Compact solution to fresh produce palletising

Automated packing and palletising systems firm Brillopak has unveiled a new robotic palletiser specifically designed for fresh fruit and vegetables.

The development of the Compact C211 followed research by the firm into the issues surrounding fresh produce packaging.

One of the major findings was a pressure on margins, causing firms to seek efficiencies in terms of labour and cost reduction, alongside an increased focus on health and safety liabilities.

“This problem is further highlighted by the fact that, while automation has been adopted throughout many fruit and vegetable packing lines, the end of line crate packing and palletising is still largely a manual process,” explains Brillopak director David Jahn. “The research identified that one of the reasons for this was the lack of available space in packhouses to install automation systems at the end of line.

“The Compact C System has been designed specifically to meet these challenges.”

The machine can palletise crates and cases at the rate of up to 30 per minute dependent on application, can handle multiple sizes and has a touchscreen with pre-set recipe function for fast changeovers.

“We have listened closely to the market in the development of this machine,” adds Jahn. “The Compact C211 satisfies the main requirements for fruit and vegetable end of line packing in terms of speed, efficiency and user-friendliness and provides the flexibility to enable companies to respond to changing retailer requirements.”