POULTRY producer CP Foods UK has teamed up with engineering company Gripple and industrial automation specialist OMRON to modernise one of its key packing lines.
Together, they developed and installed a robotic solution that is said to have improved efficiency and reliability, whilst ‘re-energising’ the workforce.
Craig Bagnall, operations manager at Gripple, said, “CP Foods challenged us to deliver them a product that picked and placed chicken in sealed trays at 120 packs per minute, at an 85% OEE, with a 1% reject.”
For CP Foods UK, automation means building resilience into the business and maintaining flexibility in the face of changing customer requirements.
Adele Davies, factory general manager at CP Foods, explained, “The things that we’re having to think about at the moment is, how do we cope with ever-changing requirements from retailers and customers, and how do we remain flexible as well as having automation? We previously had a line that would require you to put trays on a line as well as people manual packing, so we did a full automation project.”
Andy White, engineering manager at CP Foods UK, said the existing equipment in the low-care area had reached the end of its life. The line had been ‘patched together’ over time and required constant maintenance.
Rather than continue to sustain ageing systems, the company saw an opportunity to embrace new technology. “We wanted a solution that not only improved performance, but also made the job more rewarding for our engineers and for the people working on the line,” White said.
Gripple and OMRON engineers designed a bespoke robotic packaging machine tailored to CP Foods UK’s needs. The collaboration resulted in a servo-driven machine that operates ‘more quietly and smoothly while offering clear improvements for the end user’.
One of the key breakthroughs was the development of a new gripper system. Dan Matthews, mechanical design engineer at Gripple, said, “Most important probably is understanding the end customer’s needs. Understanding their production environment, understanding the rest of the line, and making sure that our equipment seamlessly integrates with all that.
“Because the machine operates at 120 parts a minute, we had to develop something that could stack multiple packs at once. We developed a multi-stack gripper that could do five picks and then place, and we collaborated with the OMRON robotics engineers to develop the software alongside our own.”
Behind the mechanical innovation sits OMRON’s Sysmac automation platform. Sysmac integrates all aspects of the machine into one environment, covering PLC control, vision systems, cameras, sensor data, robotics, safety, and servo drives.
The new system is said to have been a success on several fronts. From an operational perspective, the line meets the high-speed throughput targets while ensuring ‘consistency and reliability’ in a compact footprint. For engineers and operators, the project has reportedly brought ‘new energy and excitement’.
“There’s been a really strong level of engagement from our engineers,” said Andy White. “They’ve embraced the new technology, enjoyed gaining hands-on experience with the packaging machine, and worked closely with the installation team. It’s definitely the way forward. This next generation of robotics is going to play a huge part in the future of all businesses.”
