a dairy plant packing one-kilogram yogurt containers
How a Yogurt Plant Saved $250K a Year with Robotic Case Packing
A dairy plant packing 1 kg yogurt tubs repurposed four people and saved more than $250K a year with a washdown robotic case packing line and about one-year ROI.
- $250K+
- Annual savings
- 4
- Staff repurposed
- ~1 yr
- ROI timing
- 1 kg
- Container size
Based on a documented real-world deployment. Figures are from public reporting; the organization is not named.
Manual case packing at dairy line speed
A dairy plant packing one-kilogram yogurt containers ran high-volume case packing by hand. Each shift repeated lifts, turns, and seals on heavy tubs in a washdown production area built for constant rinse downs.
Four or more people typically stayed on the end of line task while throughput targets kept climbing. The work was predictable, but the ergonomic load and staffing cost made it one of the clearest candidates for robotic case packing on the floor.
- 1 kg tubs demanded repetitive manual lifts every cycle
- Washdown duty cycles limited which equipment could survive the line
- Labor cost tracked directly with every case shipped
Washdown line with SCARA pick and place
The plant installed a washdown-rated packaging line with conveyor tracking, photo-eye line control, and a SCARA robot for high-speed pick and place into erected cases. A box erector and case sealer closed the loop so cases formed, filled, and sealed with minimal manual touches.
Central PLC and HMI controls gave operators live visibility into backups, faults, and line status. An integrated X-ray inspection step checked foreign objects, broken seals, and counts before cases left the cell, which protected quality without adding a manual QC station.
- Prove conveyor tracking and photo eyes on production speed
- Validate SCARA reach and cycle time on 1 kg tubs
- Train operators on HMI alarms and washdown recovery steps
Documented labor and cost outcomes
Four personnel moved off repetitive manual packaging into other plant roles after the line went live. Annual labor and operating savings exceeded $250,000 in the published project economics.
Return on investment landed in approximately one year while the robot handled high-speed pick and place of 1 kg containers. Ergonomics improved because the heaviest repetitive handling left the operator station, and case forming, packing, sealing, and X-ray checks ran as one controlled sequence.
What dairy packers can replicate
Food plants with washdown end-of-line packing are strong fits for vendor-neutral packaging robot rental or a month to month robot lease once one case size is stable. Service Robot Co. matches washdown-rated arms and conveyors to your line speed, then finances, integrates, trains, and services the cell nationwide.
A phased manufacturing plant robot rental pilot on the heaviest manual case loop lets you prove $250K class savings assumptions before you expand. Free site assessment and go live support should start where 1 kg lifts still dictate staffing, because that is where ROI and injury risk move fastest.