Kinrise Snackfoods
The introduction of fully automated pallet movement at Kinrise Snackfood Facility has reduced risks in the work environment and boosted productivity. By using autonomous mobile robots from MiR, Kinrise Snackfood can keep internal logistics running 24 hours a day, six days a week with great operational efficiency.
Kinrise Snackfoods, a prominent Australian food manufacturing company, is renowned for its commitment to delivering delightful foods for every occasion. One of its brands, Cobs Popcorn, operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that produces vast quantities of popcorn units daily, supplying major supermarkets throughout Australia.
Through careful monitoring of their manufacturing process, Kinrise identified an increasing risk in the backend, where the pallet movement is heavily governed by manual interaction with the automated production robots.
At the heart of Cobs Popcorn's operation is a philosophy centered on safety, quality, and lean manufacturing. To uphold these principles, Kinrise set out to optimize production efficiency and product quality through automation.
Embracing automation for enhanced efficiency
A significant aspect of the transformation involved addressing the manually intensive and risk-prone pallet movement process in the manufacturing backend. Here, workers move finished products from the production line to a shipping area.
The business, highlights the need for an automated solution capable of operating effectively in real-world, confined spaces, and alongside human workers.
“We wanted a solution that could move these pallets automatically. For us, the main objective was to find a solution that works in the real world, with tight spaces and close interaction with humans. After extensive research, we adopted the Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) solution for its flexibility, agility, and real-world applicability,” says Kinrise Spokesperson.
Seamless operation throughout the day
The Cobs facility now utilizes four MiR robots to automate the palletizing process. These robots seamlessly transport full pallets from palletizing robot cells to the hood wrap-up and return with empty pallets, operating continuously throughout the day.
These robots are operational 24 hours a day, six days a week, handling hundreds of pallets weekly and have covered 10’s of thousands of kilometers within the facility.
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"Our employees are very excited with the implementation of the MIR robots"
Positive impact on the workforce
The introduction of MiR robots has been positively received by the employees at Kinrise Snackfood, who were both quick to recognize the benefits and have added a humorous twist reflecting their enthusiasm and acceptance of their new automated colleagues.
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Our employees are very excited with the implementation of the MIR robots. They've seen an improvement in manual handling, and it's given them a great excitement to see the improvements in operational efficiency. They've even named them Choc, Ding, Wow, Pop after some of our products
Enhanced Productivity and Safety
The MiR robots have become an integral part of Cobs daily operations, underscoring Kinrise's commitment to innovation and efficiency in food manufacturing.
In daily operations, MiR Fleet, a fleet management software, is crucial in managing the MiR robots. It optimizes robot tasks, auto-charging, and interaction with various equipment in the facility. With the MiR Fleet management, the facility staff have a fast and centralized way to configure the robots. The software prioritizes the tasks required for the robot cells and the fleet to understand what's required at any given time.
“The implementation of MiR robots at Kinrise Snackfood facility has given us greater productivity, greater operational efficiency, and improved our safety overall on our site. It has really been a valuable investment for Kinrise Snackfoods, says Head of Operations & NPD at Kinrise Snackfoods.
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