Driven by our commitment to continuous improvement, Vetipak will never stop investing, innovating and automating. A great example is the extension of Line 2 in Oss, which literally saw us break through walls. Plant manager Ynno van Erp explains.
The challenge: creating space for Line 2
“Line 2 is crucial to our pouch operations, and we were eager to develop and automate it in response to the ever-growing demand for pouches. As a matter of fact, we’ve been dreaming of a fully automated line for years. We’ll even be welcoming our fourth pouch machine next year to keep up with demand.”
“But where will the new packing robot fit? Our Menhirweg plant is compartmentalized, in part because it’s where we package unwrapped products for major brands. We simply didn’t have any room to expand.”
The solution: breaking through walls
“We broke through the wall between compartments 2 and 3 and turned the two spaces into one. This let us expand the line and install our new machinery: a casepacker that takes the pouches off the belt and positions them neatly in a box. The new palletizer then stacks the boxes on pallets.”
“We also broke through figurative walls, showing our commitment to pushing the boundaries of automation and innovation. It was an experience shared by the entire company. Our Technical Services department insisted on physically removing the wall itself for a reason! They literally created space for our company to grow.”
are loaded at the push of a button”
The added value: man and machine benefit
“The upgrade to Line 2 will replace at least three workers, improving efficiency while reducing our dependence on developments in the labor market. In other words, it’ll help us get a grip on future labor indexation. What’s more, we’ve upgraded the operator role to give it a greater focus on process control.”
“First and foremost, our customers benefit. The new technology will improve our capacity by upping the speed and efficiency of production. Thanks to automated changeovers, new parameters and settings are now loaded at the push of a button. That’s what you call first-time right, and we all stand to benefit.”
