Simbiosis × Lipton (Unilever) - Robotic automation
Robotic packaging and quality control
End-of-line automation with KUKA robots for food giant Lipton: the bags are carried by a steel wrist, not a human back. Every pack is inspected by machine vision, and a faulty one never even makes it onto the line.
Results - in figures
150% increase in packing capacity
98% reduction in waste caused by human error
The risk of shipping misprinted packs, and of recalls, eliminated
Repetitive heavy lifting moved to the robot: lower risk of injury and lost working days
Packing is one of the most repetitive, most tiring and most injury-prone jobs in production, and also one of the easiest to automate. At Lipton’s production plant, as large bags flow along the conveyor, a KUKA robot grips the products from above with a custom vacuum gripper that leaves no marks, and packs them; robot, conveyor and camera work to the same rhythm over Profinet. At the end of the line, the print quality of every pack is inspected by machine vision inside an enclosed booth with constant lighting, and a pack with a misprint is pushed off the line by a pneumatic pusher within a second. The cell finishes all three shifts at the same pace: no breaks, no shift fatigue. Night production is no longer a bottleneck.
01 - Challenge
The challenges
The starting point: what was slowing the line down, putting it at risk or keeping its data in the dark?
- 01Challenge
Synchronising with a high-speed production line
- 02Challenge
Holding different product packs precisely without leaving marks
- 03Challenge
Meeting food-industry hygiene standards
- 04Challenge
Consistent machine vision under changing light
- 05Challenge
Fatigue and safety risk from manual handling
02 - Solution
Our solutions
Our answer: mechanics, controls and software, built by one team.
- 01Solution
Real-time communication between robot, conveyor and camera over Profinet
- 02Solution
A custom-designed vacuum gripper that picks the product from above without leaving marks
- 03Solution
Stainless steel and food-grade materials
- 04Solution
An enclosed quality-control booth with constant lighting: inspection that doesn’t depend on ambient light
- 05Solution
All of the repetitive lifting handed over to the robot
03 - Result
The results
The difference measured on the line, and seen by the customer every day.
- 01Result
150% increase in packing capacity
- 02Result
98% reduction in waste caused by human error
- 03Result
The risk of shipping misprinted packs, and of recalls, eliminated
- 04Result
Repetitive heavy lifting moved to the robot: lower risk of injury and lost working days
- 05Result
Payback period: 18 months
04 - System
Project highlights
- Precise, mark-free pick and place with a KUKA robot
- Conveyor handling fully synchronised with a high-speed line
- AI-assisted packaging print inspection: every pack, one by one
- Automatic rejection of faulty products by a pneumatic pusher
- Three shifts, same pace: 24/7 uninterrupted operation
- Repetitive heavy lifting handed from people to the robot
Technologies used
05 - On site
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