Allied Technology
  • Home
  • Company
    • About
    • Careers
    • ROI Calculator
    • Blog
  • Products
    • Palletizers
    • Case Packers
    • Collators
    • Feeders
    • Conveyors
    • Motion
    • Vision
    • Depalletizers
  • Videos
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Company
    • About
    • Careers
    • ROI Calculator
    • Blog
  • Products
    • Palletizers
    • Case Packers
    • Collators
    • Feeders
    • Conveyors
    • Motion
    • Vision
    • Depalletizers
  • Videos
  • Contact

Allied Technology Blog

Home

Closing the Labor Gap with Packaging Automation

by Editorial Teamon 20 March 2023in Uncategorized No comment

Manufacturers continue to find themselves stuck with labor shortage challenges they can’t seem to escape. But given the current state of unemployment, a considerably low 3.4% as of January 2023, this shouldn’t be the case.

So then where are the workers? The reality is the workers are here, but they don’t have the baseline skills necessary to fulfill the positions required by manufacturers.

This skills gap crisis has haunted U.S. manufacturing for some years now. It’s a growing trend that has resulted in a labor shortage, which unfortunately isn’t going away anytime soon.

In fact, US manufacturing is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a recent study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.

So, the arduous task of finding workers is getting increasingly more difficult. Which means even in the unlikely case that companies do manage to grab hold of the kinds of skilled labor they need for today, the workers they will need for tomorrow will be even more scarce.

To make things worse, the increasing demand for higher throughput or tighter production schedules is putting unwavering stress on manufacturers.

As a result, companies who choose to pursue the route of seeking out new skilled labor will risk wasting countless dollars fishing for labor in an ever-increasing pool of scarcity.

What can manufacturers do instead? First, we need to rethink the way we use human labor to begin with and ask ourselves, “is this type of work really best suited to a human in the first place?”

In many ways, the methods by which we utilize human labor are outdated. The work is often too slow, strenuous, and outright unsafe. To overcome these pressures, manufacturers should consider incorporating new technology, such as packaging automation, into their production.

The benefits of packaging automation technology simply outperforms the labor it replaces in nearly all aspects. Today’s machines are much safer, have faster throughput, and are less expensive in the long term. Manufacturers who adopt automated packaging machinery benefit from a more efficient production and safer work environment for their employees.

Even better, manufacturers can use the new technology to upskill current employees for future innovations as well as retask other employees to more important jobs upstream.

Automated packaging machinery has come a long way even in just the last two decades. As more companies implement automated machinery into their production the technology has become increasingly more advanced (highly efficient), while the cost of the given technology has decreased.

This means after a simple cost analysis of the true cost of labor vs the cost of automation, packaging automation is a no-brainer. When companies consider the labor burden costs, combined with the salary/wage an employee earns, it becomes clear just how much money is being thrown away.

By welcoming the opportunity to automate more tasks involved in the manufacturing process, manufacturers can shift their reliance away from scarce manual labor and simultaneously reap the benefits of labor-saving packaging machinery.

–

If you have questions or need help with packaging automation, get in touch with us today and we’ll work together to find the right solution for you.

To see our palletizers, case packers or other automated packaging machines by Allied Technology, check out our products page at allied-technology.com/products/.

–

Sources:

Creating Pathways for Tomorrow’s Workforce Today
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/manufacturing/manufacturing-industry-diversity.html

The Looming Economic Challenge Most People Aren’t Aware of: StepStone Research Highlights Long-Term Global Labor Shortage is Underestimated
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006338/en/The-Looming-Economic-Challenge-Most-People-aren%E2%80%99t-Aware-of-StepStone-Research-Highlights-Long-Term-Global-Labor-Shortage-is-Underestimated

Number of People 75 and Older in the Labor Force is Expected to Grow 96.5 Percent by 2030
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/number-of-people-75-and-older-in-the-labor-force-is-expected-to-grow-96-5-percent-by-2030.htm

Continue Reading

Allied Technology Rolls Out Cobot Palletizer Under $100,000

by Editorial Teamon 20 May 2020in Business, News No comment

BROOMFIELD,  Colo., May 20, 2020 – Allied Technology is pleased to announce the release of the new PicPac™ Palletizer, a turnkey cobot palletizer, now available at allied-technology.com. The PicPac Palletizer is designed to automate the labor-intensive process of manually palletizing boxes and retask operators with higher value job positions.

