Harry Wilson, Author at Webster Griffin Ltd

What Are The Best Powder Bagging Machines?

Which-Bagging-Machines-Are-Best-Suited-For-Packaging-Fertiliser

What Are The Best Powder Bagging Machines?

Free-flowing powders are a critical component of a wide range of products and need to be handled and processed in a specific way to prevent flow issues. Packaging powders is a common area of concern as it can lead to settling, compacting, poor blending and a lack of uniformity in palletised bags.

When packaging free-flowing powders you might deal with a wide range of density, cohesion, moisture content and external factors like temperature, humidity and hold time can also impact your packaging efforts. Several choices are available when it comes to automatic bagging for granular powders, Form Fill Seal or FFS bagging for powders a robot palletiser for powders, here’s what you need to know.

Here Are A Few Options For Packaging Your Powder In A Range Of Volumes:

These powder FFS bagging options could help your business improve its productivity:

FFS Velocity 1500

This fully automatic machine manufactures bags from polyethylene pre-printed film in sizes up to 50kgs and at speeds of up to 1500 bags hourly. It’s a popular choice for FFS bagging for powders as it has several modifications that make it well suited to filling powder products, including a deaeration and an air evacuation system. This system ensures each package is free from air or moisture, extending its shelf life.

ABS 250/600 Bag & Sack Filling

This automatic open-mouth bagging machine can fill bags up to 50kgs in weight at a throughput of up to 600 bags per hour. It’s a common choice for businesses wanting automatic bagging for granular powders as it’s equipped to minimise product wastage and ensure a safer working environment thanks to its dust-tight filling spout and the perfect bag closure. This is produced through various methods including bag top stitching and heat sealing.

IBC PF4 - Big Bag Filling

This Big Bag filling machine packages powders in quantities between 500kg and 1500 tons at speeds between 30 and 60 bags hourly. It's suited to filling powders for food ingredients as it's available in food-grade models. It's also available in ATEX versions for a safer working environment and prevents explosions. This machine can cleanly and accurately fill dusty and light powders with its pressure balance control and integrated deaeration system. Its hopper's Archimedean evacuation screws allow for deaeration and prevent rat holes and as it uses a dust-tight inflatable collar to ensure no particles escape during the filling process. Filling is waste-free and safer as the bag's nitrogen is safely vented back into the circuit by automatically modulated valves.

Preparing Your Powder For Packaging And Distribution

Once packaged, powders can be wrapped and palletised using automatic and a robot palletiser for powders. This ensures that each bag remains clean and tightly packed. Accurately stacking them via robotic machinery instead of manually by hand also means they're protected against damage and make the best use of the leading space available save time during handling and transport and ensure the pallets themselves remain stable.

Where To Find An All In One Packaging And Palletising Solution

To ensure your business can safely, accurately and cost-effectively fill its powder products you can turn to Webster Griffin for a custom packaging and palletising solution. Even If you’re looking for advice on packaging your powder products, contact us today for assistance, we’re more than happy to help guide you.

Powder Case Study

Anbros Industries wanted to increase output through the full automation of their palletising system for calf milk replacement powder. To meet the requirements set out by Anbros. Webster Griffin recommended the installation of two Okura A700V Robot Palletisers more than capable of achieving the established capacity.

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Mark Wilson

CEO

Please get in touch If you need help deciding which packaging machine would be most suitable for your application.

Webster Griffin Feature In Grain Handling Systems Edition Of Dry Cargo Magazine

Products That You Can Store In FIBC Bags

FIBC bags (also known as jumbo, bulk or big bags or super sacks) describe any industrial container made of flexible fabric. They’re usually made from woven plastic fibres like polypropylene or PVC.

When it comes to filling them, they can store agricultural products like flour or grains; animal feed and pet food; chemical powders; construction products like sand and cement; dry foods like sugar and nuts as well as mining products like coal and ore.

What To Consider Before Selecting A Machine

Before you make your final selection, you’ll need to know what kind of FIBC bag you’ll be dealing with. This includes details on its dimensions, weight and height. You’ll also need to consider your pallet size, transport method and your customer needs.

If you aren’t sure which one would best suit your business, you should work with an expert in pairing the right machines with businesses based on their budget, capacity and requirements.

Webster Griffin has the experience to help guide your decision, so why not get in touch with us for advice?

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How Webster Griffin Helped Reliance Automate Their Throughput & Increase Productivity With Big Bag Filling Lines

Who Is Reliance & What Are They Famous For?

