A regional food processor was running a manual case-erecting and palletizing station with four operators per shift. Throughput was capped by human endurance, and injury risk rose during peak season.
We designed a line that paired an automatic case erector with a compact collaborative palletizer, fitted to the existing case packer without renovating the floor. The cell now runs largely unattended between changeovers.
The outcome: four operators reduced to one for oversight, a 40% cut in direct labor cost at that station, and palletizing robot investment recovered in under three months. Most importantly, the team was redeployed to higher-value work instead of repetitive lifting.