The Challenge
Packing & Palletizing Frozen Bags While Ensuring Sterility and Throughput
Cold-chain and contamination concerns limited manual handling and slowed throughput. The customer needed automation to:
- Pack temperature-sensitive bags quickly and hygienically
- Handle multiple case formats and pack patterns at speed
- Maintain high OEE (>85%) in frozen storage environments
- Combine case erection, packing, and palletizing with minimal manual labor
MWES was selected for its experience deploying robotic packers and palletizers in highly sanitized and controlled environments.
The Solution
Vision-Guided Dual-Robot Case Packing Integrated with Palletizer
MWES engineered a tightly integrated system featuring:
- Two overhead inverted robots with vision-guided EOATs for precise bag orientation and pick placement
- Automated case erectors and top-sealing stations for inline case preparation
- Compact robotic palletizing cell designed for mixed-case patterns and flexible pallet configuration
- Slip-sheet insertion and recipe-based pallet layer programming for optimized stacking
This modular cell delivers high-speed, hygienic case packing and palletizing using integrated automation and vision systems.
The Results
High Throughput Case-Packing and Palletizing with Reduced Labor & Contamination Risk
Deployment of the system delivered measurable performance gains:
- Pack and palletize capacity of over 60 bags per minute depending on case format
- Reduced operator involvement with automated case handling and pallet stacking
- Enhanced consistency across mixed SKUs and case dimensions
- Lower risk of contamination and product downtime due to minimized human touch
By combining pack and pallet automation under one robotic cell, MWES helped the customer scale throughput, enhance consistency, and maintain sterile handling—while reducing labor needs within a regulated environment.