Reliance is an Indian conglomerate with a presence in the petroleum refining industry. They operate the world’s largest petroleum refinery, converting crude oil into fuel and petrochemicals.

They convert these petrochemicals into polymers with different melt flows that are converted into Linear Low-density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) resins.

These resins are used to make film and packaging products as well as in rotational moulding and injection-moulded and extrusion coating and moulding applications.

What Solution Did Reliance Require At Their Jamnagar Petroleum Refinery?

Reliance approached Webster Griffin for help packing their LDPE and LLDPE resin pellets into Big Bags. Their desired throughput was 45 bags an hour, with each bag weighing up to 1100 kgs. Due to the business’s output, they needed three packing lines integrated into one system.

It needed to be ATEX compliant in line with EU safety directives and able to integrate into the refinery’s control systems. It also had to connect to different product feed points and connect at height to several product distribution silos — without any product cross contamination taking place. The entire system also had to be automated with minimal labour involved.

For quality control purposes, Reliance put in place a rigorous quality assurance system during the machine’s installation. This would involve two third party consultants monitoring the process.

What Solution Did Webster Griffin Suggest & Install?

Webster Griffin customised several IBC-PF4 Big Bag Filling machines to suit Reliance’s requirements. Two storey self-supporting platforms offered access to the system’s dosing valves and feed system and a rail connected it to the silos.

The system allowed the operator to access the buffer hoppers and dosing valves to control the flow of product from the silos. Extraction units prevented dust circulating during filling. Two weighing platforms ensured accurate bag weighing, with a second weighing platform used to fill any underweight bags. A vibrating table would then compact the product in each bag.

The system logged and transmitted all data, presenting bag and weight data to the client for analysis and identification. The system featured a platform, allowing operators to apply bag labels and tie the bags. It also gave them access to an online ticket printing system to apply any tickets. Finally, the system had inline metal detection fitted to the system feeds, again ensuring the resin pellets are safe, uncontaminated and ready for distribution.

Did The Installation Deliver Any Tangible Benefits For Reliance?

After installing the system and training operators at the refinery to operate it, Reliance was able to achieve their desired throughput and throughput speed. Improved weighing accuracy helped prevent product wastage, also preventing accidental underfilling which could displease customers.

As requested the system was highly automated and requiring only the presence of two machine operators and a forklift operator. It was also able to operate 24 hours a day for added productivity.

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Webster Griffin’s Complete System Refurbishment

2.-Reviving-&-Future-Proofing-Your-Bagging-System

Revive Your Packing Line, Refurbishments Extend The Lifespan Of Your System/Machine For Many Years

After many years of service, some of the electrical and pneumatic components can become obsolete over time. Rather than struggling to source these parts from a third-party supplier or repair obsolete parts yourself. We offer a complete hassle-free refurbishment service which extends the lifespan of your bagging machine for many more years.

You can save money by just replacing components such as control panels, mechanical parts, air cylinders, etc, instead of purchasing a new bagging system. This has saved our customers thousands, we believe it’s a worthy investment for any manufacturer that wants to keep costs down and bring their system up to the current standards.

We Update Your Electrical Control Panels So You Don't Have To

We Also Update Your Pneumatic Control Panels to The Latest Technology

Less Buttons, More Minimalism. The New Control System Integrates The Weigher Within The Panel & An Intuitive PLC Touch Screen For Ease Of Usage.

You May Be Wondering What Happens During A Refurb?

The bagging machine usually requires little to no modification. First, we take out the existing control systems, we then replace these with modern contemporary components. In a refurbishment you will get a new weighing system, control panel and pneumatic panel.

The system will run more efficiently because internally it has the latest parts and technology. Some of our customers have also reported an improvement in performance.

Why You Should Consider A Refurbishment

By updating the control systems, you can extend the lifespan of you bagging machine. We upgrade your software and hardware so it performs like a brand new system again, who doesn’t want that?

Webster Griffin has decades of experience in working with a diverse range of clients and projects. We know that every project has its own unique problems and rewards.

This gives us a holistic view of your business. We use this view to provide you with a packaging solution which delivers the performance you want today, and that you can grow with tomorrow.

Factors To Consider When Calculating Your Robot Palletiser’s ROI?

Picture This Scenario...

Imagine if you could hire a skilled labourer for only 50p an hour, who’d be able to work 24/7 without taking a break or needing assistance. If this sounds appealing to you, you should consider investing in a robot palletiser.

When investing in a robot palletiser, its cost on paper isn’t the only important figure you’ll deal with. It's also important that it will give you a positive Return On Investment (ROI). This should be calculated at a period of two years or longer to determine if it will offer the long term benefits needed to help your business survive in the present and grow in the future. Here’s what costs and benefits you’ll need to consider.

