Project Speedpacker: how we pack 240 avocados a minute without damaging them

Introduction

Europe's market leader Nature's Pride in Maasdijk imports 230 fruits and vegetables from 58 countries. To keep up with the increasing demand for avocados and optimise the packaging process, machine builder Selo was commissioned to develop the Speedpacker. Selo called in VIRO for logistics simulations during the development phase. This significantly reduced the time to market; in addition, Selo had to carry out less costly field tests.

Packing 240 avocados per minute

The innovative Speedpacker enables avocados to be packed efficiently and carefully without damaging the avocados during handling. The fragility of the product combined with the system requirement to pack 240 avocados per minute made the project a particular challenge for Selo's engineers and machine builders.

Watch the video of the Speedpacker here:

Challenges in the engineering process
Avocados are supplied via a sorting machine. This supplies the Speedpacker with a continuously varying product mix. The different sizes of the avocados, the mix of different grades and the fact that each tray has to be completely filled with avocados brought the following challenges:

• Capacity determination: the machine is sold by Selo on a total throughput basis. This is based on the capacity per robot multiplied by the number of robots and a safety factor. This calculation needed to be validated.
• Validation between conveyor belt flights: the initial pitch (distance) between the boxes was too large to handle larger boxes. As a result, the conveyors were not used efficiently.
• Optimisation of robot allocation rules: avocados are supplied over three conveyors to which robots are assigned. Robot allocation rules for each conveyor belt were optimised based on supply. This to achieve the most efficient line control.
  

Solution: simulation and parametric modelling

To improve the efficiency of the Speedpacker, VIRO developed a parametric model in Tecnomatix Plant Simulation (Siemens). Using this model, we were able to analyse different scenarios and make optimisations. Important features of the model are:

• Variable product sizes and numbers per box: the model easily handles different box sizes with the push of a button.
• Dynamic simulation of product supply: fluctuations in supply are included in the simulation, allowing realistic situations to be analysed.
• Adaptable conveyor strategies: the speed and acceleration of the conveyors can be optimised individually.

These simulations allowed Selo to determine the optimal strategy for the robots in advance. This ensured a robust and efficient process design: development time was significantly reduced and the number of physical tests was drastically reduced.

Results and implementation
The Speedpacker is now operational in Nature's Pride's packaging area in Maasdijk. Thanks to advanced camera technology, the grippers detect the exact position of the avocados, allowing them to be carefully picked and placed in the boxes. The added value of applying simulation during engineering are:

• Optimisation of robot allocation rules per product infeed conveyor based on supply, which resulted in more consistent output.
• More efficient utilisation of robot capacity, which allowed more accurate determination and substantiation of total throughput.
• Optimal utilisation of conveyors with trays: the conveyor is optimally utilised without having to change the design. Simulation showed that this solution works effectively for all different product sizes.
  
  

Conclusion
VIRO's simulation expertise and parametric modelling enabled Selo to make the right design choices during the engineering process, based on actual numbers. Selo is very satisfied with the results. End customer Nature's Pride is also content: ‘We are proud of our speedpacker, which allows us to pack our avocados ergonomically and more efficiently,’ says Mohamed Ayachi, Nature's Pride's Operations Manager. ‘This allows us to stabilise our process and increases our reliability towards our customers.’

Thanks to Selo and Nature's Pride for contributing to this article.

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