Safe and Efficient Palletizing | An MMCI Integration Case Study

#MMCI #Palletizing #automation #WarehouseAutomation #LaborSolutions

There is little debate that the manual loading of pallets can be very strenuous work with lots of lifting and bending, taking a toll on a worker’s body.

The physical demands of the job limit production rates and often lead to injuries that yield a number of hidden costs.

These were a just a couple of the challenges faced by our client, a manufacturer of packaging components for some of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies.

MMCI engineers developed a cost-effective solution that addressed these challenges and more, while integrating future plans to add robotics for even more productivity gains.

One obvious solution was to utilize ergonomic lift tables to eliminate all of the bending and lifting.

This alone would make the process safer for employees.

But to further improve the productivity and safety of the workers, our engineers integrated a semi-automated pallet dispenser and a 2-pallet accumulation conveyor.

Now, a pallet can be placed on the feeder conveyor by someone other than the machine operator.

When needed, the operator simply presses the button and the pallet moves onto the ergonomic lift table to the pre-programmed height.

From here, the machine operator can load the pallet.
Once a level is complete, the operator presses a button to lower the pallet so that the second layer can be added with limited bending or lifting.

To enhance safety and productivity even further, we added adjustable backstops and a pneumatic powered lift gate.

The backstops allow the operator to center the product on the pallet quickly and easily while the lift gate moves the conveyor out of the way, allowing the pallets to be stacked from both the front and side.

This was important, as our client’s products came in a wide variety of sizes that utilized different pallet configurations and pallet dimensions.

Once complete, the operator hits a button which lowers the gate and moves the finished pallet to the accumulation area.

At the same time, a new pallet moves onto the lift table and is raised to the pre-programmed height so the operator can immediately start palletizing the next load.

An area scanner was also installed near the floor of the lift gate, safely preventing the equipment from moving whenever an operator is standing nearby.




Not only does the new system reduce worker fatigue and improve productivity, but the elimination of forklifts from the machine operator’s area make the entire operation safer and more efficient.

Material handling personnel can now easily pick up full pallets and load empty pallets without interrupting the machine operators.

Plus, the system was designed so that robotics can be easily incorporated in the future, completely automating the pallet loading process and allowing one machine operator to watch over multiple machines.

Contact MMCI Systems today for more information on how you can integrate simple, effective, and cost-saving solutions in to your material handling operation.

At MMCI, our people are experts in Material Handling Automation and are passionate about solving problems of all shapes and sizes. We use over 35 years of experience in design, engineering, integration, robotics, controls and software to deliver automation solutions that improve performance and increase productivity for manufacturers, e-commerce and distribution companies large and small.

We are an engineering service company and we believe that excellent service stems from a culture where people do the right thing, care about delivering great results and take pride in what they do. It is what we believe and what we live for every day.

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At MMCI, our people are experts in Material Handling Automation and are passionate about solving problems of all shapes and sizes. We use over 35 years of experience in design, engineering, integration, robotics, controls, and software to deliver automation solutions that improve performance and increase productivity for manufacturers, e-commerce, and distribution companies large and small. We offer solutions in areas like:
-Automation
-Order Fulfillment/Distribution
-Robotics
-Integration
-Warehouse Execution Software (WES)
-Warehouse Management Software (WMS)
-Inventory Management
-Order Management
-Order Picking & Packing
-Conveyor Systems
-And more...

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