Consider How Many Shifts The Palletiser Will Operate Daily?

Most palletisers can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week — though their speed might change depending on the output of the bagging machines and conveyors that are feeding it.

You’ll need to account for any planned downtime needed or days it might not operate at all (like major public holidays). Your palletiser supplier can tell you what kind of planned downtime you can expect during operation.

Consider Your current Labour Costs & Benefits

Labour costs will include what you pay the workers on your packaging line over a certain period. You’ll also need to account for hidden costs and benefits like insurance, worker’s compensation, paid time off and time lost to routine breaks. You’ll need to compare this to your new setup. How many employees will need to operate or supervise the palletiser and how many hours of training will they need? Remember that you'll benefit by making your workplace safer, reducing or eliminating workplace injuries.

Consider The Palletiser’s Maintenance & Parts Replacement Costs

Maintenance and replacement costs grow in volume and frequency as the robot palletiser ages. In its first few years of operation it will only need minor maintenance. As time goes by you'll need to replace worn parts.

You can expect to pay for preventative maintenance to keep its battery functional and parts lubricated. In a decade’s time you’ll need to pay at least half of what it initially cost to refurbish it for further operation.

Consider Any Hidden System Costs

Not all the benefits of switching over to a robot palletiser will be obvious. Your planning and scheduling can become more efficient due to automation and more flexible if the palletiser is programmable. You can also look forward to reduced product and packaging waste and consistently high quality outputs. You might find that in the future your palletiser can perform added functions.

The Bottom Line

Consider The Palletiser’s Installation & Operation Costs

To get your robot palletiser up and running you might need to dispose of your previous machine and prepare the site. Once the replacement is commissioned and installed you'll need to integrate and program it.

You'll also need to add custom fixtures, safety guards or extra tools and conveyors. You'll enjoy saving floor space, which might allow you to downgrade to a more affordable workspace. Palletising systems often merge many packaging areas and functions into one cell. This could save you time if it performs several tasks at once in the cell.

Multiple formulas exist to help you calculate the exact ROI your machine will offer you in financial figures. This will depend on many factors, such as how much work it will be performing and if you have any throughput goals. However to begin with you need to work out the amount of shifts per day, week and year the palletiser will perform. If you're still unsure what you need to consider or what a robot palletiser can offer you, Webster Griffin can help you. Contact us today to get paired with a system that will give you the ROI you require.

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Why You Need To Automate Your Fish Feed Packaging system

Fish Feed Industry Overview

The fish feed industry is an essential part of humanity's food supply chain and has been for centuries. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to produce the volumes of salmon, tilapia, shrimp and shellfish required to meet the planet’s demands. The global aquafeed market supports economies around the globe by helping them produce export grade fish. As wild marine fishing resources become more finite and controlled fish farming becomes more common, demand for fish feed will increase.

In 2020, the global aquafeed market exceeded USD 50 billion, and it's projected to reach over USD 71 billion by 2025. Consumer demand will drive increased seafood consumption as protein rich diets become more popular and the overall fish feed market will grow on average by CAGR 5% per year.

The increasing viability of commercial fish farming, lower costs and ease of access to aquaculture feed is will also increasing the demand for fish feed. If you are a high volume manufacturer of salmon food and prawn feed the technology is now available to help you to cut labour costs, speed up production, improve traceability, and benefit from robust packaging that’s suitable for distribution to remote coastal fish farms.

Here’s how automating your fish feed bagging systems can help you meet these challenges head on.

Today’s Fish Feed Market In Statistics

Manufactured fish feed is the fourth largest animal feed group in terms of global annual production and is projected to have the highest future growth. Most fish feed comes in dry extruded pellets or granular form, with wet feed remaining popular in some markets.

This feed can be floating, which means that it will sit on the water’s surface until eaten to prevent product wastage. Both feeds are made from fishmeal and oil or plant meal and oil , but can include fish processing waste, seaweed, soybean, barley, rice and other grains. It may also contain additives such as vitamins, anti-parasitics and preservatives.

While manufacturing processes differ from business to business, most manufacturers use extrusion to form high quality pellets of various sizes for different ages, breeds and sizes of fish. The chosen ingredients are crushed using a feed hammer mill. A grain power mixer combines the materials with grains and additives in certain proportions to form a mash. The mash is then passed through an extruder which ‘injects’ the mash through a dye with a certain diameter to form pellets. The pellets are then dried or baked before being packaged.

