Dutch Distillery Automates Palletizing - Up and Running Within One Day

Schrobbelèr B.V., producer of an iconic Dutch herbal liquor since 1973, was ready to automate its palletizing tasks but needed an approach that could seamlessly integrate into its operations without disrupting the company's traditional craftmanship.

Labor-intensive processes like manual palletizing pose challenges, particularly in the beverage industry, where product weight and repetitive tasks can lead to physical strain for workers. “Our production faced challenges with repetitive tasks. Palletizing 6-bottle boxes, each weighing 11kg. was physically demanding. We decided to automate this task to enhance efficiency and prevent potential physical complaints over time,” says Eijsermans.

Schrobbelèr faces challenges that are familiar across the food and beverage industry, including changing consumer preferences, increasing demand for diverse products, and heightened competition. Automating labor-intensive processes such as palletizing helps reduce productivity bottlenecks and protects workers from the physical strain of handling heavy beverages, while freeing them for more valuable tasks. But for companies with limited automation skills in-house, palletizing systems can be complex to program and use. And once deployed, they can't be easily redeployed for new products or palletizing formats without ongoing integration costs.

The MoveComponents® system is a complete Off-The-Shelf solution powered by D:PLOY, a revolutionary automation platform that powers off-the-shelf robotic systems designed for specific high-demand and high-mix applications from OnRobot. Just Automate was able to use D:PLOY to quickly and cost-effectively develop the MoveComponents® system with all the key features its customers need. As an Off-The-Shelf solution, the MoveComponents® palletizer was available to Schrobbelèr for immediate delivery with full price transparency, without concerns of ongoing (and unbudgeted) integration costs.

"Right from the start, everything was clear and straightforward,” says Eijsermans. “We got detailed technical specs for the entire solution, a full list of components, and a simple, no-surprises price. It made the whole process easy to understand and gave us confidence in what we were getting."

With a maximum payload of 16kg for product and gripper, and maximum throughput of ±8 cycles per minute, the MoveComponents® Cobot Palletizer effectively meets Schrobbelèr's production demands. Its compact design requires minimal floor space, and it offers a stacking height up to ±2.400mm.

One of the standout benefits of the MoveComponents® solution is its rapid and hassle-free installation. The entire system was up and running within a single day, with no disruptions to ongoing production. Schrobbelèr's team quickly adapted to managing the new system.

“Our liquor comes in various bottle sizes, and I manage the palletizing system entirely on my own. I don't have a technical background, so having an easy-to-use solution was crucial for us,” Eijsermans explains. “The palletizing system, powered by OnRobot's D:PLOY platform, is incredibly straightforward and intuitive. It allows me to independently redeploy the system whenever we switch to new bottle sizes in production.”

Scalable growth achieved thanks to a truly standard solution

By automating the palletizing operations, Schrobbelèr has significantly improved efficiency, reduced worker strain, and laid the foundation for future expansion. The flexibility of the MoveComponents palletizer allows the company to adapt quickly to evolving production needs. It can handle different types of products, such as cardboard boxes, open boxes, trays, and sealed products.

The MoveComponents system not only met Schrobbelèr's immediate needs but also empowered the company to plan for a scalable future, ensuring that its production can grow alongside demand while staying true to its heritage. For a business like Schrobbelèr, finding this complete, ready-to-use automation solution has been transformative. It demonstrates that even traditional companies can embrace modern automation to thrive while maintaining control over their processes.

Eijsermans says, “We're planning to expand the application to accommodate our new production line at the back of the hall. The solution powered by D:PLOY has given us the confidence to scale up efficiently. As we introduce additional products for palletizing, we'll be able to redeploy and adapt the solution seamlessly.”