Allied Technology has refined complex industrial palletizing technology into a mobile, and easy-to-use palletizing unit.  The PicPac Palletizer is a compact, modular palletizer designed for simple implementation and vast package accommodation. With a modest price, simple functionality and inherent safety the PicPac Palletizer has made automation accessible to everyone.

Today’s palletizing operators earn low pay, endure poor ergonomic conditions, and undergo a great deal of physical stress, all of which affect job performance and sustainability. In comparison with manual operations, the PicPac Palletizer will drastically increase pallet changeover rate and improve palletizing reliability. This enables companies to retask current employees with more valuable positions, thus strengthening the existing workforce.

The PicPac Palletizer is easy-to-use, feature-rich, and ready for delivery. Here are a few key features:

  • The mobile frame includes built-in forklift pockets and retractable casters for quick deployment and increased mobility.
  • A collaborative robot (cobot) for high repeatability and safe operation without guarding.
  • The operator interface (HMI) allows for easy operation and troubleshooting with minimal training.
  • Full-size pallet stacking capabilities and up to a 96” stack height, utilizing a pneumatic actuated lift column. 
  • An adjustable integrated conveyor makes a fast and simple connection to any product outfeed conveyor.
  • Quick-change end of arm tooling (EOAT) allows operators to change between single- or multi-pick tools in seconds.

Pallet configurations can be created using PicPac™ Pattern Builder, proprietary software designed to guide users through the process of creating pallet patterns. Key software features include:

  • An easy-to-use graphic interface (GUI).
  • Build complex patterns with minimal effort and time.
  • Guided, step-by-step pattern building.
  • Work remotely and upload Pattern Builder files using a USB device.

The PicPac Palletizer is available now from Allied Technology’s website at an impressive introductory price of only $94,950. 

The PicPac Palletizer has a number of standard options available and is fully customizable to suit specific application requirements. Service and support packages are available to keep the palletizer running at maximum efficiency.

Allied Technology has made price justification easy with its Free ROI Calculator (allied-technology.com/ROI). This tool allows buyers to see the true cost of automating with the PicPac Palletizer and other end-of-line packaging machines from Allied Technology.

Continue Reading
PicPac Landing Image

Introducing PicPac by Allied Technology

by Editorial Teamon 29 October 2019in Uncategorized No comment

Allied Technology is excited to announce the release of a line of standard products from their new brand, PicPac. The products are a collection of turn-key solutions designed to automate end-of-line packaging processes.

As a custom machine builder for the past 20 years, Allied Technology has identified the common issues manufacturers have in the modern end-of-line packaging workplace. PicPac products were developed to solve those issues with modular and flexible robotic machines. PicPac will make automation quick, easy, and affordable.

PicPac’s current offerings available for purchase include:

  • PicPac Palletizer — Robotic palletizer
  • PicPac Depalletizer — Robotic depalletizer
  • PicPac Packer — Robotic case and tray packer
  • PicPac Collator — Robotic case collator
  • PicPac Feeder — Vision-guided part feeder
  • PicPac Motion — Robotic linear motion
  • PicPac Vision — Vision-guided robotics
  • PicPac Conveyor — Modular conveyors

Currently in development:

  • PicPac Tender — Robotic Machine Tending
  • PicPac Erector — Robotic Case Erector and Tray Former
  • PicPac Cartoner — Robotic Carton Loading
  • PicPac Bagger — Robotic Bag and Pouch Handling, Filling and Sealing
  • PicPac Filler — Robotic Bottle Filling
  • PicPac Labeler — Robotic Label Applicator
  • PicPac Capper — Robotic Bottle Capping
  • PicPac Blister — Robotic Blister Pack Loading and Unloading

For more information about PicPac products, and to see what solutions are coming soon, visit our Solutions page here.

For questions and sales inquiries, contact us here.