Herbivorous fish consume more plant proteins while carnivorous fish consume more animal proteins. Most fishmeal and oils come from small open ocean fish and scraps that come after processing fish for human consumption. These types of fish rapidly reproduce to replace their stock levels, making them a renewable resource. However, their prices are expected to fluctuate as fish oil demand for human consumption increases and crop prices change due to seasonal output and availability.

global-aquaculture-feed-market-by-species

Why Is The Cost Of Fish Feed Increasing?

Demand for fish feed is increasing and experts say it's unlikely to drop to Pre-2000 levels anytime soon — even though it makes up over 70% of a fish farmer’s production cost. Fish food prices are expected to increase from between a few hundred dollars to over 1000 USD a tonne as ingredients, global commodities (including rice, wheat and fish oil) and energy prices continue to rise in a climate with supply chain issues due to Covid-19. Hence, the pressure is on fish feed and mael producers to become more efficient, one area of a feed feed factory where its relatively easy to reduce the cost of production - is in the bag packaging department.

Currently, China is the world's leading fish feed producer and as of 2015 accounted for 49 percent or 35,5 million tonnes of the world's total production. Vietnam is estimated to follow with a production volume of 2,9 million tonnes in 2012. This is followed by Thailand with 1,6 million tonnes, Indonesia with 1,3 million tonnes, India with 1,2 million tonnes and the USA at 1 million tonnes, followed by South American countries, Australia, Norway and Scotland.

1638193401977_fish-market_Global_Fish_Market_Market_Size_By_Region_2020

As marine resources become more finite and fish farming becomes more commonplace, it’s anticipated that 60% of global seafood production will be farmed by 2030. This also should give producers more control over the health and wellbeing of their fish. Demand for fish products are set to increase as the world's population grows and becomes more urbanised and incomes rise in developing nations. As fish tends to be lower in fat and has a smaller carbon footprint than other protein sources, it’s also expected to become more popular as it’s healthier and more sustainable. This will continue to drive demand to levels that current supplies can’t meet. This demand will be concentrated specifically in Pacific Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe.

In 2020, Covid-19 temporarily slowed down fish feed imports as borders closed and food service businesses shut down. This temporarily decreased demand for fish products and by extension fish and fish food. As lockdowns start to lift globally, demand is expected to rise again. However, manufacturers are expected to face many unique challenges such as staff shortages and more stringent sanitary guidelines when producing and packaging the product.

What’s The Best Way To Package Fresh Feed Pellets?

The majority of extruded fish feed is predominantly sold in pellet or granular form, filled into woven polypropylene bags of 25 to 50 kg - and Bulk or Jumbo Bags of 850 - 1100 Kg.

This woven polypropylene fabric or outer material is strong and robust, meaning it can travel long distances without ripping or tearing — ensuring it protects its contents.

However ,although the empty bags have many secondary uses, the polypropylene cannot be recycled - hence the desire to move to more environmentally friendly packaging materials - in particular recyclable PE plastic film.

In the case of Big Bag filling it is desirable to minimise the size and cost of the bag by implementing various techniques to settle the contents of the Bulk Bag as it’s being filled.

The Big bag filling machine is equipped with a load cell weighing system to ensure that each bag weighs the same amount., and so that the weight evey bag filled can be logged. When moving to recyclable PE film it is now cost effective to fully automate your packing process. 25 - 50 kg bags can be packed on a low cost fully automatic, hygienic Form Fill Seal (FFS) Bagging machine, connected by belt conveyors to a compact bag palletising robot, which sacks the full bags of salmon feed in ann interlocked pattern onto wooden or plastic pallets. The palletised loads can then be automatically stretch wrapped, which will stabilise and protect the product during transport and distribution to the fish farm.

Fish Feed Is Packed Into Different Sizes Of Bags, Depending Upon The Type Of Customer Or End Consumer:

Retail clients and fisheries — Small plastic bags weighing 1 kg - 5kg.

Small industrial fish farms — 25 - 50 kg PE plastic bags (previously woven polypropylene fabric bags).

Large industrial fish farms — Bulk Bags ranging from 500 - 1500kgs - manufactured from woven polypropylene fabric.

For larger feed manufacturers, who need to fill 25-650 kg bags, FFS bagging technology is becoming a popular choice for bagging Salmon Feed - because the empty bags made on a form seal seal bagger are much less expensive than 'pre-made' polypropylene fabric bags so the factory saves on packaging material costs as well as the cost of labour - because it requires fewer workers to operate the machinery in the bagging line. The FFS machine automatically forms bags out of a continuous roll of flat or tubular polyethylene film at a rate of 500 to 1200 bags an hour.

