Trip down memory lane: palletizing over the years.

Palletizing with robots has been around as long as industrial robots have been used. At DERO GROEP, we have also completed countless palletizing projects over the years, in a wide range of sectors and with different types of robots – from SCARA robots to cobots.

Our history with robots and palletizing goes way back. Even before the establishment of DERO GROEP, founder Maro Dedel was involved in all kinds of palletizing projects at Landré. Robots were installed at Nissan, Nijpels, Trimbach, Rothmans, Plukon and many others for (de)palletizing and order picking. And over the past 30 years, DERO GROEP has implemented many more palletizing solutions. 

Widely applicable

"In the early years, robots were mainly used in the automotive industry, but it soon became clear that robots could also be of good use in other sectors," says Maro. "In metal processing, robots were used to stack and unstack materials. This application was widely applicable and so it spread to other industries. As robots became more flexible and smarter, robot palletizing became possible for more and more products and applications."

Old palletization projects.

From robots to cobots

Over the years, many special robots have been developed for palletizing. "Because palletizing is basically a relatively simple application and only requires x-y-z movements, 4-axis robots were developed for this purpose," explains Maro. "In the early days, we saw the SCARA model, for example, but the market was soon conquered by special palletizing robots such as the Fanuc M-410." In addition to renowned brands such as FANUC, ABB, and Yaskawa, manufacturers emerged that focused entirely on palletizing robots. 

"Apart from these robotic arms, gantry (X-Y-Z) manipulators are also regularly used for palletizing solutions," Maro continues. "And nowadays we are seeing a new trend: cobots. These are often seen as the answer for palletizing applications, mainly due to their accessibility and high appeal."

"For simple, low-capacity applications, cobots are often an fine solution," says Maro. "But we always recommend looking beyond cobots alone. An industrial robot with more functionality, such as empty pallet handling, can offer more value in many cases. Such a solution does not necessarily take up more space or cost more, but often provides greater flexibility and future-proofing."

More recent palletizing projects.

Palletizing today

Palletizing is still part of the automation solutions we offer, but now our focus is on the sectors we are dedicated to (such as cheese, meat, fresh produce, bakery, horti and logistics). We also develop custom palletizing solutions for special projects or complete turn-key systems.

Are you unsure whether to choose a robot or a cobot? Or would you like to know more about our palletizing systems and how we can optimize your process? Get in touch with us, we are happy to advise you!

// P. Mulder - Synergy Food  //