Unilever is an ambitious customer, and Sidel had to press its entire set of competence to meet the requirement of producing a perfect end-of-line solution for Unilever’s round pots of skin cream product, Benjamin Daniel finds out
Dubai : Sidel has commissioned a new end-of-line solutions, which includes one piece of the company’s spearhead equipment, the Cermex WB46 wrap-around case packer at Unilever’s Dubai site.
Unilever’s Dubai site is the largest personal care factory in the Middle East and Africa, producing hair and skincare products and Sidel’s smart “Industry 4.0” system will make the company more flexible, hygenic, and ergonomic.
For Sidel, the Unilever project was specifically challenging. Unilever’s pots of skin cream are round and thus did not in themselves provide the counter-pressure required to attain the usual perfect sealing result, an issue which was amplified by the use of trays with short flaps. So something extra was needed.
The team of Unilever at Dubai and Sidel team worked in close partnership, made specific adaptations and improvement to neatly overcome the obstacle. The end-of-line solution now covers all of Unilever’s specifications.
Tailored solutions
Unilever is an ambitious customer. Sidel recently implemented two comprehensive ends-of-line for shaped plastic bottles at Unilever’s site in Dubai.
The requirement of two comprehensive ends-of-line for shaped plastic bottles at Unilever’s site in Dubai meant, Sidel had to press its entire set of competence to work – from robotic product collation to shrink-wrapping and palletising, thus contributing to establish a successful partnership between the two companies.
Sidel had to ensure that the system was a modular design, faster, shorter, and highly responsive production lines, cutting lead-time to market for the global player in the consumer goods market.
The Dubai plant also has a third, more “traditional” packaging line featuring packers and shrink wrappers, installed over the same period as the two robotic lines and designed for premium pots of skin cream. Among the 17 packers and shrink-wrappers running on site, this line is equipped with one of Sidel’s flagship pieces of equipment, the Cermex WB46 wrap-around case packer.
At the end-of-line stage, skin cream pots are first collected and packed into trays before the whole package is shrink-wrapped. As a transportation unit, these tray-and-film packs are then stacked and loaded into American cases.
One of the main challenges of this project was the sealing of trays with short flaps. In addition, the round-shaped skin care products did not intrinsically offer the necessary counter-pressure for a perfect sealing operation.
Didier Saussereau, packing product manager at Sidel, explained: “As you can imagine, it is even more challenging when speeds of up to 25 trays per minute are reached. This is why the sealing station was equipped with specific adaptations and pressing plates to guarantee a perfectly squared sealing of the trays, while protecting the pots across the entire process.”
And it was a success: the Cermex WB46 packer has enabled Unilever to retain its ultra-smooth operation, guaranteeing high-quality packaging, while ensuring that the end-of-line specifications are fully met. This, Saussereau pointed out, is a good example of Sidel’s renowned capability to tailor their advanced solutions according to customers’ needs. “The capacity for equipment customisation is one of Sidel’s strongest assets. Our pragmatic R&D process combined with a 360° approach to end-of-line projects means we can partner with manufacturers to overcome any specific challenge. This is what we call ‘Performance through Understanding’.”
Ease of handling, hygiene prime
The Cermex WB46 wrap-around case packer is Sidel’s most popular kit, Sidel claimed.
Saussereau explained, “Handling six different formats of pots and trays, the Cermex WB46 packer installed at Unilever’s factory in Dubai perfectly illustrates how to solve the dilemma between high flexibility and the need for ever-shorter production runs. This is no longer a challenge thanks to automatic adjustments, the presence of digital counters, and unlock/lock buttons specifically set to perform ultra-fast five-minute changeovers.”
For greater ease of operation and maintenance, the Cermex WB46 is firmly operator-centered. “With the blank magazine set at a height of 850mm, loading is easy, while the equipment’s large guarding doors offer optimal visibility,” said Saussereau. Additionally, the solution has been designed with a clear focus on ergonomics, allowing a much-improved accessibility to operators and maintenance staff.
Saussereau added, “Hygiene was also top of mind when developing Cermex WB46: with fewer horizontal surfaces, which reduce potential dust and fluid retention zones, the machine features FDA-approved thermoplastic timing belts, which also cut maintenance costs.”
For today and tomorrow
Unilever operates on the philosophy of developing solutions that enable the Factory of the Future, and the commissioning of the Cermex WB46 at the company’s site in Dubai was a logical step in that direction.
“With accounts such as Unilever, we are obviously setting our sights firmly on Industry 4.0, and in this respect the Cermex WB46 is a benchmark. It comes with a user-friendly, multi-touch PC panel, based on a tablet-approach navigation; it features RFID login, user and data management, alarm and statistic reports, plus remote connectivity and standard operating procedures with its ‘One Point Lesson’ database,” said Jean-Philippe Beduneau, Sidel’s strategic key account director for Unilever, stressing on the success of the kit.
Beduneau added, “In addition, we can integrate robotic modules for product collation and loading in the Cermex WB46 packer, thus raising the bar even further in terms of product protection and flexibility. These are only a handful of features that demonstrate how the solution massively contributes to accelerate, facilitate, and improve operability and maintainability.”
Going a step further, Sidel has also enriched the Cermex WB46 with a new automation platform with electronic synchronisation which will minimise operational expenditure, a key for manufacturing. “It will significantly cut down Total Cost of Ownership, as it will guarantee 30% electricity savings,” concluded Jean-Philippe.