Talk to Webster Griffin about installing a high speed, automated Bulk or Big Bag packing machine for fish feed, or how ask us how you can cut packaging material costs and reduce the number of operators you employ on your 25kg sack packing line for salmon or prawn food.

Staying Up To Date With Tomorrow’s Fish Feed Packaging Options

If your business is looking for a fish feed bagging machinery packaging option that can keep up with future market developments, it needs to consider an automated solution that can fill products around the clock with less labour required and no pauses in operation necessary. Webster Griffin has decades of experience in helping businesses package their fish feed on a large scale and can advise you on what your best options are.

Our Experience Supplying Big Bag Filling Machines

EWOS (Cargill) Scotland - Big Bag Filling System for Pelletised Salmon Food

Ewos Innovation is part of Cargill, the world’s largest commercial fish farming feed food manufacturer with a global presence. They contacted Webster Griffin for a Big Bag system that fills FIBC’s with salmon feed at hourly rates of 25- 30 x 1000kg bags/h or 30-35 x 500kg bags/h. The Big Bag Filling system was designed to be compact and fit into the limited space available within an existing factory.

The system is able to fill three sizes of single loop bags. The operator applies the empty bag and bag sizing technology automatically self adjusts the machine to fill the bag size in question . The empty bag is always inflated to prevent the inner bag from rupturing during filling.

The two stage bag filling process with ‘coarse’ and ‘dribble’ feed combined with a self optimising digital weighing controller provides very good weighing accuracy and prevents product ‘give away‘ The filled and settled bags are then discharged and accumulated on conveyors before being removed by forklift.

The new big bag line has reduced the number of operators involved in bagging and therefore boosted productivity, it has minimised the amount of valuable fish feed ‘given away’ in every bag, and also allowed bagging machine operators the chance to take on other vital production tasks within the factory.

Our Experience Supplying Big Bag Filling Machines

Biomar, Scotland - High Speed Big Bag Filling System For Extruded Salmon Feed

BioMar is a Danish sustainable feed manufacturer that operates in over 80 countries to create high performance feed for over 45 species of fish and shrimp. They boast a production volume of 1.25 million tonnes and it's estimated that one in five fish farmed in Europe are fed BioMar feed.

BioMar needed a new system that could boost productivity and fill 6 different bag types and could withstand abrasive and oily products. It would also need to package 25-30 bags an hour at weights of 500, 1000, 1050 and 1250kg.

After several consultations with the customer, Webster Griffin We installed a Big Bag filling system for them, complete with a product dosing system and electronic load cell weighing system to ensure consistent weighing and filling of free flowing fish feed products into bags. A bag inflation device keeps each bag fully open to receive product from the feed valve and has a height adjustable filling spout and bag loop support arms included.

An inflatable spout, external clamping ring and angled chute ensured accurate and dust free product filling. A heavy duty belt conveyor would transport move the filled bags for discharge and offloading. The system allowed BioMar to accurately fill a range of bag sizes at high speeds with less product and packaging wastage than ever before.

The system allowed BioMar to more easily trace their products after distribution using ‘passport’ tickets and they were also able to cater to more customers by offering a bigger range of bag shapes and sizes. The increased accuracy of the filling meant that customers could be confident they were getting what they paid for and ensured that BioMar wouldn’t lose was losing any capital from

Our Experience Supplying FFS Bagging Machines

Cargill, Ecuador - Fully automatic Bagging System For Prilled Shrimp Feed

Ewos contacted Webster Griffin seeking a fully automated bagging system that could run continuously and pack 10 to 25 kgs around the clock with minimal operator intervention. It would need to bag salmon pellets 24/7 and produce compact bags suitable for robot palletisation.

Webster Griffin designed a system integrating an Form Fill Seal FFS bagging machine that could use gusseted and non-gusseted tubular film rolls to decrease downtime between film changeovers. The system also incorporates a single high accuracy net weigh scale with a servo motor driven ‘cam shell’ weigh dosing technology - which can pre weigh up to 1800 x 25 kg charges of fish feed per hour. This weigh scale is self checking and monitoring, each 25 kg weighment is dropped via a special stainless steel ‘accelerator’ chute onto the newly formed bag waiting below.

