Everlasting FANUC robots.

How long can a robotic system actually last? Some are replaced after ten or fifteen years, others simply keep running. We set out to find the oldest robots ever installed by DERO that are currently still up and running, and discovered a few remarkable examples.

At Lenger Seafoods in Yerseke and Poppies Bakeries in Melissant, they are still going strong: GMF/FANUC robots from the early ’90s. These are the oldest robots DERO ever installed still operational today.

One of the robots at Lenger Seafoods in Yerseke.

Lenger Seafoods

The two GMFanuc M-400 palletizing robots at Lenger Seafoods in Yerseke can truly be called indestructible. A fire and multiple relocations; the robots have been through quite a lot over the years. Yet, after more than 30 years, they are still running. After all, why replace them if they still work? A fine example of robust robotic automation.

Read the full story about the indestructible robots at Lenger Seafoods here.

Poppies Bakeries 

At Poppies Bakeries in Melissant, no fewer than 190.000 cream puffs roll off the production line every hour. In 2005, DERO installed several GMF/FANUC S-420 palletizing robots, manufactured in 1992, to palletize boxes of cream puffs. The system is set up compactly and handles twenty different pallet patterns, including the handling of pallets and interleaving sheets, using a single mechanical gripper. The robots have been doing what they were designed to do for twenty years, proving that the power of a good solution sometimes lies simply in its simplicity.

Read here the full story about the versatile palletizing robots at Poppies Bakeries.

One of the robots at Poppies Bakeries in Melissant.

Sustainable robot automation

One thing is clear at both Poppies and Lenger: they get the most out of their robots. The long service life of these systems is no coincidence. Reliable technology, proper maintenance and dedicated staff on the production floor all contribute to these robots still being operational decades later. Proof that sustainable robot automation continues to add value for years to come!

// P. Mulder - Synergy Food  //