Heavy bags, smart solution: How Avenarius Agro is transforming palletizing with coboworx

At a glance

Avenarius Agro GmbH, based in Wels, Austria, is a leading manufacturer of chemical products for the construction industry. The company, which belongs to the Synthesa Group and thus to DAW SE, offers a broad portfolio: from building waterproofing and concrete repair to heavy-duty corrosion protection. With over 120 employees at its Wels site, 45 of whom work in production, Avenarius Agro is an important partner for the Austrian building materials trade and construction industry. In addition to the highest product quality, Avenarius Agro attaches great importance to sustainability and employee health. Nevertheless, the demands of modern production continuously bring new challenges. “The biggest challenge in recent years has been finding employees who were willing to do both the physically demanding, monotonous assembly line work and keep up with the increasingly complex processes involved in management systems and digitalization,” explains Martin Bohmair, production manager at Avenarius Agro.

The Challenge

A prime example of this challenge was the work in the powder department, where employees manually palletized 25-kilogram bags every day. On peak days, this amounted to up to 40 tons per shift. The work was not only physically demanding, but also monotonous and time-consuming. “Our goal was to relieve employees of this assembly line work and give them time for more important and complex tasks,” says Martin Bohmair.

The Solution

Avenarius Agro found the solution in collaboration with coboworx: a customized robotic solution for palletizing bags. The initial concept was configured using the company's online configurator. The company found the rental model particularly attractive as a risk-free entry into automation. The robot cell was specially configured to meet the company's requirements. The compact design, which fit perfectly into the confined space of the powder department, was particularly impressive. The system enables palletizing on two pallets simultaneously. As soon as these are full, the employee exchanges them for empty pallets. Built-in sensors automatically detect the pallet exchange, and the robot starts its work immediately after the roller doors have been closed. Another highlight is the flexible gripper technology developed for the five different bag sizes used by Avenarius Agro. “The gripper can be converted between the different bag sizes in a matter of minutes with a few simple steps,” explains Martin Bohmair. “Operation and program selection are also easy via the HMI, so our employees quickly became familiar with the system.”