As with all Form Fill Seal bagging installations from Webster Griffin, the machine produces bags in a continuous uninterrupted flow - it only being necessary to stop the line once per shift to reload a new roll of pe bag film

As a result of the new system, Ewos dramatically improved the productivity of their bagging operation and eliminated the need for operators to carry our arduous manual labour around the clock - releasing them to work on more productive tasks in the factory. Because the system is controllable and automated it delivers maximum operating efficiency. Since then, Ewos has ordered additional bagging lines from Webster Griffin.

Why Choose Webster Griffin?

Not many packaging machinery experts have the technology combined with years of experience in working with large scale fish feed bagging projects. Webster Griffin understands the problems, and the challenges of packing a wide range of oily, dusty fish feed pellets.

They use only the best quality components, sourced from the original, European, Japanese and American manufactures thereby ensuring spare parts are available from local distributors. Data logging, packing line performance monitoring and CCTV remote support are all features pioneered by Webster Griffin - to ensure your bagging operation keeps running - and you keep delivering fish feed to your customers.

Their technology is up to date yet, robust - built to operate reliably in inhospitable remote locations. If you’re looking for a partner who will design and build a Turn Key solution that will grow with your business, contact Webster Griffin today.

Fish Feed Market Round Up

What is The Fish Feed Market Size?

The fish feed market is estimated to be valued at USD 112 million by 2032. Recording a CARG of 8% in terms of value.

What Are The Key factors Driving Fish Feed Demand?

The rising global fish feed consumption and increase in processed seafood consumption are due to rising middle class affluence in developing countries.

The limited availability of marine feed resources as there is a growing demand for fish feed, results in a growing demand for fish farming and in turn fish feed products.

Which Countries Consume The Most Amount of Seafood?

Seafood consumption in China accounts for more than 45% of the global volume. China consumes around 65 million tons of seafood out of 144 million tons and is also the biggest exporter internationally.

Which Countries Are the Biggest Consumers Of Fish Feed Products?

India, China, Japan, US, Brazil are all the biggest consumers of fish feed.

What Is The Highest Grossing Region In the Fish Feed Market?

The Asia Pacific region has the leading market share in the global fish feed market, widely considered that by 2022 this region will account for over 50% consumed fish feed products.

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What Industries Are Palletisers Used In Most?

What Industries Are Palletisers Used In?

As a business owner, you’re always looking for ways to make your operations more productive and cost effective. With technology advancing rapidly, investing in the right equipment can help you achieve these goals. You might have read about palletisers or seen them in action, but aren’t sure if they can meet the needs of your product and business. The global palletiser market is expected to grow by almost 5% by 2028 and reach a value of USD 3.27 billion by 2026 — demonstrating that many businesses have realised its value.

Today’s palletisers take up less floor space, can be fully automated, offer unprecedented productivity, and can palletise (and depalletise) complex and heavy loads quickly and without error. Here are two examples of different industries that robot palletisers can successfully operate in.

Food & Beverages

The world’s food and beverage industries are set to grow, with middle class populations increasing in many countries. In the USA, the packaged food industry is set to exceed 3 trillion revenue by the end of this year.

Proper palletisation helps ensure food packages reach their destination in great condition. It offers a high throughput rate at a relatively low cost. It also has a small environmental footprint as it takes less energy to operate and reduces packaging and product damage due to mishandling.

Robotic palletisers are a superior solution when it comes to preventing food contamination and ensuring cleanliness. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, government health and safety regulations are more stringent than ever. Robot palletisers and their selective compliance assembly robot arms eliminate external interference. It prevents damage and keeps the packaged food from being compromised due to human error. Robot palletisers can also work efficiently with plastic pallets, which are used when handling food products to discourage bacterial growth.

Pharmaceuticals

The regulatory requirements for packaging pharmaceutical products (including medication and medical or laboratory equipment) has become more rigorous due to the Coronavirus.

As these types of products are smaller, more fragile and easier to damage they need secure palletisation and careful handling. Robot palletisers can manage frequent product and format changeovers.

They also use pneumatic gripping and vacuum technology to precisely control and handle products with different packing densities and weights. Certain models can be equipped to help dispense, count, cap and package products.

Modern palletisers are made of modular stainless steel components which are more hygienic and easier to keep clean. Robot palletisers can stack pallets to ensure no space is left between packages, reducing vibrations. It can also integrate stretch wrapping to protect each pallet from water and other external elements.

Designing & Installing Your Robot Palletiser

To ensure your investment in a robot palletiser will offer you the maximum benefits with the fastest possible return on investment, you’ll need to ensure it’s designed to meet your specific needs and operate within any constraints you might have. Webster Griffin can design the perfect palletising system for your production needs as well as install it and train your staff members on how to use it. For more information, contact us today.

single-bag-filling-machine-feeding-to-robot-C.88

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How Webster Griffin’s FFS Machine Installation Increased Harringtons Pet Foods’ Productivity and Automated Their Throughput

Who Are Harringtons And What Product Do They Sell?

