Publisher Friesens Increases Output, Ensures a Future-Ready Workforce with Automation

Publishing services company Friesens in Manitoba, Canada has been in the business since 1907. Today, the employee-owned company has expanded its offerings as the industry grows and competition stiffens. In order to remain competitive, leaders set an audacious goal—to double their revenue.

One of their primary obstacles in this effort was a workforce made up of many employees nearing retirement. This, combined with a shortage in qualified and talented labor, led Friesens to call on Winnipeg-based Innovair Automation.

At the onset, the mission was to design and implement a system that would help move employees from roles that were repetitive and ergonomically challenging and into more meaningful and better-paying positions. These efforts would also support Friesens’ corporate vision to commit to “state-of-the-art plants and equipment” as they worked to ensure a sustainable and future-ready workforce. They wanted to find an automation partner that would grow with them through the process.

Together, and through several round-table discussions, Innovair developed an automation solution that uses FANUC M-710iC robots to remove print signatures—a single sheet of paper that contains multiple pages of a book printed on both sides, before the process of folding, cutting and binding pages into a book—checks its placing, and loading it into the correct position.

The impact of automation has been significant inside the Friesens facility, with a significant reduction in health and safety claims due to the elimination of heavy lifting and repetitive tasks; enhanced productivity due to faster line operations; and the eliminated need to hire additional staff.

Already, Innovair has been enlisted to develop a collaborative robot system that will deploy similar technology throughout a dozen more areas on the floor.

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A key success metric of our robotics initiative is its positive impact on employees. Automation has not resulted in job losses. Instead, staff have transitioned into more meaningful and higher-paying roles, fostering a more engaged and productive workforce. By continuing to innovate with robotics, we not only reinforce our commitment to growth and operational excellence but also ensure a sustainable, future-ready workforce.

Scott Cherewayko CI Leader – Friesens Corporation