Bakery and snack plants are moving away from manual cartoning and case packing to automated equipment. Driving forces behind automating these functions or upgrading equipment include the need to overcome labor shortages; meet growing demand for single-serve portions; adopt flexible machines that can address changing, and sometimes divergent, consumer preferences; accommodate sustainable and case-ready packaging, and ensure food safety.
In a growing number of bakery and snack plants, pick-and-place robotic systems are being installed to provide the flexibility needed to handle an expanding array of products, package sizes and packaging materials. “These robots can handle lightweight products precisely, reducing the risk of damage to products with delicate packaging associated with sustainability trends,” notes the 2022 State of the Industry, US Packaging Machinery Report, published in July 2022 by PMMI, Reston, VA.