Packaging is a core task in logistics. But, a lot of packaging processes are inefficient. They are not well suited to the changing needs of the modern logistics industry.
Collaborative robots are a robust solution for streamlining your packaging tasks. They provide a flexible way to solve common problems in logistics packaging.
The needs of the logistics industry are constantly changing.
Currently, there is demand across the industry for logistics companies to rethink packaging. Companies need to improve sustainability by optimizing packaging use, introducing more eco-friendly packaging materials, and implementing more reuse.
On top of these new sustainability needs, various world events have put extra pressure on the logistics industry. Challenges include disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and the e-commerce boom.
Cobots are a valuable tool to overcome these challenges and demands.
Automation is nothing new in the logistics industry. However, when you think of logistics automation, you might think primarily of the machines to moving boxes and pallets around. You might not think of automated packaging.
Packaging is sometimes thought of as being primarily a human job.
It’s traditionally been complicated to perform packaging tasks with automation because of the high degree of variability between packaging tasks. Conventional packaging automation is large and inflexible. It’s best suited to highly regular tasks with low variability.
Collaborative robots change all that.
With the right cobot application kit, you can achieve very flexible automated packaging remarkably easily.
These two cobot applications are most suited to packaging:
- Pick and place — This is often used in primary and secondary packaging tasks (e.g. putting product into boxes). The robot picks up the product and puts it into a container.
- Palletizing — This is where the robot stacks and arranges already boxed products onto a pallet.
MechDot 