Crate Destackers Contribute To Fruit Producer’s Productivity Increase

Introduction

Adrian Scripps is one of the UK’s premier growers and packers of English fruit. A family-run business, they started out with only one farm. They have since grown significantly and, today, have five farms and a packhouse. Their investment in automation as a whole has resulted in a threefold increase in productivity.

The Story of Adrian Scripps

Based in Kent, Adrian Scripps grow and pack a variety of produce including Braeburn, Jazz, Gala and Bramley apples, along with Conference pears and blackcurrants. A key Tesco supplier, something that sets them apart from others in the industry is their positive approach to automation. Their investment in innovation has reaped numerous rewards including an increase in efficiency and productivity.

The Challenge

An automation trailblazer, Scripps had already commissioned Brillopak to install 4 UniPAKer robotic crate packing systems, 4 vertical accumulation units and 3 robotic palletisers. However, they soon realised that, without automated crate destacking, they would need to employ a person to manually separate the crates. Crate destacking is an often-overlooked area in automation projects, but the overall efficiency of the entire line would have been affected without it. Adrian Scripps therefore appointed Brillopak to implement a novel destacking solution. You can read about the full end-of-line system here.

The Solution

4 Brillopak Crate Destackers were installed as part of the automation project. At the start of a run, the operator selects the appropriate crate size and brings a loaded pallet of five crate stacks to the Crate Destacker. Each stack is pushed onto a low-level conveyor and fed into the machine. The destacking mechanism pulls the bottom crate and feeds it into the line. A game-changing operating principle sees the Crate Destacker clamp down the bottom crate, lift up the rest of the stack, and then despatch the bottom crate, rather than picking up the entire stack. With conventional systems, releasing the bottom crate can sometimes cause two to be released at once, but with the Crate Destacker this is never an issue. In addition, the upper clamp is powered by two servo motors, making the system infinitely adjustable – the operator can switch between crate sizes, change the speed at which the system accelerates and decelerates, and alter the height to which the stack is lifted via a user-friendly Human Machine Interface.

The Result

The Crate Destackers have been key to the seamless and continuous operation of the 4 lines, as well as their overall efficiency. Thanks to its investment in full end-of-line automation, Adrian Scripps has tripled productivity from 2.5-5 packs to 15 packs per person per minute, enabling the packing hall to keep pace with increased production.

The Bottom Line

“You can honestly trust Brillopak. A British company, on our doorstep, at the forefront of their field. They’re innovative, proactive and delivered everything we asked. We couldn’t have worked with a better partner on this project.” James Simpson, Managing Director, Adrian Scripps.

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