Articles Tagged with ''automation''

Suppliers are expanding their portfolios and helping beverage-makers maintain quality control and uptime.

Regardless of the size of a warehouse, a best-of-breed WMS will result in near-perfect inventory accuracy and the complete traceability of products, experts note.

With a growing number of products in the marketplace and an evolving retail landscape, beverage warehouses are faced with a lot of work and a minimal amount of time and manpower to do it. As robotic technology becomes more accessible, it’s helping many manufacturers achieve their operations goals.

Suppliers are expanding their portfolios and helping beverage-makers maintain quality control and uptime.

Forklifts have long been a staple in beverage warehouses. Yet, demand for new, sustainable technologies, like electric lift trucks, as well as the incorporation of the right combination of slotting and storage strategies to increase capacity and picking efficiency are driving the market.

Suppliers are expanding their portfolios and helping beverage-makers in their packaging and distribution operations by maintaining quality control and increasing uptime. At drinktec, Gerhard Schubert GmbH and KHS showcased the benefits of the Innopack-TLM block packaging system which can pack beverage crates, baskets, clusters and other cardboard packaging. Sacmi debuted a cross-process quadblock platform that combines stretch-blow molding with labeling and filling all in one machine. Other companies are releasing devices to test the purity of water, inspect aluminum cans and increase production on the beverage production line.

Although automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and automated guided carts (AGCs) have been in the market for more than 40 years, a renewed interest has emerged in “true robotic systems” that consistently and predictably transport loads of materials to places that might otherwise be serviced by manually driven forklift trucks, conveyors or manual cart transport, experts say. “Interest is soaring,” says Laura McConney, marketing coordinator at JBT Corp., Chalfont, Pa. “Customers no longer wonder whether they should install AGVs. They know they need them and just want to develop the best implementation plan. Customers are well beyond considering beta site testing and have moved onto enterprise-wide deployments.

Suppliers released several new innovations to streamline beverage operations, including the patented variable position turner technology to maximize speed and flexibility for in-line, high-speed palletizing. Several companies also will showcase new beverage innovations at drinktec, including aseptic blow fill solutions for fruit juice, milk, wine and beer production.