Case Study
Automated bottle depalletizing for Cloudy Bay
Challenge
At the time PHS Innovate had no materials handling systems installed at Cloudy Bay, so we didn’t have the leverage of an existing relationship. We knew our competition was likely to be European automation suppliers, which meant our sales and engineering team really had to impress to get the job.
Solution
We believe our combination of automation expertise and local service won this job, along with our ability to remotely access the automation software for easy upgrades and product additions.
Our purpose-built depalletizing solution for Cloudy Bay begins with an operator placing a stack of pallets at the end feed. The bottles are arranged in layers with hard divider boards between each layer. Our machine measures the top of the pallet, removes the layer board and then strips off the layer of 750ml bottles onto an outfeed conveyor. Next, it single files the bottles so they can enter Cloudy Bay’s automated filler. This process continues, layer by layer, until the pallet is empty. Then our machine takes the empty pallet and stacks it to one side. An operator removes the stack when it reaches 10 pallets.
The PHS Innovate depalletizing solution has been reliably meeting expectations at Cloudy Bay since installation was completed in mid-2022. Our engineers have visited the site a couple of times to work on speed improvements and remote access has allowed us to deliver quick solutions when needed.
Cloudy Bay plan to further optimise handling within their production lines by updating their palletizer and case packing solutions. With the depalletizer success under our belt, we hope to assist them with further production line improvements.
Roger Baillie
Senior Operations Manager
Cloudy Bay Vineyards
Fact box
- Compatible with 375ml, 750ml and 1.5L glass wine bottles
- Moves 9000 375ml and 750ml bottles per hour; 5000 1.5l bottles per hour
- Maximum pallet height of 2.3m
- Automatically removes bottom layer board and bottom plastic off pallet
- Places bottom plastic in a plastic recycling bin
- Designed to process two layers per minute, including pallet change
- Servo driven 4-sided clamping on sweep
- Accurate positioning and tool-free product change
- Operates with a 1000mm high removed layer board storage bin
- Achieves two full pallets of accumulation before depal position