How Palletising Can Improve your OEE

In FMCG, operational efficiency is key to staying competitive.

One essential area that directly impacts productivity and logistics is palletising — the process of stacking and arranging products on pallets for safe handling, storage, and transportation.

One of the most effective ways to ensure smooth production is through the use of advanced palletising systems. The right palletiser for your business will be designed not only to meet your unique demands but also to enhance your Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Let’s explore how palletising solutions can drive improvements in Availability, Performance, and Quality — the core metrics of OEE.

What is OEE and Why Does It Matter?

OEE is a gold-standard metric used by manufacturers to assess how efficiently their equipment is being utilised. It is calculated by multiplying three key components:

• Availability: How often the equipment is operational when it is supposed to be.
• Performance: How efficiently the equipment runs compared to its maximum potential.
• Quality: The proportion of good, saleable products out of the total produced.

An OEE score of 100% represents perfect production: no downtime, maximum speed, and zero defects. However, in reality, most manufacturers score well under 100% and can improve their profits considerably by finding ways to boost OEE.

This is where clever palletiser selection can provide a crucial advantage — enhancing OEE across all three metrics to minimise losses while addressing the specific challenges of FMCG manufacturing.

How Palletisers Can Improve Availability

Availability measures the percentage of scheduled time that the equipment is available to operate. Frequent changeovers, mechanical issues, or delays in product flow are some of the common factors that negatively impact Availability.

Look for a palletiser that is engineered with maximum uptime in mind. Key features include:

• Rapid changeover capabilities: Look for a solution designed to handle a wide range of product sizes and configurations. With automated or tool-free changeovers, operators can switch between product runs in minutes, significantly reducing downtime. In particular, you want intuitive, built-in pallet pattern programming software so that you can easily change SKUs without calling in a software engineer (which will save you thousands of dollars each time).
• Modular design for easy maintenance: Maintenance can be one of the biggest contributors to lost Availability. Modular components that are easy to access, inspect, and replace keep downtime to a minimum. Predictive maintenance technology allows operators to address issues before they lead to unexpected breakdowns.
• Integrated diagnostics and remote support: Real-time monitoring and remote troubleshooting capabilities ensure problems can be quickly identified and resolved without the need for onsite intervention, ensuring faster recovery from disruptions.

By improving Availability, efficient palletising ensures more production time is spent generating value, not dealing with downtime.

How Palletisers Can Boost Performance

Performance is a measure of how efficiently equipment runs when it is operational. Underperformance can occur due to speed losses, bottlenecks, or inefficient processes. A high-performing palletiser can eliminate these inefficiencies and maximise throughput.

Here’s how:

• High-speed operation: Custom-specified palletisers are built to meet the high-speed demands of the FMCG sector. Capable of stacking up to 9 pallet layers a minute (depending on the product and configuration), they ensure that production lines operate at peak capacity. Also, selecting a palletiser with extra speed capacity ensures it won’t be the bottle neck on your line.
• Customisable layout options: Every production environment is unique. Flexible palletising solutions can be tailored to fit specific factory layouts, minimising bottlenecks and ensuring smooth product flow across the line.
• Seamless integration with upstream and downstream equipment: A well-synchronised production line avoids unnecessary slowdowns. A customised palletiser integrates smoothly with upstream filling, labelling and packaging systems, as well as downstream wrappers and conveyors, optimising the overall production flow.
• Reduced micro-stops: Micro-stops — brief, unscheduled interruptions — can significantly impact performance. Look for a palletiser with an advanced control system that detects and resolves micro-stops quickly, ensuring continuous operation.

With enhanced Performance, manufacturers can meet their production targets consistently, maximising output without sacrificing efficiency.

Ensure OEE Quality with Precise Palletising Technology

In OEE calculations, Quality reflects the proportion of good products produced without defects. Poor palletising can lead to damaged products, unstable pallets or rework, all of which negatively impact the Quality metric.

