How One Manufacturer Transformed Its Operations to Handle Surging Sales
Faced with surging product sales, the manufacturer of sustainable flexible packaging Polykar recognized that their existing operations couldn’t scale efficiently to meet growing customer demand. The solution was simple: automation. The goal was to integrate a robotic system that would guarantee employee satisfaction and retention while increasing output. Polykar enlisted FANUC Authorized System Integrator Vention to help them.
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Challenges
Labor-intensive manual processes
Ergonomically challenging and repetitive work
Frequent mistakes due to human error
Results
Improved employee satisfaction and retention
Allowed for predictable production rates
Increased productivity by 30%
Story
Canadian-based Polykar is a manufacturer of garbage bags, polyethylene film and manages food and industrial packaging. They’re also one of the country’s largest recyclers of flexible packaging plastics.
When sales boomed, it quickly became clear that Polykar’s operational processes would not be able to scale efficiently. The company turned to Vention, a FANUC Authorized System Integrator, to help transform their labor-intensive processes through automation.
What was once a repetitive and ergonomically challenging role, prone to human error, became a job that not only maintained employee satisfaction but supported retention. Using a collaborative robot (or cobot) palletizing system, output increased by 30 percent.
The process from quoting to system installation was straightforward according to Polykar, who worked with Vention to outfit both their Montreal and Edmonton facilities with the new automation solutions.
What we saw with Vention was constant in our relationship, it was the same group of people we were talking to with both our Edmonton and Montreal automation project and we also adopted the same solution in both plants, which made the integration a lot easier.
Amir Karim President and CEO – PolykarFANUC Products Used
CRX-30iA
The FANUC CRX-30iA is a heavy-lifting cobot with a 30kg payload, featuring wrist buttons for direct, simple teaching and customization.
- Max Payload:
- 30 kg
- Reach:
- 1889 mm
Vention
Vention is leading the future of industrial automation by enabling businesses of all sizes to automate faster than ever—boosting productivity, cutting costs, and driving scalable growth. With our free, drag-and-drop MachineBuilder™ software and plug-and-play FastFactory™ hardware ecosystem, Vention helps businesses automate with unmatched ease and efficiency. Our unified software and hardware automation platform enables businesses to design, simulate, deploy, and operate turnkey or custom automation solutions in just days. Trusted by 4,000+ customers across five continents, Vention is redefining the automation experience with exceptional technology and customer service.
Polykar
Founded in 1987, Polykar has become an award-winning leader in the manufacturing of sustainable packaging solutions. Our specialty lies in producing polyethylene film for converters, garbage bags, certified compostable bags, food, and industrial packaging. Our commitment to quality is matched only by our dedication to trustworthiness and sustainability. These values not only guide us internally but shine through our exemplary service to customers. A display of collaboration, excellence, and pride has also earned us recognition as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for four straight years since 2021. With a dual-plant model, our goal is to create innovative products that generate less waste and benefit everyone – one flexible package at a time. It's how we work!