Automatic Custom Case Packer

In this industrial customer profile, Mr DEBUCHY, Maintenance and Capital Projects Manager at BAHIER, explains what led the company to install two complete lines — cartoning, case packing and palletising for rillettes pots and black pudding — and the benefits that are already visible.

Our objective was simple: automate the entire line, from the freezer outfeed through to palletising. With JYGA PROCESS, we robotised production and integrated a wrap-around case packer. For us, this was a major change because we had previously used RSC cases and all packaging operations were manual. The result was higher throughput and OEE, lower-cost wrap-around cases, better pallet stability thanks to the interlocking cases, and fast format changeovers on a reliable machine. Designed for 1 tonne/hour, the line meets the specification and can reach 1.2 tonnes/hour. We are very satisfied.

In 2022, at DESTINATION BIO in Bordeaux, we needed to replace a line that had become obsolete. As part of a continuous-improvement approach and to anticipate our customers' future needs, we redefined the specification for a higher-performance line. Our case supplier introduced us to JYGA so that we could move to a wrap-around solution, and both the technical relevance of the proposal and the partnership approach made the difference. Today, the wrap-around case packer is so simple that you barely notice it: format changeovers take five minutes and operation is much smoother in our new production facility. The carbon-offset option, through tree planting in France, also fits our values as an organic B Corp-certified business.

For our valved gas cartridges, we wanted a case packing solution that could be integrated quickly and used by the teams immediately. The wrap-around case packer delivered in October 2021 met every requirement: start-up was completed in under a week and the teams got to grips with it very quickly. This rapid implementation allowed us to start production confidently, without a lengthy adjustment phase. What matters to us is the combination of a short installation period, intuitive operation and dependable performance. Since installation, the equipment has given us a high level of satisfaction: case packing has become a stable part of the end of line that we can rely on every day.

With increasing volumes and new mass-retail markets, we needed to automate an end of line that had previously been manual. JYGA replaced our old case packer with a compact, easy-to-use WRAP solution featuring a 6-axis robot for fast, flexible case packing compatible with shelf-ready cases. The machine handles product inspection, case forming, case packing and outfeed. The results exceeded the specification: 90 boxes/minute against 88 requested, MTBF above 480 minutes against 150 expected, and availability above 99% against a 98% target. This performance allowed us to remove physically demanding, repetitive tasks and to equip other end-of-line systems with robotic palletising, including at another European site.

At the beginning of 2007, we decided to begin mechanising our case packing operations.

Recruitment difficulties, high production requirements and the need to optimise costs led us to automate our new baguette line. The challenge was to improve productivity — higher throughput and volumes with fewer stoppages — while removing a particularly strenuous task: handling and tipping bulky 20 kg tubs of sticky dough. We needed a straightforward approach, testing from the acceptance stage and a responsive supplier capable of protecting product quality and supporting internal change. The result is improved working comfort, greater recognition of maintenance and production skills, and a more competitive line that makes our production roles more attractive and opens the door to further robotisation projects.

Laïta is a dairy cooperative with six industrial sites in western France. Laïta has always sought to improve and optimise its production resources, and automation forms part of this industrial-development strategy. We completely redesigned our equipment and decided to replace two lines with a single production line featuring automatic case packing. We remain optimistic. There will undoubtedly be new directions for the business, and it is up to us to adapt.

We have been highly satisfied with JYGA, both in terms of the reliability of the case packer installed on one of our lines and the service, which has always been very efficient.