Harringtons Pet Food is a family operated business that manufactures a range of cat, dog and small animal food. They sell adult, puppy and senior dog wet and dry dog foods in sizes ranging from 150g to 15kg, including grain free and hypoallergenic options. They also produce dry and wet food for adult and senior cats in sizes ranging from 32g to 2kg and rabbit and guinea pig food in 2 and 10 kg sizes.

What Kind Of Solution Did Harringtons Call For?

Harringtons approached Webster Griffin to design and install a high-speed packing line. It would need to fill 650 to 900 big bags hourly (24 hours a day) all fully automatic — from the bag filling to the dispatching stage. It would also need to be able to work with different bag weights and package sizes, including their 10, 12, 15, 17 and 20 kg pet food bags.

After packaging, Harringtons needed their products palletised into neat, square and compact pallets for storage in their clients’ automated high bay warehouses. As they sold their products in the UK and Europe, the pallets would need to be stacked and wrapped

onto mini supermarket shelf retail pallets and standard UK and European shipping pallets. Webster Griffin recommended the installation of a versatile Modulo Bagging machine, Okura palletiser with OXPA self teaching software and Uniwrap pallet wrapping machine. The palletiser and pallet wrapping machine would collate, wrap, and label the pallet and bags and roller conveyors would transport the pallets through the warehouse to an automatic truck loading dock. An automatic pallet collating machine would then combine two mini retail pallets and load them onto a standard distribution pallet to make it suitable for delivery to supermarket chains.

Why Was A High Speed Packing Line An Appropriate Solution For Harringtons?

The bagging system installed by Webster Griffin provided time savings by integrating functions such as an automated film loading system to eliminate downtime during film reel changes. The automatic loaded pallet collating machine came with built-in palletising programmes that could be modified to the client’s satisfaction. It automatically switches between pallet sizes to accommodate mini retail, Dusseldorf, Euro, or red or blue UK standard shipping pallets.

The pallet wrapping machine waterproofed each pallet in preparation for transportation through a national logistics network.

A high speed pallet conveying system accepted the loaded pallets from various automatic packing lines, transporting them to the dispatch zone using an automatic truck loading system. From here the pallets moved to IPN’s new distribution centre and warehouse.

Did The Commissioning Deliver Any Long Lasting Benefits For The Customer?

Upon the client's approval, the bagging and palletising system was commissioned and installed by Webster Griffin’s site engineers. It immediately provided them with their desired benefit of an increased throughput of between 650-900 bags of 17 kg each, every hour. By automating the packing lines and warehouse duties it freed up their employees for other tasks within the business and reduced manual labour. The system was so successful that the client went on to order two more palletising lines.

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What Are The Disadvantages Of Using A Robot Palletiser?

Here's What You Can Expect From Your Average Robot Palletiser

Ideally, a single compact machine would be able to perform all your production tasks. While a machine like this could be created in the future, current models will perform certain tasks better than others. When combined in a production line, they’ll achieve a higher overall throughput rate than an ‘all in one’ packing machine. If you’re in the market for a robot palletiser, knowing its disadvantages will allow you to customise it to your needs or find a better performing model.

Disadvantage #1 — A Higher Initial Investment Cost

A well installed and maintained robot palletiser will have a long working lifespan but a high initial investment cost. Its cost will go beyond what you pay for the machine upfront or every month.

You’ll need to consider the time you’ll spend installing the machine and any other delays or costs it might involve. If your usage won’t recoup your costs in a certain period, you might be better off renting one.

Disadvantage #2 — More Skilled Staff Members Required

Operating a robot palletiser requires a specialised skill set. Usually the palletiser’s supplier will organise training for your staff when it’s installed and tested. However, human resource problems that impact your operations could include dealing with ill or absent trained operators or product size or production process changes. A costly programmer may have to be employed to reconfigure the palletiser. Fortunately, recent technological advances mean that most modern modular palletising systems can be re-programmed by factory floor staff when production processes change.

A palletiser might put a few staff members out of work if it takes over their work. If these people have a versatile skill set and are knowledgeable about your company, you could retrain and restructure their day so they can take on more pragmatic management duties instead of making them redundant.

Disadvantage #3 — Not Suitable For All Situations

Robot palletisers can adjust to most warehouse and factory settings, but you might need additional equipment or tools for unusual sized pallets or products.

