Employee involvement contributed to UR-robot success
UR10 helped production
Plus Pack develops and produces more than 1,000 different packaging solutions in aluminum and plastic for the food industry, many of which are customised to meet the specific needs of each customer. This places significant demands on the flexibility of the production line, and therefore, the family-owned company is constantly searching for new and innovative solutions to optimise production.
350 reduction in repetitive lifts per hour
Reduction in lifts equals 145 kg per hour
Better work environment for employees
Streamlined production flow
Challenge
At Plus Pack in Odense, innovation is not a new concept. They continuously explore new possibilities to enhance production. They were searching for a solution that could overall increase production efficiency and improve the working environment.
Solution
The solution was a UR10 robot arm from Universal Robots. In production, the robot stacks large piles of aluminum packaging, which are subsequently packed into cartons and sent to customers.
Profit
The UR10 has reduced manual lifts by 145 kg per hour, greatly assisting package operators. Additionally, the UR robot arm has also boosted efficiency. Employees can now spend time on more specialised packing tasks and quality control.
At Plus Pack in Odense, innovation and development are mantras that have characterised the packaging company's collaboration with BILA Robotics. With the help of the employees, the collaboration on a UR10 robot arm has, among other things, reduced the number of heavy lifts and monotonous repetitions, leading to a better working environment for the company's staff.
This has resulted in a partnership with BILA Robotics, which has been delivering a UR10 robot arm from Universal Robots to Plus Pack since September this year. The company has been continuously testing the robot solution in their production, which, according to Bastian Fietje, Strategic Project Manager at Plus Pack, has been a great success:
"Innovation is not new to our company, and we continuously explore new opportunities to improve our production. From the beginning, we saw significant potential in the robot arm from BILA Robotics, which has already improved the working environment for the production staff during the initial testing period,"
Bastian Fietje, Project Manager
Involved Employees in the Process
As part of the collaboration, Plus Pack held a workshop where Area Manager Steen Slabiak Jensen from BILA Robotics visited the factory and gave a presentation on the robot and its functions. According to him, employees can initially be skeptical of new automation solutions, but that was not the case among the staff at Plus Pack:
"The employees have been open and engaged from the beginning. They came up with really good ideas and serious input for tasks and cases where their new tool, the UR10 robot arm from Universal Robots, could be used," says Steen Slabiak.
During his presentation, Steen Slabiak also talked about the mindset that both management and employees need to have when a company implements new automation solutions. Plus Pack's employees were subsequently encouraged to brainstorm and suggest where the robot arm could best optimise production.
"Robots often bring an entirely new dimension of flexibility to a company, making production simpler. Therefore, it is crucial to involve employees in this process. They know the daily processes and will be working with the robot arm in their everyday work," explains Steen Slabiak.
According to Bastian Fietje, Plus Pack has had positive experiences involving their employees when initiating new initiatives: "In the case of the UR10 robot arm, through our workshop and ongoing collaboration with the employees, we have developed a common understanding of how to best utilise the new robot technology in the company," he says.
Tested in multiple production areas
The UR10 robot arm has, until now, been assisting in Plus Pack's production in Odense. Here, the robot has been stacking large piles of aluminum packaging, which are subsequently packed into cartons and sent to customers. According to Bastian Fietje, this was monotonous and strenuous work that was previously done manually by the company's package operators. They are now spared from up to 350 repetitions per hour:
"The robot arm has reduced the number of manual lifts by 145 kilograms per hour. It goes without saying that it has been a significant help for our package operators, who have now obtained a better working environment. We have already been awarded a green smiley by the labour inspectorate for our good working environment, but we always seek innovative solutions that can make it easier for our employees. And we have indeed achieved that with the UR10 robot," says the project manager, continuing, "In addition, the robot arm has also boosted efficiency. Employees in the department can now use their time for more specialised packing tasks and quality control." He adds that the test has been crucial for Plus Pack's decision to invest in a UR10 robot arm, which is now an integral part of the company's production.
At Plus Pack, they believe that the robot arm has significant potential, so they continue to identify and test various solutions in collaboration with their employees.
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