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Cimcorp supplies second automated warehouse to Olvi brewery

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Olvi, one of the leading beverage producers in Finland and the Baltic region, is cementing its strong partnership with Cimcorp in a project for a new high-bay warehouse at its headquarters in Iisalmi, Finland.

By providing more storage capacity, this new automated warehouse meets Olvi’s strategic needs and growing production volumes, as well as helping to level out the seasonal demand of the brewing industry.

Ilkka Heikkilä, logistics supervisor at Olvi, says: “Our existing high-bay warehouse was implemented with Cimcorp in 2014. [Read more…] about Cimcorp supplies second automated warehouse to Olvi brewery

Doosan Robotics launches new range of collaborative robots

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Doosan Robotics, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, has launched its E-Series, the company’s NSF-certified collaborative robot line specifically created for the food and beverage industry.

Named for its technological “edge” the E-Series has the flexibility to make virtually any food and beverage while offering extremely competitive pricing and industry-leading safety and hygiene standards.

Doosan Robotics’ E-Series recently received the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certification for food hygiene safety with features such as sealed gaps between the cobot’s connecting axes. [Read more…] about Doosan Robotics launches new range of collaborative robots

GXO claims ‘industry-first’ innovation to outbound process with autonomous mobile robots

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GXO Logistics, which says it is “the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider”, has marked the success of its “industry-first” use of Lowpad’s Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for a customer in the food and beverage sector at a major warehouse facility in the Netherlands.

Luc Laurijssens, GXO’s managing director for Belgium and the Netherlands, says: “GXO’s industry-first collaboration with Lowpad on a custom-designed and engineered automated solution for our customer’s outbound process has significantly improved efficiency.

“By deploying Lowpad AMRs that are fully linked to our Warehouse Management and Electronic Data Interchange systems, we’re enhancing accuracy, efficiency and quality for our customer, while easing the strain of a tight labor market and reducing costs. [Read more…] about GXO claims ‘industry-first’ innovation to outbound process with autonomous mobile robots

Ottonomy provides ‘first’ fully autonomous delivery robots for airport

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A company called Ottonomy is providing a fleet of its fully autonomous delivery robots – called Ottobots – for food and retail at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).

This is said to be the first autonomous robotic delivery of food, beverage and lifestyle products in an airport environment.

Officially launched for the holiday travel season, passengers are now able to order contactless delivery directly to their location in Concourse B of the airport, delivered by an autonomous robot. Customers can select grab and go, beverage and travel items sold at select retail stores operated by Paradies Lagardere via orderatcvg.com on mobile devices. [Read more…] about Ottonomy provides ‘first’ fully autonomous delivery robots for airport

Welding and automation integration company Central McGowan completes its third acquisition of the year

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Central McGowan, a supplier of gases and technology for manufacturing the upper Midwest and a Fanuc- and Lincoln-authorized integrator, has completed the acquisition of Preferred Welder Sales in Mankato, Minnesota – bringing its acquisition roster for 2021 to three. 

The company acquired Metro Welding Supply in Minneapolis, Minnesota. in April and Fessler Carbonic Gas in Des Moines, Iowa in March.

According to Joe Francis, president/CEO, these acquisitions complement Central McGowan’s current business while strengthening its presence in key market areas. All three of these companies were independently operated, highly successful businesses with owners seeking to retire and wanting a way to continue what they each started. [Read more…] about Welding and automation integration company Central McGowan completes its third acquisition of the year

ABB Robotics offers South Africa’s food and beverage industry ‘a taste of the future’

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By Linda Eales, robotics division manager at ABB South Africa

The future has never looked more unpredictable for South Africa’s food and beverage (F&B) sector, as it battles a perfect storm of pressure brought on by Covid-19, changing consumer and retail consumption patterns, disrupted supply chains and ongoing scrutiny around food safety.

