In corrugated processing, every second counts. This is also well known at Fris Karton in Bladel, the Netherlands, where individual packaging solutions are created daily for more than 400 customers. However, when a state-of-the-art Flexo Folder Gluer of the "Type EMBA 295 QS Ultima" from the supplier Emba was introduced in 2022, it quickly became clear: Production is running at full speed – but at the end of the line, a well-known bottleneck is slowing down throughput – manual palletizing.
Today, there's no trace of that anymore. Instead: A system that palletizes packages precisely, quietly, and compactly. This has been made possible by a collaboration between the Hapert-based supplier Dücker Prefeeder in the Netherlands and the Bremen technology company Cellumation.
Bottleneck in material flow eliminated
"We weren't utilizing the potential of our machine," recalls Rob Smets, owner of Fris Karton.
The reason: Despite all the speed at the beginning of the line, automatic palletizing was missing at the end - a bottleneck in the material flow. The solution came in the form of a coordinated system: The new fully automatic palletizer "PAF1600" from Dücker Prefeeder works hand in hand with the "celluveyor PAL" – an intelligent conveyor module from Cellumation that can also be used in tight spaces.
130 hexagonal cells, omnidirectional movement, real-time 3D vision: The "cv.PAL" is the heart of the new system. "The bundles of cardboard often come out twisted or shifted from the machine," explains Erik Meulendijks, Co-Owner of Dücker Prefeeder.
"Our technology automatically detects this and corrects the position with millimeter precision – without stopping." According to the supplier, this works for bulky large formats as well as for several small bundles simultaneously. Up to
seven packages can be moved and oriented parallelly over the Celluveyor system. "With this project, we have ventured into the exciting industry of the corrugated industry," emphasizes Theresa Gröninger, Head of Business Development & Marketing at Cellumation. "Because it's not just about shipping goods on time, but also supplying shippers with cartons of every size."
The system processes up to 30 bundles per minute – and does so with precisely formed layers that are directly taken over and stacked on the pallet by the PAF1600. The system operates fully electrically, does not require fencing, and remains pleasantly quiet at under 70 decibels.
For Fris Karton, this means: Higher production performance, fewer manual interventions, and consistently uniform pallet quality. "Visitors can hardly believe that it works like this," says Rob Smets. According to both companies, short-term order changes are also possible
with the new system.
The close collaboration of the two technology partners was also crucial for the outcome. "Everything ran smoothly from the start," emphasizes Erik Meulendijks. Ideas were openly exchanged, and challenges were solved together. "Today, no one talks about two systems anymore – it's one." This partnership approach was important to optimally network both systems and establish a solution at Fris Karton that not only convinces technically but is also economically sensible.
Plus for efficiency
Since the start-up of the overall system in October 2024, Fris Karton has been benefiting from a measurable efficiency gain. The new palletizing system enables faster throughput times, a lower error rate, and higher flexibility with changing order formats. Another step towards digitized production – and a good example of how intelligent automation and collaborative partnerships can elevate intralogistics to a new level.
