Two fully automated packaging lines for strawberries

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Two fully automated packaging lines for strawberries

In short

Customer: Genson, Someren
Sector: Soft fruit, strawberries
Volume: 11 million punnets per year
Delivered: two fully automated packaging lines
Result: from 10 to 4 people per line, with a capacity of 6,000 punnets per hour

Genson grows fresh strawberries year-round in Someren and supplies them to Albert Heijn. Around 11 million punnets leave the site every year. Because Genson also started packing strawberries from other locations in Someren, the packing capacity there had to increase.

This called for new lines that could run with fewer people. “That makes it easier to adapt,” says Luc, operations manager at Genson. Sismatec delivered two fully automated packaging lines. The old line was staffed by 10 people. The new lines are designed to pack 6,000 punnets per hour with 4 people per line.

From pallet to pallet without manual handling

Both packaging lines consist of six machines that automate the packing process as much as possible.

Depalletiser: operators place the pallets with crates on the roller conveyor. A robot unstacks them pallet by pallet.
Depacker: takes the punnets of picked strawberries out of the crates and places them on the conveyor belt.
Buffer conveyor with weighing station: the punnets pass over a checkweigher and are sorted by weight. The buffer ensures a continuous supply.
Proseal traysealer: seals the punnets five at a time, with a capacity of up to 120 punnets per minute.
Proseal casepacker: places the sealed punnets in crates.
Palletiser: a single robot arm stacks the crates from both lines onto pallets.

The depalletiser, depacker, buffer conveyor and palletiser were developed and built by Sismation, Sismatec’s automation company.

What made Genson decide to choose Sismatec? A machine that did not exist yet. Unpacking the punnets of strawberries from the harvest crates had always been done by hand. Sismation therefore developed a depacker specifically for this job. It now takes over the work of two people per line.