Financial uncertainty, rising tariffs, and ongoing labor challenges are making it tougher than ever for meals producers to plan their subsequent transfer. However one Canadian potato chip maker discovered a solution to increase productiveness, cut back prices, and preserve flexibility—all with out hiring a single extra employee.
A crunch-time determination that paid off quick
When this 100-employee snack meals producer first reached out to us, they weren’t robotics specialists. They simply knew one thing needed to change. Their manufacturing strains wanted revamping, upkeep was changing into a headache, they usually had been feeling the stress to remain aggressive in a tricky market.
What began as a single automated palletizer venture rapidly turned a strategic funding. Utilizing our ROI calculator and an in depth wants evaluation, the corporate projected an 18-month payback. The true outcome? Simply 16 months. That’s once they ordered their second palletizer.
They usually’re not alone. Increasingly meals producers are realizing that automation doesn’t should be sophisticated—or dangerous—to ship actual worth.
Why the ROI beat expectations
Many producers calculate ROI based mostly solely on headcount financial savings. However this buyer rapidly found added advantages they hadn’t deliberate for:
- Decrease overhead from diminished guide dealing with
- Extra constant manufacturing output
- Simpler upkeep, even with seasoning strains close by
- Diminished coaching time because of intuitive, easy-to-use robotics
What’s extra, they didn’t should pause different initiatives to make automation work. Regardless of additionally investing in a brand new facility, they nonetheless managed to efficiently roll out the palletizing system with out disrupting manufacturing.
Flexibility that grows with you
A key motive for his or her second buy? Flexibility.
Relatively than locking them right into a inflexible format, the palletizing system allowed them to reorganize 4 strains with out main prices. They now have two automated cells that may evolve with their wants over time—serving to them construct momentum with out shedding agility.
A phrase to fellow meals producers
As I all the time say, “Begin someplace. Even in unsure instances, investing in automation doesn’t should be disruptive. Carried out proper, it’s a quick path to resilience.”
Meals producers throughout Canada are dealing with actual pressures. However automation isn’t nearly surviving—it’s about constructing a basis for development. If you happen to’re questioning whether or not now’s the precise time, run the numbers your self. Or higher but, see the total story behind how actual clients are making it work.
