As a pharmaceutical company, you’re under constant pressure to improve your manufacturing processes. Part of this involves streamlining your packaging processes.
The pharmaceutical industry can be very competitive. If you’re looking for a way to speed up your processes, reduce errors, and improve consistency, you might want to follow the many companies that are turning to palletizing automation as a valuable tool.
There are various benefits and advantages that come with using palletizing robots in your pharmaceutical packaging process.
Here are 11 of the top benefits:
1. Speeds up your entire packaging process
In any pharmaceutical company, speed is of the essence. Every second counts. As all your products pass through your palletizing stage, it can strongly impact the productivity of your entire manufacturing process.
The conventional approach to palletizing automation is to use single-purpose palletizing machines or large palletizing robots. However, many companies are now turning to collaborative robots. These are easier to deploy, fit alongside your existing manual processes, and are more accessible than the alternatives.
2. Improves consistency and reduces errors
Consistency is important at all stages of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. Your products need to be packaged and shipped with no unintended variations.
There is very little room for error in pharmaceutical packaging. A badly palletized shipment could become dislodged and compromise the products. Robot palletizing helps improve the accuracy and consistency of this vital packaging step.
3. Allows for more complex inspection steps
Pharmaceutical products usually require thorough inspection. In many facilities, the packing and palletizing process is the final step in the production line, so is the last point where you can detect errors.
With cobot palletizing, it’s easy to incorporate inspection steps into the palletizing task. This helps you ensure you catch any products that don’t meet your company’s quality standards.
4. Increases efficiency and cost-effectiveness
In such a competitive industry, you’re probably on the lookout for ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs where you can. Packaging processes are one area where automation can be highly effective.
Cobot palletizing is a lot more cost effective than the alternative palletizing solutions, such as conventional palletizing robots. Cobots also tend to require less maintenance and much less training.
5. Reduces the burden on manual labor
One of the major benefits of using a palletizing robot is that it reduces the burden on your workers. Palletizing is not an enjoyable task for humans to perform, as it is dull and repetitive.
With a robot performing your palletizing task, you free up employees to work on other tasks that are more critical to the business and your customers.
6. Helps improve safety in the workplace
If you’re still relying on manual palletizing, you run a higher risk of workplace injuries. Palletizing is a physically demanding task that can often result in injuries, particularly back injuries.
By using cobots to palletize your products, you can improve workplace safety and reduce the risk of injuries. This can significantly reduce the number of work days lost to injury.
7. Improves flexibility in the packaging process
One of the great appeals of collaborative robots is their flexibility. You can easily adapt them to meet the current needs of your company, no matter how unique your packaging process.
This flexibility is essential for many pharmaceutical companies, where products and manufacturing processes change constantly. From supply chain changes to regulation changes, robots can become a tool to help you evolve with the changing world.
8. Reduces the chance of product damage
Product damage is one of the great risks of a palletizing process that isn’t working properly. It only takes one box to be stacked wrongly and the entire pallet could come crashing down during transit. Humans can sometimes accidentally drop, mishandle, or badly place a product.
Robots can precisely place product boxes on the pallet. This means they help you ensure all products are packaged securely.
9. Allows you to scale your orders quickly
Unless you are a huge pharmaceutical manufacturer, it can be hard to scale your operations. Manufacturing processes are often complex as they need to accommodate the many regulations and safety concerns.
Whatever size your operation, palletizing robots can help you scale up your operations quickly and efficiently. Collaborative robots provide a stepping stone for scaling production in a way that hasn’t been possible previously.
10. Can be easy to deploy and integrate
Deploying a palletizing robot is now easier than ever. With a palletizing application kit, you will receive all the hardware, software, and information that you need to get your palletizing robot up and running.
The Robotiq Palletizing Solution is very user friendly and makes it simple to build and program your cobot for your palletizing tasks.
11. Keeps your pharmaceutical business relevant
As well as all the practical impacts of a palletizing robot on your process, investing in new technology also enables your company to keep up with your competition.
Many pharmaceutical companies are now turning to robotic automation to help them improve their processes. It’s highly likely that your competitors are already considering or using palletizing automation. By being proactive, you help to make keep your company relevant in the industry.
When you consider all the benefits listed in this article, it’s easy to see why so many companies are now moving to palletizing robots to improve their packaging processes.
If you’re looking for a way to automate your palletizing process, a collaborative robot application kit is a great way to start.
What aspects of your palletizing process hold you back? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or the DoF professional robotics community.
Read more about this on: Workfloor: Robotics News for the Factory
