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Collaborative Palletizer Handles Up to 8 Boxes per Minute, Accelerating ROI for Industrial Manufacturers

Case-study

1/8/2023

Collaborative palletizer boosting efficiency in manufacturing environment

Industry

Food & Commodities

Application

Palletizing

Robot Solution

OMRON TM12 & TM14 Cobot

Meeting the demand for safer, more flexible palletizing in dynamic production environments

A major European manufacturer faced persistent challenges with manual palletizing: operators were regularly exposed to heavy lifting, repetitive strain, and the need to frequently reconfigure lines for new products. Traditional palletizing systems required fixed installations and safety fencing, limiting adaptability and slowing changeovers.

To address these needs, FlexLink and OMRON partnered to engineer a collaborative palletizer with a compact footprint and active safety features. The system integrates OMRON cobots—either TM12 or TM14 models—capable of handling boxes up to 12kg and supporting both US and Euro pallet standards. Unlike conventional solutions, the collaborative palletizer is self-supporting and mobile, allowing it to be moved between production areas and installed in just one or two days.

With CE-certified safety controls, operators work safely alongside the robot—no fencing or laser scanners required. The dual-pick vacuum gripper boosts throughput to 14 parts per minute, with the standard setup achieving 8 boxes per minute. Automating palletizing reduces injury risk and allows staff to focus on higher-value tasks.

Since implementation, the manufacturer has seen a measurable increase in line productivity and a significant reduction in manual handling injuries. The investment has delivered a return in under two years, establishing the collaborative palletizer as a pivotal solution for agile, high-output manufacturing.

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“This solution meets the need for automated palletisation, which relieves the operators from this repetitive task so that they can focus on tasks with more added value, and that are more interesting.” — Gary Hinault, FlexLink’s Controls Engineer

Results at a glance:

Up to 8 boxes per minute processed automatically
ROI achieved within 2 years
Supports US and Euro pallet formats up to 2 meters high
Operator safety improved with CE-certified active security
Flexible deployment across multiple production lines

Tailored automation for evolving production needs

FlexLink and OMRON continue to refine the collaborative palletizer, based on real-world feedback from manufacturers to ensure our solutions stay practical and effective. If you’re exploring ways to improve palletizing or want to create a safer, more flexible production line, we’d love to hear about your goals. Share your questions or project ideas with us anytime; our team is here to help you find the right solution for your facility.