For example, pallets over two metres high will require a pallet scissor lift table. You could also face extra costs if you often work with different product sizes or change your production processes. Some palletisers require external assistance should you need to move or reconfigure them.

How Can You Determine Your ROI With Robot Palletisers?

To determine if your palletiser will provide you with a ROI you’re happy with you’ll need to calculate if it can facilitate a long term cash flow. It will also need to be integrated into your business in a way that meets your strategic goals for growing your company’s position and equipping it with a competitive advantage — while also meeting the short term goals that guarantee your financial survival.

The general payback time for a robot palletiser is between one and two years, based on several factors. The fact that it offers 24/7 production will help you keep up with demand and you’ll also save money because there will be less damaged products you have to write off due to human error. One the other hand you’ll also need to include what you’ll pay your operators, your insurance costs, as well as the cost of any sick leave they might take into your ROI calculations.

The disadvantages considered above don’t necessarily have to disadvantage your business. Knowing what each one involves will help you integrate your palletiser into your production processes with as little disruption as possible. The key to getting this right is working with a supplier that understands your unique needs and is willing to help you integrate, service and maintain your robot palletiser. Webster Griffin can help you do this, so contact us today for assistance.

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What Are The 3 Major Packaging Trends To Watch Out For In 2022?

Packaging Machinery & Palletising Automation Trends To Look Out For In 2022

The beginning of the year is the best time for your business to re-evaluate its processes to keep them aligned with consumer behaviour changes and help you streamline your workflow. One area that changes are expected to take place in is product packaging and packaging machinery. You may have heard that there are automated tools (such as automatic robot palletisers) available to you that help you reduce your packaging costs and complications while increasing your efficiency and throughput. If you aren’t sure what changes you can expect in 2022 and what solutions they might require, here are three major packaging trends worth looking out for.

#1 - Clean, Contamination-free Operations

The Covid-19 pandemic has been ongoing for a few years now and even though lockdowns have lifted in most parts of the world, the virus has permanently changed how we approach product packaging.

It's never been more important for food or personal use products to be packaged in a way that's sanitary, tamper-proof and prevents contamination. In 2021, demand from restaurants and food-service outlets dramatically changed as the pandemic caused them to shut down.

Globally, consumers are stockpiling and panic purchases of food, beverages, and home-care necessities, increasing the demand for protective packaging. To keep up with this demand, businesses should consider switching to automated, hands-off packaging machinery that operates with closed structures.

How your business approaches this need will depend on your unique requirements and the nature of the product you're packaging. This can mean pre-wrapping products or integrating a packaging solution earlier in the production line. It can also include tracking and labelling solutions that allow product and batch to be tracked regardless of its final location. Doing so will not only give your customers and clients added peace of mind but will also help reduce possible outbreaks taking place in your factories and keep your workforce safe.

#2 - Increased Focus On Automation

Automation is going to become a larger aspect of product packaging. Not only can this help create a more hygienic packing line, but it can also help address labour shortage, the need for a safer work environment for your workers and increase manufacturing speeds and efficiency. This can take the form of robotic palletisers equipped with machine learning technology that allows them to learn from your past inputs and palletising patterns. It can also include machinery that performs high volume or repetitive functions, freeing up staff to focus on more detailed or specialised work.

Automating your palletising functions via a robot can take up less floor space than a traditional palletising solution. It can also help you palletise your products more safely, without involving workers in the process. This can keep them from performing the repetitive palletising tasks that cause repetitive strain injuries.

#3 - More Sustainable Packaging Choices

Customers have never been more aware of how traditional plastics impact the environment. Businesses wanting to appeal to these customers should invest in sustainable bag packaging materials that can adequately protect their products while being recyclable or reusable, as well as packaging machinery that reduces excess packaging waste.

“A push towards recycled plastics, a reduction in plastics usage and more innovative ways to package products will be key drivers for all businesses in 2022.” Matt Dass, MD.

Improved packaging machinery options are often compatible with lighter materials and a wider range of packaging sizes. They also often integrate flexible packaging or Form Fill Seal capabilities that accommodate different bag sizes with a single film roll.

Whether you’re looking to improve your existing packaging and palletising set-up or want a completely new solution, it’s possible to use machinery to keep up with today’s packaging trends in an affordable and practical way. As leaders in customising Turnkey packaging solutions for a range of clients around the world, Webster Griffin can provide your business with the latest specialist equipment. Contact our team today to see how we can help automate your workflow.

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