For over 30 years, Fibre King has supplied reliable mechanical palletisers at speeds of up to 60 cases per minute. The first palletiser the company built was installed in April 1984, and is still in operation now.
In the spirit of continual improvement, however, the company recently developed the Active 150, its first palletiser to suit high-speed production lines.
The Active 150 uses the same elements of its existing palletiser range and combines these with the Intralox ARB Series 7000 Pattern Former.
The result, according to the company, is increased productivity and flexibility. The new Active 150 Palletiser offers speeds of up to 150 cases per minute, without the usual complex and expensive collation systems.
The Series 7000 turns and lanes cases while maximising floor space, minimising mechanical changeovers, and improving operator and maintenance interactions.
The Active 150 came into being after a client requested a Fibre King robotic palletiser solution for its production facility, according to Fibre King.
In order to meet speed requirements, the engineering team used design-led principles and considered the client’s production facility in its entirety for the best solution.
Once the Series 7000 was identified as part of the final design, Fibre King coordinated visits for the client to Intralox in the US and existing users of the technology.
Impressed with the flexibility of the concept and the Fibre King team’s enthusiasm, the client agreed to the product development and the new machine was born, the company says.
A Fibre King spokesperson says the company has always enjoyed collaborating with clients.
“Notable examples of new equipment designed and manufactured through client collaboration include our range of laminator tray formers developed for the meat industry with Amcor, and more recently, an automation solution for handling reusable plastic crates (RPCs) for a large North American company,” the spokesperson says.
“Collaboration and product innovation has driven the company’s recent expansion and growth.”
Fibre King is part of the RL Windsor Group, which produces case packers, palletisers, meat equipment and crate automation equipment. Its international brand, Oryx Automation, opened a new 3000m2 factory in Thailand late last year as part of the company’s global growth plan.
That in turn freed up Fibre King’s head office, a 2500m2 facility in Brisbane, to focus on research and development.
Group CEO Earle Roberts says this growth phase was not without its challenges, but the extra investment has been well worth it.
“We now have double the factory space, double the staff and we’re now faster and more competitive thanks to our increased capacity,” Roberts says.
“This gives us the time and resources to be able to undertake serious R&D. It’s a win-win for Fibre King and its clients globally.”