An efficient palletiser delivers consistent, high-quality stacking. Here’s how they achieve that:

• Accurate product placement: Mechanical palletisers, advanced robotic palletisers with vision systems, or a hybrid of the two ensure every product is placed precisely on the pallet, maintaining stability during storage and transportation.
• Handling delicate and varied products: Whether dealing with fragile glass bottles, awkwardly shaped packages, or high-volume cartons, you want palletisers that are equipped to handle a wide variety of products gently and efficiently, reducing the risk of product damage.
• Adaptive controls for label alignment and product orientation: For FMCG products, aesthetics and branding are crucial. You need fine-tuned control over product orientation, ensuring labels and packaging face the correct direction every time to enhance shelf presentation.
• Minimising rework and rejects: Precision palletising reduces the likelihood of improperly stacked pallets, minimising the need for rework or disposal of damaged goods. With reject rates as low as 1%, manufacturers can enjoy higher profitability and a more consistent supply chain.

By maintaining high Quality standards, palletisers can help manufacturers reduce waste and increase customer satisfaction.

Foodmach’s OEE-Optimised Solutions

Foodmach’s palletisers are more than just machines; they represent a holistic approach to OEE. Here are additional features that set them apart:

• Data-driven insights: Foodmach’s palletisers can integrate with OEE tracking software, providing detailed insights into equipment performance. This data helps manufacturers identify inefficiencies and make informed decisions to improve productivity.
• Energy-efficient operation: Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in manufacturing. Foodmach’s palletisers are designed to minimise energy consumption, aligning with sustainability goals while keeping operating costs low.
• Turnkey solutions: Foodmach offers more than just equipment — we provide end-to-end solutions, including consultation, installation, training, and ongoing support. This comprehensive approach ensures our customers get the most out of their investment. For example, we can integrate a stretch wrapper and even pallet labelling into the complete end-of-line palletising solution.
• Scalable for growth: As manufacturers grow, production needs evolve. Foodmach’s modular palletisers are scalable, allowing manufacturers to expand capacity or add new features without a complete overhaul.

A Real-World Example: Success in the FMCG Industry

One standout example of Foodmach’s palletising success comes from our work with Pirate Life in Adelaide. Pirate Life required a palletiser that could handle production of beverage cans at 250 cans a minute, just 15% of the speed of a big canning line at a larger brewery.

The Foodmach team developed its palletising expertise by designing and installing canning lines at large operations running at 1,000 to 2,000 cans per minute. Applying those learnings around line control and accumulation to smaller manufacturers such as Pirate Life results in extra output and efficiency without extra capital expense. Apart from the efficiency of the palletiser itself, the overall packaging line speed really comes down to the skill of the integration provider. Foodmach’s solution integrated seamlessly into their production line, ensuring smooth operation and a high OEE.

The new canning line is a success and has enabled Pirate Life’s proposed expansion, facilitating exports to international markets.

Palletising can be an Advantage in OEE Excellence

Achieving optimal OEE is a continuous challenge for FMCG manufacturers, but the right palletising solution can make a significant impact. Foodmach’s palletiser range is engineered to enhance Availability, Performance, and Quality, helping manufacturers meet their production goals efficiently and consistently.

With features like rapid changeovers, simple layer pattern design, modular design, high-speed operation, and precise product handling, Foodmach’s palletisers offer a competitive edge for businesses looking to maximise their OEE.

By choosing Foodmach, manufacturers are not just investing in equipment — they’re investing in a future-proof solution that drives productivity, reduces waste, and ensures operational excellence in the face of evolving industry demands.

And if your business could do with a new palletiser but you don’t have the CAPEX, we have a Lease to Buy option at low interest that can generate positive cash flow for you now, when it’s needed most. Call Chris Yule on 0408 944 587 for more information.

Case palletisers for every application:

• Mobile Cobot All-in-One work cells up to 30kg
• Mobile Robot All-in-One work cells up to 35kg
• Mechanical work cells with integrated pallet stretch wrapping
• Pick and Place Robotic
• Multi-SKU Robotic
• Dual Infeed
• Multi-line Centralised
• High Speed