Established to meet the soaring international demand for milk powder, Oceania Dairy is one of New Zealand’s largest registered dairy exporters. Their mission to deliver highly valued dairy nutrition globally drove them to seek cutting-edge automation technology that enhanced both their productivity and product traceability.
Faced with the challenge of manual case packing and palletising, which was a labour-intensive process prone to errors, Oceania Dairy partnered with us to develop a fully automated solution. We designed and built a customised automation machinery system featuring our Top Load Case Packer integrated with a tape closing system, alongside our Palletising System. This advanced setup not only streamlined operations but also ensured comprehensive track and trace capabilities throughout the supply chain.
The extensive automation solution meticulously scans each foil pouch of milk powder as it is loaded into cases, recording vital information such as weight, batch number, and production date. The cases are then automatically closed and conveyed to the palletising station, where an ABB industrial robot efficiently arranges them in predetermined patterns onto pallets. The system also incorporates traceability data management, capturing and transferring detailed product information to the company’s quality control system, supporting compliance and quality assurance initiatives.
The impact of this automation has been profound. Oceania Dairy has reported annual savings of $1.4 million due to the new production machinery, an extraordinary figure rarely seen in operational cost reductions. These savings stem from increased throughput, reduced labour costs, minimised errors, and enhanced product traceability, enabling the company to maintain its competitive edge in the global dairy market.
Robbie Breen, Site Operations Manager at Oceania Dairy, praised the dedication of RML:
“The commitment of RML to high-quality service is at a level we had not seen before. They are ready to help and are solution-oriented, even during challenging times. The trust we’ve built has allowed us to achieve results we previously thought impossible. We look forward to future collaborations.”
This successful project exemplified how integrating advanced automation with meticulous attention to traceability can produce substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies, making us the premier choice for dairy automation in Australia and New Zealand.
If you are looking to improve your production processes, then Production Automation Solutions designed and built by RML will provide your company with greater productivity, which will help the push towards this goal.