The food and beverage sector has been battered by a couple of high-profile food safety scares in recent years, and is scrambling to keep up with mega-trends like digitalisation and shifting consumption patterns. The good news is that this could be the perfect opportunity for the local F&B industry to reposition itself for the present and future.

F&B manufacturers increasingly need more flexibility on their production lines to enable them to adapt to changing consumer tastes and demands. At the same time, they require higher levels of productivity and efficiency, while maintaining the highest levels of product quality. In many cases, the answer to these challenges is to install a robotics solution, which makes F&B operations safer and more productive. [Read more…] about ABB Robotics offers South Africa’s food and beverage industry ‘a taste of the future’

Miso Robotics partners with Lancer Worldwide to launch automated beverage dispenser

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Miso Robotics, a robotics and automation startup specializing in the foodservice industry, is partnering with Lancer Worldwide, a beverage dispenser manufacturer which works with the world’s top food and beverage brands, to build “an intelligence-backed, automated beverage dispenser that will bring enhanced functionality for a future-focused commercial kitchen”, according to the companies.

At a time when the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is facing record labor shortages, operators are looking for ways to streamline operations, cut costs and implement solutions that drive a better and faster customer service experience. The pandemic drastically shifted the paradigm, creating new models for operator revenue streams that relied on drive-thru, takeout and delivery more so than ever before.

While 60 to 70 percent of certain QSR sales came from the drive-thru lane pre-pandemic, as Covid spread, major QSRs experienced a jump as high as 90 percent.1 Yet, the new delivery and drive-thru model have made the always-critical need of speed and efficiency an even bigger challenge as volume increases and staff decreases have added minutes to the clock for order completion. Because of this, total average drive-thru times slowed down by 29.8 seconds last year. [Read more…] about Miso Robotics partners with Lancer Worldwide to launch automated beverage dispenser

SICK develops first IP69K incremental encoder with added ingress protection

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Encoder delivers hygienic, long-lasting reliability in demanding food and beverage environments, says SICK

Developed for long-lasting reliability despite frequent high-pressure chemical washdowns in demanding food and beverage applications, SICK’s DBS60I-W is the first IP69K incremental encoder with added ingress protection thanks to a new, patented deflector shield, according to the company.

The SICK DBS60I-W washdown encoder delivers all the high-resolution performance of SICK’s popular DBS60 incremental encoder but in a robust IP69K-rated, 316L (V4A) stainless steel housing.

The specially developed deflector shield is designed to protect the shaft seal from ingress of water and caustic chemicals during high-pressure washdown. As a result, the washdown encoder promises a long product life, protecting machine reliability and availability on food processing, bottling, and packaging lines. [Read more…] about SICK develops first IP69K incremental encoder with added ingress protection

Global food and beverage robotic systems integration market for pick and place application to surpass $40 million by 2025

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The global food and beverage robotic system integration market for pick and place application was estimated at $17.5 million in 2017 and is projected to reach $40.1 million by 2025, according to a new market study published by Coherent Market Insights.

The North America market is projected to reach $11.12 million by 2025 with a compound annual growth rate of 11.02 percent. Increasing demand for robotics for application in various industries has become one of the key factors for growth of this market.

According to Robotic Industries Association, in 2015, a total of 31,464 robots valued at $1.8 billion were ordered by North American companies of different industries, an increase of 14 percent in units and 11 percent in revenue over previous year. [Read more…] about Global food and beverage robotic systems integration market for pick and place application to surpass $40 million by 2025

Bobacino launches robotic tea bar

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A startup company called Bobacino has launched its automated Boba Tea Bar, which uses a robotic arm to make beverages for customers. (See video below.)

Bobacino says it is bringing the “unique boba tea experience” to a growing audience of boba aficionados and new enthusiasts through advanced artificial intelligence, automation and robotics.

The company has launched on StartEngine, a crowdfunding platform, to target a market that it forecasts is set to hit $8.4 billion by 2024. [Read more…] about Bobacino launches robotic tea bar