Continue Reading

Allied Technology Show Machine Turns Heads

by Editorial Teamon 25 October 2019in Business, News, Robot Integration No comment

Allied Technology was invited to create a robotic solution that filled and sealed bags with food items for the non-profit organization, Blessings in a Backpack.

It’s safe to say we exceeded expectations by creating a fully-automated solution, which started with individual food items on a conveyor and ended with a stacked pallet of totes containing the filled and sealed bags. The entire process is demonstrated in the video above.

It was gratifying to see our design come together in the form of a show-stopping machine. Waves of attendees stopped to take pictures and videos and ask about each specific aspect of the system. We were fortunate enough to be featured by several publications, including Automation World, Modern Materials Handling, and Packaging Digest. Possibly the highest praise came from John Henry, the Changeover Wizard.

“The whole cell was fascinating, but the bagger was ingenious. A bagging machine without the bagger. This is how packaging machines should be built.” – John Henry, Changeover Wizard

To read more, view the article here.

Our show machine demonstrates how easily collaborative robots can be deployed at various stages throughout the end-of-line packaging process. Utilizing four Universal Robots E-Series robots, this machine showcases the following aspects:

  • Vision-guided conveyor tracking (0:09)
  • Robotic pick and place (0:14)
  • Bag loading and unloading (0:40)
  • Case erecting (0:45)
  • Bag sealing (1:07)
  • Case loading (1:34)
  • Robotic palletizing (1:45)
  • Automatic tool changing (2:02)

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything going on at Allied Technology. Also, be on the lookout for some big news coming soon regarding our new line of products.

Continue Reading
Allied_Technology_Blessings_in_a_Backpack

Robots Pack Food for Kids in Need

by Editorial Teamon 23 September 2019in Business, News, Robot Integration No comment

Allied Technology, in partnership with Universal Robots, is helping to fight childhood hunger by packing food in bags for kids at this year’s Pack Expo in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS, NV – For the next three days, Allied Technology will exhibit an incredibly compact packaging solution to package food into bags for kids in need—a Blessings in a Backpack charity event at this year’s Pack Expo in Las Vegas.

Situated in the new Robotics Zone, Allied Technology will participate in the Blessings in a Backpack charity event where they will help pack 6,000 bags of food for kids in need of weekend nutrition across the country.

Allied Technology’s show machine will demonstrate how easily collaborative robots (cobots) can be deployed at various stages throughout the end-of-line packaging process.

Utilizing four Universal Robots E-Series robots, Allied Technology’s show machine will showcase a fully automated end-of-line packaging solution, including: vision-guided conveyor tracking, robotic pick and place, bag dispensing, bag loading and unloading, bag sealing, case erecting, case loading, and robotic palletizing.

“We want to show how simple it can be to not only deploy cobots at different stages, but also show how multiple robots can seamlessly work together to complete an entire end-of-line packaging process,” explains Matt Halley, General Manager at Allied Technology.

The machine begins feeding six different products onto a conveyor and through a vision enclosure equipped with an infrared camera. The camera detects the product’s location on the belt, while an encoder tracks the conveyor’s belt speed and product position. The first robot (UR5e) receives the encoder signal and camera information. The robot picks the product off the conveyor and places it into a bag at the bag loading station.

Once a bag has two breakfast items, two dinner items and two snacks, a second UR5e removes it from the bag holder and seals the bag. The filled and sealed bag is placed on a pedestal for the next cobot to pick.

A third robot, this time a UR10e, will pick a tote from a stack and erect it using a mechanical end of arm tool. The UR10e will pick a filled, sealed bag from the holding pedestal and place it into the empty tote.

After the tote is filled, the full tote will travel down the roller conveyor to the palletizer. Equipped with another UR10e, Allied Technology’s Robotic Palletizer picks filled totes from the conveyor and places them onto a pallet in a 3×2 pattern.

Allied Technology has also included a side demo, adjacent to the roller conveyor, where the same UR10e will pick two small boxes at a time off a modular belt conveyor. Just as before, the palletizing robot will pick and place in a standard palletizing pattern, this time on a separate pallet.

The robotic palletizer will alternate palletizing totes and boxes onto their respective pallets, to demonstrate the versatility of this equipment and technology.

