Within the Barcelona Packaging Hub ecosystem, where technological innovation and industrial performance converge, end-of-line operations have become a strategic lever to enhance industrial competitiveness. In this context, collaborative robotics is emerging as a key technology to optimise palletising processes with greater precision, flexibility, and operational safety.
In the current scenario, characterised by an increasing variety of formats, cost-efficiency pressure, and the need to improve shopfloor ergonomics, it becomes essential to implement collaborative robotics solutions designed for high-speed production environments.
Universal Robots and Xolertic: automation solutions for multi-product environments
Xolertic, specialists in end-of-line automation for case packing and palletising, has developed an architecture based on 12 UR20 cobots from Universal Robots, a global benchmark in collaborative robotics. Coordinated through a centralised control system, the solution is already operational at the plant of an international food industry company, capable of stacking up to 40 boxes per minute and adapting to more than 600 different SKUs.
The advanced motion control of the UR20 ensures precise placement of each box, optimising pallet utilisation and reducing incidents caused by misalignment or stacking errors. In addition, the collaborative robotic cells are designed to operate in compact footprints and handle payloads of up to 25 kilograms per cycle, minimising physical strain on operators and improving overall workplace ergonomics.
Advanced safety and operational flexibility in collaborative robotics
In applications such as this, where automation and operators coexist, collaborative robotics requires advanced safety measures. Some cells operate at high cycle rates, which makes it essential for perimeter guarding and scanning systems to automatically adjust the robot’s speed when human presence is detected, without compromising overall production performance.
The architecture also stands out for its operational flexibility. Through an intuitive HDMI interface, operators can easily adjust parameters such as the number of layers or box height after minimal training, with no prior experience required. This enables agile format changes and reduces downtime associated with the introduction of new SKUs.
The impact is clear: fewer stacking incidents, reduced interruptions linked to SKU changeovers, and an estimated productivity increase of close to 40%, together with a significant ergonomic improvement at the end of the line by eliminating repetitive strain tasks through the implementation of collaborative robotics.
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A scalable model designed for growth
The collaboration between Xolertic and Universal Robots, which already exceeds 50 international projects, reflects the evolution of collaborative robotics towards increasingly complex applications in terms of payload and speed.
Although the project was developed within the food industry, this model is equally applicable to demanding sectors such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and laboratory environments. In addition, the architecture is designed to continue evolving through the integration of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and new automated solutions that further optimise end-of-line material flows.
For the packaging industry, this represents a clear trend: collaborative robotics is no longer just an emerging technology, but a key strategic pillar in advanced automation, where productivity, flexibility, and scalable growth converge.
Collaborative ecosystem for industrial automation
At Barcelona Packaging Hub, we foster real collaboration between machinery manufacturers and technology partners to develop integrated solutions with high industrial impact. Projects such as the one led by Xolertic, a Hub associate, together with Universal Robots, a technology partner, demonstrate how collaborative robotics translates into tangible improvements in productivity, flexibility, and safety at the end of the line.
Our ecosystem enables the integration of complementary capabilities to deliver complete and coherent production architectures, designed to address the current challenges of the packaging industry.
If you would like to explore this solution in detail or assess how to implement collaborative robotics within your production environment, contact us and discover how our ecosystem can accelerate your industrial automation strategy.