As SKU-proliferation and merger/acquisition activity throughout the beverage manufacturing and distribution markets increases, more operations are not only seeing the value of investing in automation, but also the need for it. In addition, more recent outlying factors such as mixed-SKU pallets and even COVID-19 conditions are piquing demand for automated palletizers and depalletizers.
“Shipping products from distribution centers to retail outlets is a growing trend, with pallets of products with mixed-SKU loads shipped at a quickening rate,” says Dean Elkins, segment leader of material handling at Yaskawa America Inc., Miamisburg, Ohio. “A high mix of product requirements with a more open work-cell design accelerates the utilization of collaborative palletizing robots, which are easy to program and allow for quick product changeovers.”