Pouttu builds on robot technology

Pouttu Oy, one of Finland’s major meat-processing firms, celebrated its 60th year of operation in August. Pouttu Oy is entirely a family company currently run by the third generation. The modernization at the production facility in Kannus is living proof of the company's strong confidence in the future. A new dispatch department is nearing completion next to the office building that was constructed only two years ago. This will house a MultiPick robotic order picking system developed by Cimcorp Oy. The dispatch department project will cost about FIM 50 million and is the largest investment in Pouttu's history.

Pouttu's production facilities are situated in Turku and Kannus. The Turku plant specializes in the advanced stages of meat processing. The Kannus plant is a full-service meat processing unit. Pouttu also has cooperation arrangements with LSO Food in Outokumpu in North Karelia. Pouttu Oy employs over five hundred people and has net sales of around FIM 500 million.


Quality and efficiency crucial in meat processing

The Finnish food industry has become more international since membership of the EU and the structural changes that have occurred in Finnish agriculture.

"The competition is really stiff, both here in Finland and abroad. Nevertheless it seems that Finland is gradually forming a strategy for its food industry. This strategy is based on the increasing awareness of how important it is to retain a certain degree of self-sufficiency. Another factor is that consumers must know that Finnish food products are clean and pure. We are firmly convinced that if we get our priorities right we can maintain our position, no matter how tough the market is," asserts Pouttu Oy's technical director Erkki Ranto.

"Consumers' demands - and consequently those of retailers, too - have become tougher. The shelf life of meat products cannot be extended, though, so efforts focus on enhancing the logistics between suppliers and retailers. Retailers' stocks are nowadays kept to the minimum so deliveries must be faster and more flexible. Shortening the distribution to cold storage chain also guarantees good quality in meat products," says Erkki Ranto.


A robot picks each customer's order

According to Erkki Ranto, all these changes accumulate at the dispatch department. One of the most challenging practical problems is the trend towards customer-specific pricing. The operation of the new dispatch department hinges on both retailers and the industry using reusable 'Transboxes' marked with EAN tracer codes.

When the investment in the dispatch department was being planned Cimcorp offered its own MultiPick solution as a part of larger consortium to build the dispatch area. The whole package is a sizeable delivery comprising conveyor and order picking systems and a plantwide IT system.

"We wanted a high degree of automation for the new dispatch department,” says Erkki Ranto. “It will incorporate two robots; one for basic materials handling, and the other more adaptable for diversified duties."

The transfer, stacking and palletizing of the Transboxes is mechanized. The pallets stacked by the robot are moved to a high-bay warehouse. The gantry robot manages the storage and order picking for products with customized pricing.


Adaptable, well-managed despatch department

"Throughput times for producers and retailers are nowadays so short that each element in the total process must be very strictly controlled. We wanted absolutely real-time inventory management and the best available technology for order picking,” Ranto continues.

“Adaptability was crucial because changes will certainly be needed in the future. It is difficult to predict what form these changes will take. One thing that is certain, though, is that we must be more adaptable to the demands set by the distribution process and the retail trade," he reckons.

Erkki Ranto says that it is generally difficult to match efficiency with flexibility. But he considers Cimcorp's MultiPick solution an exceptionally successful blend of features.

"The robotized warehousing system here is a first for the meat processing industry. We are convinced we will reap definite benefits from the opportunities and solutions it offers," Erkki Ranto predicts.


Juhani Lukka

MultiPick's strong points highlighted The MultiPick system developed by Cimcorp is a critical element in the automation of despatch departments for returnable food and beverage crates. The large gantry robots in the MultiPick solution handle storage and order picking directly from floor storage. The plastic cases used by the system can be stored directly on the floor, avoiding the need for steel structures and the maintenance they would require. All moving devices are situated above the storage. MultiPick had three strong points that made it eminently suitable for Pouttu's concept. 1. Pouttu has around 240 different product items, each with three different coding classifications. Manual inventory management with slips and tickets has been awkward and prone to error. MultiPick is ideal in this context. The robot keeps all age data up to date and handles shipments. 2. There is an increasing trend towards the customized pricing of products in the meat processing industry. When pricing varies, and even the labels are different, warehousing must be planned to the last detail. 3. MultiPick handles the picking of full cases of high-volume products automatically, so no human effort is need to move the cases, which weigh between 20 and 25 kilos. Simulation underpins design In the initial phases of the project a layout for simulation was drafted from the preliminary design data. Since actual production data was available, this data was also run through the simulation, which showed that the preliminary model based on manual order picking did not in fact work. The layout had to be entirely redesigned to reach the capacities set by Pouttu. This is really a case where simulation paid immediate dividends. Installation of the equipment is now well under way and startup is on schedule. Full production is due to begin at the end of the year.

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