Swiss food manufacturer Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel introduced a robot into production YuMi

2021: Introduction of a collaborative robot YuMi

Due to the expansion of the range of fresh products, products with minimal processing and finished dishes, the Swiss food manufacturer Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel AG (BINA) decided to automate some stages of the production process in order to increase production efficiency and improve working conditions. At the company's main plant in Bischoffszell, hundreds of employees handle more than 1,000 separate food items, from cold tea to salads and fresh fruit juices, which must be sent to supermarkets throughout Switzerland, including the Migros retail chain.

The most important part of the complex production process is the order picking area. Here, an order is collected for each supermarket that is placed in reusable plastic containers. Containers are tracked using barcode labels that are unique to each order from the plant. Labeling is an important task for BINA, but at the same time it is a complex and monotonous work, which at the required speed for a long period of time cannot be accurately performed by any person. To insert a printed plastic label with a barcode into the holder intended for it, a certain level of agility is required: the label must be slightly bent in order for it to fall into the slots.

Supermarkets and grocery stores are increasingly making individual orders, as the growing demand for minimally processed and fresh products has reduced the time for which perishable products should be put trade to a halt. This, in turn, has led to increased pressure on food producers, who form deliveries to stores according to the individual needs of each outlet, and not on the basis of standard orders.

The solution to BINA's task of creating a faster and more reliable labeling method was proposed by moveline AG, ABB's system partner. The company has already introduced a collaborative robot YuMi as part of a pilot labeling project.

As a collaborative robot based on safety, YuMi does not need protective fences or any other security devices, "notes Franz Joller, managing director of moveline. - Thus, it is suitable for placement in a limited space reserved for marking and performs the appropriate process steps.

In addition to integration and programming YuMi moveline also developed a capture device. By means of a pneumatic/mechanical grip with two vacuum suction cups, the cobot can bend the label so that no fracture occurs on it, but so that it can be inserted into the holder.

YuMi can handle 1200 containers every hour in two shifts from Monday to Friday without any interruptions.

In the future, for the further development of production, we will certainly rely more on automation, "says Steffen Knoll, technical manager of the BINA project. - I believe that collaborative robots such as YuMi open up great opportunities for us.