Allied Technology is a machine builder and integrator specializing in robotic packaging machinery, since 1997. They design, develop, manufacture and integrate end-of-line packaging equipment. Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, they have packaging machines operating in facilities of all sizes and industries across the country.

###

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Matt Halley at (303) 502-7753 or email matthalley@allied-technology.com.

Continue Reading
Allied Technology at Automate 2019

Allied Technology Will See You at Automate 2019

by Editorial Teamon 10 April 2019in Business, News, Robot Integration No comment

This week, the Allied team will be at Automate and ProMat checking out the latest trends in automation, robotics, and material handling for 2019. Although we will not have a booth at this particular show, we are excited to be demonstrating our collaborative robotic palletizer and case packing machine at PackExpo Las Vegas in September!

It’s been a great year so far here at Allied Technology. We’ve been very busy with a few installations from our new line of collaborative packaging machines

Last month we completed the installation of a couple of our new collaborative robotic palletizers, and this month we are wrapping up the installation of a large side-load case packing machine for club packs, using two Universal Robots UR10’s.

Remember to sign up for our newsletter for upcoming packaging machines available for purchase from our website, and remember to not miss us at this years PackExpo Las Vegas!

Continue Reading
AT-Cobot-Store-User-web

Easy Integration and Quick ROI Makes Cobots an Obvious Choice

by Editorial Teamon 21 July 2018in Business, News, Robot Integration No comment

Let’s face it, with the accessibility of robotic automation, and the unreliable and unpredictable workforce nowadays, it doesn’t make sense not to automate your process. The robotics landscape has seen significant change in recent years with the welcome arrival of collaborative robots (cobots), allowing for flexible, mobile and modular possibilities. By investing in cobot integration, factories can spend less money automating a system and earn quick returns by eliminating unnecessary downtime.

Robot integration for a long time was very expensive, and understandably so. A team of experienced engineers was needed to correctly integrate robots into a facility and bring complex automation equipment together safely. Often times, there were bugs and issues that had to be bandaged later in the process because it was too complex or time consuming to reprogram the robot cell from scratch. Downtime was lengthy when issues arose and required integrators to schedule a visit many weeks out from when the initial problem was recognized.

This often resulted in endless delays and a finished product that often fell short of specifications. Unfortunately for the customer, this left them with no other choice but to accept a system out of necessity to get production back up and running.

Fortunately, robot and automation technology has since seen major improvements. During the last few years the automation industry has shifted its focus towards correcting the problems many companies face when trying to integrate robots into their facilities. Robot costs have decreased significantly, and with the successful introduction of cobots in the last few years, the cost to automate has been reduced even further. Not to mention, the ease of use has been dramatically improved.

Most of the big robot players have made it a critical task to improve the usability of their robots, with the goal to eliminate the need for an expert to program it. Integrators alone can now program, troubleshoot, reprogram, and make corrections significantly faster and thus eliminate unwarranted costs associated with robots. More importantly, this new method of cobot integration can reduce downtime so customers can keep production running.

Now, robotics integrator Allied Technology has taken the next step forward, once more reducing unnecessary costs associated with integrating robots. During his 30 years designing and building custom machinery, Allied Technology’s Mike Halley had a vision to create flexible, modular robot cells that can easily be implemented and redeployed when necessary.

“Throughout my career, I worked on many automation systems that handled an entire process with one large, dedicated machine set to run at maximum speed. This was great when everything was running perfectly, but when a problem came up, the whole system had to shut down until it was repaired,” Halley explains.

“By focusing on multiple smaller robot modules as part of a fully integrated system, you only sacrifice 10 to 20 percent of production, instead of having to shut down the entire line.”

For nearly a decade, Halley and his team of engineers have worked closely together to make this a reality.

Since collaborative robots first entered the U.S. market, Allied Technology has been researching and developing innovative solutions and, finally, has an answer to recurring requests for the modern automation landscape.

They are offering a variety of robot “cells” that require minimal modifications to suit any specific application. Their in-house machining and prototyping affords them the ability to make the exact adjustments to a given project quickly and of high quality, while eliminating the extraneous costs and time of outsourcing these processes.

Allied’s robot programming is very straightforward and robust so that making alterations can be as simple as re-teaching waypoints, which are possible for operators and managers to complete if necessary. Their cobot and automation solutions are designed to be modular, scalable, flexible and easily redeployed for future needs. This means any system purchased now, can be reused as products and production lines change.

An assortment of products and integration services are available from their new Cobot Store and Solutions page. Customers can choose from a variety of different robots, grippers, stands, fixtures, and other automation equipment, so they can get started integrating their own robot cell. If customers need help with any complicated portions of an integration process, they are encouraged to purchase blocks of integration hours from Allied Technology’s team of engineering experts.

Continue Reading
AT Assembly

Getting Started with an Automation Project

by Editorial Teamon 21 July 2018in News, Resources No comment

Getting started with an automation project can be difficult and sometimes confusing. There are many factors that might mystify someone interested in working with us, or with any automation expert. We at Allied Technology understand this and try to make the process as painless and straightforward as possible.

Understand that it is not uncommon for issues to arise, which may require alterations to a project. Any requests for changes are well documented through email, and confirmed with an update to the proposal, so there are no surprises.

Step 1: Evaluate Options

Visit our website to see the many ways Allied Technology can help you finish your project. We offer pre-engineered solutions with installations around the country that are proven to work. We also offer off the shelf solutions from our Cobot Store so you can get started with your own R&D and get us involved at any time if you need help with custom designs or integrations of the components.

Custom Solutions are how we made a living for over 20 years. If you can think it up, we can design a solution to meet your needs.

Step 2: Get in Touch

Once you have gotten familiar with our products and automation solutions, it’s time to get in touch with our automation experts. Call or email Allied technology so that we can help offer ideas and suggestions to get your project started and help you succeed with the solution you want.

Step 3: Show Us What You’re Working With

We recommend sending us photos, videos and details about the process you are trying to automate and how you want it to function. If convenient, we can visit your site and see your process, or you can send us product for testing to make sure we can work with it.

Step 4: The Proposal

Once you have given us enough information and resources about what you plan to automate, we then provide you with a proposal or quote. We will work together to make sure everything we have included is the solution you want, and you would write a purchase order to get the project moving forward.

Step 5: First Meeting

We will hold a kickoff meeting with everyone involved. Our engineering team will start the concept design phase for any custom solutions needed and integrate all the components to work within your floor space.

Step 6: Design Review

A design review will take place to confirm or make any changes to the project. Then our engineering team will work on the final design, electrical design and programming of the system. Meanwhile, our manufacturing team will begin machining and ordering materials.

Step 7: Final Design

The final design review will take place to confirm the project and make a schedule for implementation.

Step 8: Production

Production will begin after the final design has been approved. All of the required parts will be machined, assembled, tested and debugged. Once everything is operating successfully, the system will be prepared for acceptance, delivery, and installation at your facility.

Step 9: Installation & Acceptance

After your machine has been shipped from our facility, acceptance and installation of the system will take place, which will finalize the project so that we can begin working on your next automation project.

 

Continue Reading
chicagoskylinepost

Universal Robots Feature Allied Technology at PackExpo International 2016

by Editorial Teamon 2 November 2016in News No comment

Allied Technology has been invited by Universal Robots to exhibit in their booth at Pack Expo International 2016. We will have a collaborative robot cell demonstrating a few of our capabilities as a system integrator and a sneak peek at the line of customizable automation products we are working on.

Click below to see our featured article!

View article posted at BusinessWire.com:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161019006278/en/

More repostings via Yahoo! Finance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/universal-robots-exhibit-packaging-palletizing-174500761.html

Universal Robots:

https://www.universal-robots.com/about-universal-robots/news-centre/universal-robots-to-exhibit-new-packaging-and-palletizing-applications-at-pack-expo-2016/

RIA:

http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-News/Universal-Robots-to-Exhibit-New-Packaging-and-Palletizing-Applications-at-PACK-EXPO-2016/content_id/6277

Continue Reading

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Company

Allied Technology, LLC
Working Together.

Contact Us

  • 2150 West 6th Avenue, Suite P Broomfield, Colorado 80020, USA
  • +01 303.502.7753
  • sales@allied-technology.com

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Have a Question?

© 2019 Allied Technology, LLC