BARCODING LABELLING & PACKAGING
PRODUCE OPERATIONS IN THRAPSTON Packing automation success is all in the planning. Embarking on a mission to reconfigure its fresh- produce packing hall at Thrapston, the Morrisons Centre of Excellence - which prepares and delivers 130 million packs of fruit every year to 82 stores - has succeeded in its automation vision and ambition.
BRILLOPAK’S FIVE-YEAR PHASED AUTOMATION ROADMAP ACCELERATES PACKING EFFICIENCY AT MORRISONS FRESH-
P
acking automation success is all in the planning. Embarking on a mission to reconfigure its fresh-produce packing hall at Thrapston, the Morrisons Centre of Excellence - which prepares and delivers 130 million packs of fruit every year to 82 stores - has succeeded in its automation vision and ambition.
British automation specialist Brillopak supported Thrapston at every phase of the five-year programme. In total, Brillopak installed 11 fully integrated fresh-produce packing lines comprising around 40 machines, with equipment and capital investments split across three defined phases. Rather than piecemeal different technologies together, Thrapston’s site manager at the time, Matthew Peczek, sought a cohesive automation investment approach to increase efficiency, achieve packing consistency and optimise produce quality. Taking the decision to completely redevelop the factory layout in 2017, Matthew was resolute
16 MAY 2023 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
that all machinery would be designed and placed linearly, with everything coming from the chillers and out to the back end for distribution, in one continuous flow. His linear vision has since been realised. Now, every part of the line faces in the same direction throughout the packing hall. Having seen the possibilities accomplished when managing the Morrisons Rushden depot, Matthew, now Head of Operations for produce at the company, was confident that Brillopak director David Jahn and his engineering team would see the bigger picture and deliver these transformational benefits. Most importantly, Brillopak was completely aligned to the investment roadmap that assisted Thrapston in reaching its end point.
PHASING IN THE FLOW In 2016, Brillopak delivered stage one - optimising the manual packing of apples into crates. Thrapston
commissioned five of Brillopak’s award-winning and 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
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
