Alexandra Harin

Hofmann Lowcarb Food GmbH
Schöntal
Manual palletizing of cartons, labor shortage
Increased efficiency, team support
Panifactum stands for high-quality, gluten-free, low-carb baked goods. Whether bread, rolls, cakes, crispbread, or crackers—around 20 employees work every day to ensure that healthy enjoyment does not come at the expense of taste. However, with the steadily increasing success and demand for Panifactum's low-carb products, the effort required for manual palletizing became greater and greater. “Logistics was a real bottleneck,” says founder and managing director Matthias Hofmann, describing the situation. “We knew we needed a change to keep pace with growing production.”
When asked about the least popular task in his company, Matthias Hofmann does not hesitate for a second: “Manual palletizing—nobody really wanted to do that.” With a growing product range and increasing orders, it became clear that this logistical step in production had to be solved in a smarter way. Manual palletizing not only required a lot of time, but also considerable physical effort – especially in a business with growing volumes. “The boxes don't weigh much, around two and a half kilos, but we pack a lot of pallets every day. It's physically demanding and, above all, mentally tiring because it's the same movement over and over again – day after day,” reports Matthias Hofmann. Employees had to constantly stack large quantities of products on pallets, which not only became exhausting over time, but also led to a certain error rate. “The pallets were not always even – sometimes boxes protruded over the edge, which caused problems during storage and transport,” Hofmann continues. The lack of space in production was also particularly critical. “We asked ourselves how we could find an automation solution that would fit into our cramped production hall,” explains Hofmann. “It was important to us that the solution worked efficiently but didn't take up a huge amount of space, because we simply don't have the room. We also wanted to ensure that our employees could continue to work safely without the robot having to be fenced off.”
The choice fell on a cobot palletizing solution from coboworx, equipped with a Fanuc CRX robot, an automatic belt conveyor, a powerful flat suction gripper, and a lifting axis for high stacks—optimized for up to 400 cartons per hour. “The system is very simple: select the product, define the pallet location, press start – that's it,” says Matthias Hofmann, describing how it works. “The employees hardly needed any training.” The robot cell was introduced as part of a rental model – including maintenance, training, documentation, CE certification, and remote maintenance. “This makes the investment predictable and flexible for us – and made our decision easier,” says Matthias Hofmann. The cobot palletizing solution in detail: • Compact palletizing cell: A space-saving cell without a safety fence, comprising two pallet storage spaces for Euro pallets, which can therefore also be integrated into confined production environments. • Fanuc CRX robot system: Thanks to its integrated lifting axis, the robot is designed for high palletizing heights and offers a payload of up to 20 kg – perfect for the efficient handling of up to 400 cartons per hour. • Conveyor technology: An automatic belt conveyor with mechanical stops and adjustable guide plates ensures precise feeding of the cartons and enables repeatable positioning, minimizing errors. • Carton gripper: The flat suction cup ensures reliable gripping and stacking of the cartons. • Touch panel for operation: The user-friendly touch panel allows employees to quickly and easily select the appropriate packing pattern for different product sizes. • Flexible palletizing process: The solution is designed in the Panifactum concept to palletize a defined number of cartons per hour in single picks. • Manual removal of pallets: Once the pallets are filled, they are removed by the operating personnel, which enables simple and efficient handling.
Space requirement
Weight of the cartons
Throughput
Monthly rent
Since the new cobot palletizing solution went into operation, many things have changed for the better at Panifactum. The pallets are now stacked much more precisely – “No more cardboard boxes sticking out over the edge,” says Matthias Hofmann happily. Output remains constant, but the real advantage is the reduction in manpower required. The person freed up by this change has been deployed elsewhere in the company, which has led to a noticeable reduction in workload. But the biggest gain is in the team spirit: “The atmosphere is much better, and most importantly, no one has to palletize anymore,” says Matthias Hofmann. A task that was previously physically demanding and unpopular is now a thing of the past. Everyone benefits from a more efficient and pleasant way of working. “For us, this is the first step toward automation,” emphasizes Hofmann. “And a very successful one at that. Our employees are enthusiastic—the robot is now an integral part of the team.” Panifactum impressively demonstrates that even small and medium-sized food producers can work more efficiently, ergonomically, and economically with the right technology—without losing the soul of the craft. Automation thus becomes a success factor that increases productivity and noticeably improves working conditions.

Alexandra Harin
Senior Content Marketing Manager