Making sure the cookie doesn't crumble
December 1st 2007

Güdel UK has installed an automatic gantry palletisation system at United Biscuits' KP Foods factory in Billingham.

Pallets are despatched from the factory to both the company's Midlands DC and direct to customers. All palletisation was previously undertaken manually, creating space and cost issues.

The solution comprises four overhead gantry robots each capable of placing cases onto eight pallets. The system has been designed to palletise the full product range with production lines working at full capacity. A conveyor system transports boxes to the palletisation hall where they are sorted to the correct gantry, which is a standard FP5 Area type machine. A specially designed vacuum head allows the system to pick up one, two or three boxes depending on box size and the layer pattern requirements. The flexible, dual-purpose gripper unit is also used to handle empty pallets into the cell. In this operation, the gantry collects and empty pallet from the stack and transports it to any one of eight palletising positions within the cell.

KP Foods' engineering manager, Mike Kirk, says the contract was awarded because Güdel proposed "an innovative solution, high quality technical proposals and, above all, value for money".

More articles from Gudel UK Ltd: