Bakeries should have a comprehensive long-term plan with established goals when investing in robots or cobots. After the initial investment, it’s often easier to add automation and bolster capacity when such a strategic program is in place.

Look at it from a building block perspective.

“Early integration of robots ensures that bakery operations are scalable from the outset,” noted Felix Pang, robotic solutions specialist, ABI Ltd. “As the business expands and demand increases, robotic systems can be easily scaled up to meet growing production requirements.”

Whether it’s adding robotic arms to handle higher volumes or integrating new robotic technologies to support expanded product lines, he added most bakeries can adapt seamlessly to changing needs without significant disruptions to workflow or efficiency.”

Pang suggested that advances in robotic technology have made today’s return on investment (ROI) much shorter than in the past.

Other factors, such as the current labor shortage in the manufacturing sector, enable commercial bakeries to better justify such investments in automation.

“One significant advantage of robotics in the baking industry is its ability to ensure consistent quality across three shifts, thereby enabling continuous production,” he explained.

Using robots in place of traditional packaging systems can also dramatically reduce changeover time, suggested Joe Crompton, vice president of robot technology, BluePrint Automation. For example, multi-axis robots can erect and place cases instead of the more traditional case erection systems to quickly switch from one product to another.

Robots now come in various sizes and styles, including delta robots, systems with articulated arms or a selective compliance assembly robot arm that allow for greater scalability of projects to match the needs of both small and large manufacturers.

Giorgio Calorio, sales account manager at Schubert North America, pointed out bakers are realizing that ROI, a main driver in investing in robotics, has changed over the years. Although technology has advanced, he often sees 30-year-old systems still operating effectively in manufacturing plants. Today’s agile robots can handle a wider variety of tasks than in the past, making the ROI more attractive, especially when it comes to labor savings and driving overall operational efficiency.

“We have been installing Schubert systems in all different production areas starting from product handling after cooling up to palletizing,” he said. “Nowadays, it is also difficult to find operators committed to do repeated tasks all day and do them well.”

As a result, the decision to invest in robotics also goes beyond ROI. They can be used to improve product quality and consistency over all shifts, seven days a week.

Moreover, bakeries now have another way to retain and motivate employees by moving them from tedious and repetitive tasks to more complex, career-building, value-added job positions.

“In the past, part of the justification of automation has been to reduce head count and saving in personnel required for staffing a typical production line,” Crompton explained. “But during the last few years, there has been a shift in justification to simply being able to expand production capabilities in a labor market where it is difficult if not impossible to get enough line workers to be able to expand. It is nearly impossible to grow production capabilities in today’s job market without having a significant presence of automation.”

Robots can also operate continuously without breaks, leading to higher throughput, noted Dan Alper, product marketing manager, AMF Workhorse, a brand of AMF Bakery Systems.

This increase in productivity often translates into a quicker ROI because the gains in output and efficiency can quickly offset the initial investment costs.

“Robotics are more precise and consistent than human labor, which can significantly reduce waste and rework in packaging processes,” he said. “This precision improves product quality and customer satisfaction, contributing positively to ROI.”

This article is an excerpt from the June 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Robotics Packaging, click here.