Within the coronary heart of the Pacific Northwest, a frozen vegetable packaging firm confronted a rising problem: discovering and retaining staff for tedious, repetitive end-of-line duties. Being in a rural space, their labor pool was restricted, making hiring tough and turnover excessive. To take care of and scale their operations, they turned to automation—and after two years of exploration, they lastly took the leap.
The ache level: labor shortages and operational constraints
Working two shifts a day, six days per week, this firm had a devoted operator on the finish of every of their 4 packaging traces. The issue? Recruiting and protecting folks in these roles was an ongoing battle. They knew automation may resolve this challenge, however they wanted an answer that made monetary sense and match inside their area constraints.
Their splendid return on funding (ROI) goal was 12 months, however given the severity of their labor challenges, they had been keen to stretch to 18 months. In the long run, the automation resolution they selected got here in slightly below their unique 12-month ROI aim—making the choice a straightforward one as soon as inner approvals had been secured.
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Choosing the proper automation resolution
Past fixing labor shortages, this firm had three key automation necessities:
- Compact Footprint – A big centralized palletizer wasn’t an possibility. They wanted a system that match inside their present area whereas permitting for future enlargement.
- Ease of Use – With no in-house robotic programmers, they wanted a system easy sufficient for his or her present workers to function and troubleshoot.
- Scalability – Their SKUs various in run charges, weights, and capacities, in order that they wanted a versatile system that would deal with numerous product sorts effectively.
Over time, our robotic capabilities advanced to fulfill their wants. The flexibility to carry out multi-pick operations and deal with further weight made automation a fair higher match. After seeing our options at Pack Expo for 2 years in a row, they knew we had been the fitting associate.
The lesson: don’t wait to automate
This firm, like many others, waited years earlier than making the leap to automation. In hindsight, that delay value them money and time. If that they had applied automation two years earlier, they’d have already recouped their funding and seen further effectivity positive aspects.
For firms contemplating automation, the important thing takeaway is evident: Begin early. Begin small if wanted, however begin. Doing nothing means shedding out on productiveness, effectivity, and value financial savings that would compound over time.
This firm’s story is a testomony to the facility of automation in overcoming workforce challenges and setting the stage for long-term development. In case you’re dealing with comparable struggles, don’t wait—discover your choices at this time.
