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ROBOTIC PICKING
Swisslog’s fully automated robot-based order picking system ACPaQ has
been selected by food and beverage giant Coca-Cola Amatil as part of the
automation and major expansion of its Auckland distribution centre.
Installed in Auckland this year,
the system is an evolution of
Swisslog’s proven advanced
automation technology, which
combines robotics solutions
for palletising and depalletising
with the company’s CycloneCarrier
shuttle technology to create a fully
automated process that facilitates
high throughput and reliable picking
of orders for logistics, distribution,
food and beverage and retail
applications. Swisslog, and the
KUKA Group of which it is a global
member, have combined their robotics
and intralogistics expertise to
create this fully automated solution
that allows customised and scalable
pallets to be created. Coca-Cola
Amatil NZ supply chain general
manager John Truscott says the
new system will enable the business
to keep pace with increased demand
along with rising expectations on
the quality of customer deliveries.
“We are excited by this technology
and the advantages that the fully
automated case picking system
provides us. This will certainly
strengthen our capabilities heading
into the 2018 pre-Christmas
period,” he says.“The whole picking
system will be fully integrated using
Swisslog SynQ software, which also
controls automated delayering of
single product pallets into individual
cases.” Amatil has been using a
fully automated pallet storage system
in both Auckland and Australia
since 2007, and the expansion into
robotic picking allows the company
to meet rising customer demand
while reducing costs and improving
quality, efficiency and predictability
in its operations. The heart of the
new system will be three Swisslog
RowPaQ robot cells, which can each
handle up to four cases simultaneously
and stack up to 1000 cases per
hour into multi-product pallet loads
ready for customer delivery. “This is
a far higher throughput than existing
mixed case robotic palletisers,
which greatly improves operational
efficiency,” Swisslog head of sales
and consulting Sean Ryan says.
“These robots also have unique
COCA-COLA WELCOMES
grippers designed for fast, gentle
and accurate handling of almost
any carton, shrink-wrapped or foiled
package. The solution is completely
scalable and additional RowPaQ
cells can be added to the system to
increase throughput as required.”
The new solution also includes
Swisslog’s multi-level shuttle storage
system CycloneCarrier, which
quickly delivers sequenced cases
to the robots, all linked with pallet
and case conveyors. The ACPaQ
system will be installed this year
and replaces a manual, voice-directed
picking system, but will link with
the existing automated pallet store
to create a seamless operation.
“Coca-Cola Amatil are leading the
way in applying new technology to
support their long-term business
requirements and we are excited to
be working with them. The modular
design of ACPaQ has been
specifically developed so that extra
capacity can be added with increasing
demand,” Ryan says. Swisslog’s
ACPaQ palletising software allows
companies to customise a palletising
order to increase efficiency
during in-store replenishment. It can
be used in ambient temperature and
chilled warehouse zones, and can
handle almost all types of cartons,
shrink wrapper or foiled packages,
and pallet types used in retail and
beverage industries. Order picking
by robots improves picking quality
and quantity, and a unique gripper
type allows gentle handling of
various package types. The system
optimises ROI and offers reduced
labour costs due to a compact solution
design and best-in-class robotic
performance with up to 1000 units
per hour. A special gripper allows
picking of four cases per move, and
the modular design allows growing
companies to increase their
capacity and efficiently handle peak
demands. The solution is suited for
small, medium and large companies.
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