Elettric 80 has completed phase two of an end-of-line automation solution for J Garcia Carrión, the producer of the Don Simon range of products which includes fruit juices, wines, soft drinks and soups.
The initial system roll out was in 2006 and following that J Garcia Carrión decided to enhance and expand its automated handling system.
This second phase was completed by Elettric 80 in February 2008. Both installations have benefited the Daimiel plant in Castilla La Mancha which concentrates primarily on the production of juice drinks. The overall order value is approximately €1 million.
The integration of both deployments has provided J Garcia Carrión with a fully automated plant.
Initial discussions between Elettric 80 and J Garcia Carrión commenced in 2005 and following a review of the specific requirement, Elettric 80 designed an end-of-line solution that operated on two levels; the handling of finished palletised product and the transport of materials, such as labels, film reels and empty pallets, to and from the production lines and to designated drop-off zones.
Phase one included a conveyor-bed four pallet handling LGV which collects finished product and transfers it to the wrapper; an LGV that transports empty pallets and raw material to and from the production line; five dual fork LGVs that take product from the wrapper to the warehouse and shipping docks; and a flexible stretch wrapping solution which can handle quarter, half and Euro pallets directly from the production line without the need for manual intervention or the stopping of the production process.
Once this stage was completed and deemed successful, J Garcia Carrión then instructed Elettric 80 to provide a flexible robotic palletising solution that would integrate seamlessly with the existing technology and would be capable of handling the various pallet configurations that are used in the facility. Both installations are now fully operational.
A further enhancement is currently under consideration which will include another robotic palletising system, as was deployed in phase 2. The system currently in operation also incorporates data tracking capabilities meaning that each pallet is assigned an individual product identifier. This not only guarantees the correct communication of data to various points in the facility but also the synchronised movement of pallets to be labelled.
Pablo Puerta Vizcaino, investments and industrial director at J Garcia Carrión, said: “We always need to evaluate how technology can be used to improve operational performance. The facility at La Mancha produces 800 million units a year and now that it is fully automated is one of the most efficient plants in Europe.”
