AUTOMATION specialist Endoline Robotics has installed a fully integrated robotic palletising system for Bird Brothers, a family-run UK egg producer.
Supplying up to five million eggs per week to retailers, wholesalers, and food service businesses, Bird Brothers recently invested over £1 million in automation to streamline operations and overcome end-of-line bottlenecks at its Bedfordshire HQ.
At the core of this is a pair of robotic palletising cells from Endoline Robotics, designed to intelligently handle high-speed SKU sorting and palletising with ‘precision and minimal manual intervention’.
This latest installation builds on a fully integrated end-of-line solution developed in multiple phases over several years through a partnership with Endoline. The process begins with Endoline’s 251 Slimline Case Erectors, designed to integrate with MOBA MR12 robotic loading systems. These erectors form cases with ‘speed and consistency’, feeding directly into the line for packing.
Once filled with egg cartons, cases are sealed using Endoline’s 734 Fully Automatic Random Case Sealer. This system seals up to 22 randomly sized cases per minute.
After sealing, cases are scanned to verify contents and ensure they’re sent to the correct palletising line. Previously, misrouted products could lead to full pallet rejection. Endoline said its solution resolves this with intelligent product scanning and routing.
The newly installed robotic palletising system is capable of handling up to 40 cases per minute and operates across eight SKU lines.
The two robotic palletisers automate the palletising of the four highest-volume SKUs, while the remaining four lower-volume SKUs are currently handled manually – with infrastructure already in place to automate these in future phases.
Endoline installed 50 metres of conveyor systems, including a carousel-style accumulation conveyor designed to handle brief pauses in palletising. When the palletiser is momentarily halted, the carousel loops cases in continuous motion. As soon as the system detects a new pallet is ready, it automatically feeds the cases back into the line.
Before automation, all eight packing lines were manually palletised. This demanded significant labour and is said to have caused inefficiencies, especially if egg cases were incorrectly sorted by weight or SKU.
“This system brings together intelligent scanning, high-speed sealing, and precision palletising into one seamless line – enabling Bird Brothers to dramatically improve throughput, accuracy, and resilience,” said Andrew Yates, MD of Endoline Robotics. “It’s a future-proof solution that supports both immediate operational needs and long-term growth.”
Matthew Bird from Bird Bros added, “Partnering with Endoline Robotics has enabled us to take a major step forward in our automation journey. This new robotic palletising system not only removes bottlenecks from our end-of-line process but also gives us the scalability we need to meet growing customer demand.
“By investing in smart, integrated automation, we’re strengthening our efficiency today while laying the foundation for long-term, sustainable growth.”
