End-of-line automation for packaged coffee

Meyer & Horn automated food palletizing at the end of their coffee production line in Kaltenkirchen, Germany. The goal? Fill a staffing gap, stabilize throughput, and deploy workers to harder-to-automate tasks.

The cell combines a Universal Robots UR20, a PIAB vacuum gripper, and LUNA – an intuitive automation operating system for quick carton type and pallet pattern changes for the customer's many SKUs.

Customer Profile Meyer & Horn

Meyer & Horn is a privately owned, multi-generation coffee producer specializing in coffee roasting and packaging. In a competitive market, the company values operational efficiency while maintaining consistently high product quality and consistency.

Challenge Staff shortage at the end of the production line

Meyer & Horn could not hire enough staff for manual palletizing across all shifts. The staff shortage threatened throughput and on-time delivery. The team needed a compact, reliable, and safe palletizing solution that supports many SKUs without complex reprogramming.

Solution MalocherBot Palletizer S with LUNA OS

Unchained Robotics delivered an integrated palletizing cell, MalocherBot Palletizer S, automating the handling of cartons containing packaged coffee. The collaborative robot UR20 is equipped with a PIAB vacuum gripper capable of picking up two cartons per cycle. With LUNA, operators can quickly add and modify carton types and pallet patterns, reducing changeover effort and keeping pace with SKU variety.

Why this solution works for Food & Coffee

MalocherBot offers an impressively small footprint and quick-install construction. Vacuum handling preserves packaging integrity and label quality. LUNA simplifies SKU and pattern changes without external engineering. The cobot-based cell optimizes integration, safety, and operator training.