Konica Minolta Australia has deployed four autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) to help Aussie food manufacturer Kinrise Snackfoods automate its operations across one of its manufacturing facilities.
In addition, Konica Minolta’s proprietary AMR analytics software – sConnect – gives Kinrise greater access to essential insights to drive operational efficiency across its operations.
The four AMRs deployed automate the pallet handling process, while simultaneously minimising manual intervention and increasing operational efficiency and safety.
“The implementation of MiR robots at Kinrise Snackfoods’ facility has given us greater productivity, greater operational efficiency, and improved our safety overall on our site. It has really been a valuable investment for Kinrise,” said Kathy Gavrilidis, head of operations at Kinrise.
“The solution’s intuitive interface and ease of use lets Kinrise manage these AMRs with existing staff. Working with Konica Minolta Australia for this project has transformed our manufacturing processes, streamlining operations while improving our working environment.”
By using AMRs, Konica Minolta said Kinrise will create a seamless, end-to-end process as they are designed to autonomously transport full pallets from the palletising robot cells to the hood wrapper, and then manage the distribution of empty pallets from an auto de-stacker back into the palletising cells.
Apart from AMRs, the Konica Minolta solution includes MiRcharge, and autonomous charging station; and MiR Fleet, a fleet management software that manages job distribution, traffic management, and auto charging among the AMRs.
“Konica Minolta Australia’s partnership with Kinrise demonstrates the value of automation in achieving manufacturing efficiency,” said Manglesh Jain, robotics business manager at Konica Minolta Australia.
“The integration of AMRs with the existing systems, such as palletising robot cells and hood wrapper, gives Kinrise a comprehensive solution that streamlines its intralogistics operations, while prioritising safety and operational efficiency.
“Konica Minolta Australia is committed to helping organisations like Kinrise by providing end-to-end intralogistics solutions and enhancing productivity in tightly constrained environments without compromising on safety.”
With the use of sConnect, Kinrise’s team can access the AMRs valuable data and performance metrics, including utilisation rates, charging performances, location heatmaps, and a performance report for operational oversight.
“The Konica Minolta Australia team was very professional, and provided a pre-simulation to ensure the solution was fit for purpose. Additionally, the support provided post-implementation is second to none.”
The AMRs operate 24 hours a day, six days a week, handling hundreds of pallets daily and have covered tens of thousands of kilometres within the facility.
