Morrisons Engineering Manager and Project Engineer, Craig Savage, shares the benefit of his wisdom. Including how the phased investment approach, managed in collaboration with Brillopak, helped the fresh produce site to successfully realise its five-year automation ambition. The complete restructuring of 11 packing


lines, including 180-degree rotation of all equipment at Thrapston tops the list of one of the most complex Savage has overseen. “Switching from manual packing to automated lines in this instance was an even greater undertaking as we had to work around and maintain packing operations while minimising the upheaval of taking lines out of action,” he said. Rather than do it in one big hit, which the


now-retired project manager implies is virtually impossible, Thrapston introduced Brillopak’s modular packing and crate- handling technology in three phases, spread over 2016, 2018, and 2021. From the start, former site manager of


Thrapston, Matthew Peczek, was resolute that linear production lines – from the chillers through flow wrap packaging, weighing, crate filling and on to palletising – were the best approach to improve efficiency and product quality. It meant flipping the entire layout, which Savage recalls was the greatest logistical challenge. Drawing upon Brillopak’s design, AutoCad and engineering expertise, the phased plan was mapped out. Savage said: “There were numerous design


iterations. With projects of this magnitude, the devil is always in the detail. So we worked collaboratively with Brillopak constantly revising the 3D AutoCad drawings until we were assured that every potential stumbling block to fully-automated integration had been considered and addressed.” He continued: “Once you press go and


commence deployment of equipment, you need to feel confident that every abstract and potential curveball has been considered and addressed.” In Thrapston’s case, with multiple packing


onceptualising the bigger picture when re-designing the automation of a large packing hall is quite an art. As


workstations, Brillopak and the Morrisons Project team had to pre-consider the entire logistics of changing every workflow. This included examining access points, where power feeds needed to be added or repositioned, the conveyor layouts and the precise locations of every single communication sensor, of which there were dozens, and all the programming software required to circumvent bottlenecks. Brillopak produced the initial architectural


drawings for the Morrisons, Thrapston phased automation concept. Its consulting service started with a 3D model to insert and remove machinery until every facet had been considered and a workable plan was realised. The automation specialist now has a 3D printed version of this template to assist customers physically manoeuvre and visualise how they might build up their factory floor. Brillopak then performs a full plant due


diligence exercise, capturing the exact requirements and determining the automation goals and drivers. In step two, the company examines existing plant architecture to assess space, utilities, flow and potential, including technology or conveyor tracks that could be redeployed into the new space. Lastly, Brillopak examines the packaging, in terms of the product, the package types, the primary materials and the desired throughput, to define the robotic systems. Flipping the entire packing hall layout around


180-degrees while keeping the main track operational through all three stages of the project was logistically challenging, reaffirms Savage. It involved multiple simulations to define the best approach. New access doors and platforms were inserted and refrigeration doors were moved. Given all the additional product SKUs being


processed – comprising apples, pears, tomatoes, apricots, blueberries and grapes – and totalling 130 million packs of fruit annually – the Brillopak design also needed to factor in interlinked timings at each sensor control point.


12 DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 | PROCESS & CONTROL


Running much like a massive train set, each


line calls to the Crate DESTAKers to feed crates to the robot where products are packed into the crate, gently but at high speed. To avoid packing bottlenecks and crate collisions, ‘stop’ and ‘go’ sensors at every conveyor touchpoint, including looking up through the conveyor rollers, instruct the feeding of crates to the robot UniPAKers and PAKstations in a constant cycle. With 11 adjacent lines running concurrently, the programming is seamless. With all simulations proving the efficacy of


Thrapston’s automation program, commission, build and install were given the green light. Using a timelapse camera, day and night, Savage monitored progress against every element of his detailed plan. Staff training also needs to be factored in, enabling the workforce during each switchover to have the confidence to step between one packing process to another. Citing Brillopak’s true expertise as being


pick-and-place robotics, Savage says it’s often the less-visible services that are so fundamental to success. “A machine is just that … a machine. Yet, how technology talks to each other and integrates with everything else up and down the line is where the true value rests. Projects of this scale require constant tweaks and adjustments. Having Brillopak by our side to help ensure elements aren’t missed during the scoping out phase to resolving issues, even if they are not their making, is the real value-add. From the biggest challenge to the smallest detail, they deliver on every count,” concluded Savage. Over the phased installations, Thrapston


installed 40 Brillopak machines spread across 11 fresh produce packing lines. The latest tally includes eight Delta robotic UniPAKers, six semi-automated ergonomic PAKStations, four crate DESTAKers, 11 bale arm closers, and 11 double stackers.


Brillopak www.brillopak.co.uk


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