Arla Rødkærsbro automates mozzarella production

Food
Palletising
Kawasaki

Fully automated production

Arla Rødkærsbro is a modern dairy with 250 employees. In Rødkærsbro, Arla has one of Europe's largest mozzarella dairies. A need for greater efficiency arose, and the dairy wanted to streamline their production.


Frees up 3 employees daily

100% customised solution

Fully automated production line

800 blocks per hour

Challenge

The mozzarella dairy wished to further automate its production line. The production line dealt with loading 2.3 kg mozzarella blocks, which involved a highly monotonous and repetitive process. Arla Rødkærsbro aimed to minimise heavy lifting for its employees.

Solution

A new system was installed in the production, along with one featuring a recycled robot. The process involves grouping four mozzarella blocks, after which the first robot picks up the blocks and places them in the thermoformer. Subsequently, the second robot packs the mozzarella blocks into plastic crates, which are then stacked and palletised.

Profit

The solution has fulfilled Arla Rødkærsbro's needs for optimisation by streamlining and automating the production line. This has eliminated the need for heavy and monotonous work, resulting in a reduction in production costs per mozzarella block.

From heavy manual labour to automated and efficient production flow

 

At the mozzarella dairy in Rødkærsbro, there was a desire to streamline its production line, similar to what had been done on two other lines. Additionally, there was a goal to minimise man-hours, as the manual process involved heavy lifting for the involved employees.

 

On the production line, the handling of 2.3 kg mozzarella blocks in a thermoformer, followed by manual loading into plastic crates and palletising, constituted a highly monotonous, repetitive task. With these optimisation goals in mind, it became evident to the dairy that automation was a viable solution.

 

Collaboration has been a key element

 

”From the start, our dialog has been great, and BILA was consistently testing options, making adjustments, and adapting. The close contact created a sense of security for both parties,”

 

Bjarke Damsgaard Jørgensen, Production Manager

 

The solution from BILA comprises the full automation of the mozzarella production line with two robotic systems: a new system and a system featuring a used robot. Approximately 800 mozzarella blocks are packed per hour on the line. Four mozzarella blocks are grouped together, and the first robot subsequently picks them up and places them in the thermoformer. After vacuum packaging in the thermoformer, the mozzarella packages move on, where the next robot packs the mozzarella into plastic crates, which are then stacked and palletised.

Kawasaki robot palletising cheese

Automation at cheese factory

Automation frees up 3 employees daily

 

The investment has met the optimisation goals of the dairy, where the line has been streamlined and fully automated. One person per shift is saved - 3 man-hours per day - from heavy and monotonous work, resulting in a reduction in production costs for each individual mozzarella block.

 

Arla Rødkærsbro has achieved a well-thought-out solution, tailored 100% to the dairy. The systems have been developed with a focus on design, where the construction of conveyors, hygiene, and cleaning options has been a significant priority. The dairy has been involved from start to finish, requiring that those involved have been in close contact:

 

”I am very positive about the collaboration with BILA. It has been very beneficial that we have sat physically together. It has been crucial for the result that our collaboration has gone well and smoothly,”

 

Bjarke Damsgaard Jørgensen, Production Manager

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