Page 64 - Food&Drink Magazine Aug-Sep 2021

MEMBER NEWS
FOODMACH WINS BWX PROJECT
Foodmach has been tasked with delivering four turnkey packaging lines for BWX Limited’s new facility in Melbourne, significantly increasing the Australian natural beauty business’ production capability.
BWX, whose portfolio includes skincare brands Sukin, Andalou Naturals, USPA and Mineral Fusion, raised $33 million last year to transfer its Australian operations from four facilities in Dandenong South to a greenfield site in Clayton, Victoria.
The new factory is designed to maximise efficiency, decrease waste and provide capacity for volume growth. To achieve this, BWX sought expressions of interest from established suppliers.
“We’ve selected Foodmach based on its proven expertise and excellent references in the industry,” explains Duncan Munro, group operations director, BWX.
“We were looking for a turnkey solutions provider, equipment manufacturers and or agents. In Foodmach, we’ve found all three.
“Based on our experience with the Foodmach team so far, we’re looking forward to a smooth
project delivery. Success will be a highly-efficient, low-conversion cost and reliable production facility that meets the needs of current and future growth.”
The project involves integrating free-issued equipment and turnkey supply across bottle, jar and tube filling lines, and central palletising.
In addition to the integration of fillers, labellers, cartoners and case packers, Foodmach will also be supplying all conveyors, coding and labelling, check- weighing, palletising and the LMES (Line Management Execution Systems).
“The industry landscape is changing rapidly. This project is an opportunity to really push the bar in terms of lean manufacturing principles and integration of best in breed equipment in the personal care space,” says Earle Roberts, Foodmach CEO.
“The new packaging lines use some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world – much of which is manufactured in Australia – installed and integrated using a methodology that supports the BWX growth targets, performance metrics/visibility and environmental sustainability ethos.” ■
ADDE, OTTO PARTNER TO DELIVER AMRS TO AUSTRALIA
Melbourne-based automation system builder, Andrew Donald Design Engineering (ADDE), has partnered with OTTO Motors to bring the OTTO range of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to the Australian market.
Custom engineering specialist ADDE has extensive experience developing turnkey automation and robotics solutions for the Australian industry, with customers in a wide range of industries including pharmaceutical, food
and beverage, and general manufacturing.
For ADDE, the partnership with OTTO Motors,
which provides AMRs for material handling inside manufacturing facilities and warehouses, was a synergistic fit.
“We see enormous opportunity to improve efficiency and safety in manufacturing and distribution operations with autonomous vehicles,” said Barry Hendy, ADDE’s managing director.
“Like traditional robots, AMRs require a
complete solution design and tight integration with existing equipment, workflows and data systems.
“The OTTO range of vehicles and the supervising Fleet Manager system gives us a powerful capability to offer turnkey solutions to all of our clients.”
OTTO Motors, a division of Clearpath Robotics, develops AMRs that enhance the logistical operations of facilities in order to reallocate valuable manpower to more specialised tasks.
These mobile robot platforms are designed to withstand the day-to-day rigours of industrial environments, while maintaining the safety of the human operators around them. OTTO AMRs are also used to deliver cost reductions and operational efficiencies.
“As we have deployed our systems around the world we have always looked to partner with experienced local integrators to ensure every deployment can be seamlessly and fully integrated into the client’s facility,” explained John Stikes, OTTO Motors’ director, Strategic Alliances.
“We are excited to now be able to offer our vehicles to the Australian market through ADDE.” The OTTO Motors range spans from the 100kg
capacity, the small footprint OTTO 100, all the way to the heavy-duty 1500kg capable, pallet-sized OTTO 1500.
For multi-vehicle application, the OTTO Fleet Manager provides the integration, overview control, traffic flow, and vehicle management to allocate missions to appropriate vehicles. ■
4 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 MACHINERY MATTERS