Project Overview
Growing demand for variety packs required a major expansion in production capacity. A leading beverage manufacturer responded with a strategic shift, moving variety pack production from outside operations into its own facility to keep pace with demand and gain greater control over the process.
The project involved engineering and integrating a turnkey, fully automated variety pack line spanning the entire packaging process, from full pallets of single-flavor product through finished variety pack palletizing and stretch wrapping. Designed for a production rate of 150 12-packs per minute, the line brought depalletizing, product handling, variety pack assembly, end-of-line packaging, controls, and automation together as one integrated system.
The project’s scale and complexity created demanding integration and performance requirements. Detailed equipment and controls specifications extended across the entire system, requiring alignment across multiple machine centers and OEMs. The complete line also carried a stringent OEE performance guarantee. Selected equipment was designed for rates of up to 180 12-packs per minute to provide the pull-away capacity needed for line recovery.
The Problem
Automating the Front End of the Line
Bringing variety pack production in-house required automating the process from the moment full pallets of single-flavor product entered the line. Robots needed to depalletize full layers of cases at production speed, then transition those layers into the controlled, single-file flow needed for downstream unloading and variety pack assembly.
Managing Line Interruptions and Recovery
At 150 12-packs per minute, even brief equipment interruptions could affect performance across the line. The system needed enough accumulation to absorb short stops without immediately disrupting production.
Recovery presented an additional challenge. Once equipment restarted, the line needed enough capacity to clear accumulated product while continuing to handle incoming production.
Meeting Rigorous Engineering and Performance Requirements
The manufacturer’s rigorous equipment and controls specifications extended across the complete line. With equipment from multiple OEMs, each machine center had to align with those standards while functioning as part of one integrated system.
In addition to meeting the engineering specifications, the complete line carried an 85% OEE performance guarantee. System performance would ultimately be validated through site acceptance testing against the agreed criteria.
IPM’s Solution
Developing New End-of-Arm Tooling for Robotic Depalletizing
The front-end depalletizing challenge called for a new approach. IPM developed robotic end-of-arm tooling that enabled the robots to pick entire layers of single-flavor cases from incoming pallets.
Picking the layers was only part of the solution. IPM also engineered the conveyance that transitioned each full layer into a controlled, single-file stream of cases to feed the downstream unloader correctly. The robotic tooling and conveyance worked together to automate the flow from incoming full pallets into the variety pack process.
Building Pull-Away Capacity for Line Recovery
IPM designed the line for a production rate of 150 12-packs per minute, with accumulation built in to absorb brief equipment interruptions. Ahead of the palletizer, approximately three to four minutes of accumulation allowed the rest of the line to continue running during a short stop.
Accumulation isn’t fully effective unless the line has enough downstream capacity to recover from using it. When the palletizer restarted, it had to process both the accumulated product and the 150 12-packs per minute still coming down the line. At the same 150-pack-per-minute rate, the palletizer could keep pace with incoming production, but it could never clear the backlog.
To provide the necessary recovery capacity, IPM designed selected equipment for rates of up to 180 12-packs per minute. The additional pull-away capacity allowed accumulated product to be cleared while the line continued running, restoring available accumulation for the next interruption.
Managing Specifications Across Multiple OEMs
As the single integration partner, IPM managed the manufacturer’s detailed equipment and controls requirements across multiple OEMs and machine centers. The team reviewed the specifications, resolved questions directly with the manufacturer, and communicated the applicable requirements to each OEM. IPM tracked those requirements throughout the project as equipment and controls came together into one integrated system.
With one integration partner overseeing the complete system, accountability for meeting the manufacturer’s standards remained with IPM rather than becoming fragmented across multiple suppliers.
“With multiple OEMs involved, every supplier has to understand and follow the customer’s requirements. As the integrator, that accountability ultimately comes back to IPM.”
— Alex Karr, Sales Engineer, IPM
Training for Complete-Line Performance
Customized around the equipment and configuration of the integrated line, IPM’s EQUIPS program provided approximately two to three weeks of training for the manufacturer’s operators and maintenance personnel. The program combined classroom instruction with hands-on training at the equipment. Machine-specific instruction from equipment experts was paired with IPM’s systems-level understanding of how the complete line was designed to operate.
The training extended beyond how to operate individual machine centers to why the line responds the way it does. On a system engineered around accumulation, pull-away capacity, and recovery, operators needed to understand how an interruption or adjustment in one area could affect product flow and performance elsewhere in the line.
System Components Included
- Robotic Depalletizers
- Unloader
- Sorter
- Cartoner
- Tray Packer
- Labeler
- Palletizer
- Pallet Wrapper
- Film Baler
- Corrugate Baler
The Result
The completed line gave the manufacturer the automated, in-house variety pack production capability behind its strategic shift away from outsourced operations. Bringing production into its own network reduced reliance on outside co-packers and gave the manufacturer greater control over the process and production assets.
IPM’s turnkey scope extended from engineering and integration through installation, startup, and operator training, bringing the complete variety pack operation together within the manufacturer’s facility.
Key Project Data
150
12-Packs / Minute
Nominal Rate
180
12-Packs / Minute
Pull-Away Capacity
85%
OEE Guarantee
Complete-Line Performance
Engineer Your Packaging Line
for What’s Next
One partner. One point of accountability. One focus: your line performance.