Do you think there is a need for a flexible automated mixed case palletizer that can (re-)build mixed custom pallets out of multiple SKU’s? Your input is highly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

Mario

There's a market for that in beer distribution. With the increase in micro breweries and specialty beers, the sku count and case size variations have gone through an exponential growth at the distributor level.

There is a large need for that very application. I run across that 3 - 5 times per year and that is just in a 4 county radius in Wisconsin.

There are several USA companies that manufacture and sell this type of palletizer/depalletizer. I would think competition for the small microbrew would be quite stiff, capital cost being the main factor, footprint the second.

Are you looking to develop a "standard product" that can be easily reconfigured - interfaced with the order system and look at valuable footprint space that is usually critical in microbreweries?
If you "re-build" a pallet, you will need a reject spur for removed products.

Automatic strapping or shrink wrapping with the delivery documents printed/attached too?

The market I've seen has been at the distributor level, not the microbrewery level. The distributor handles a multitude of sku's and breweries and must be able to combine varying case sizes from each onto a pallet for shipment to the retailer. The palletizer is merely one aspect of the system required to accomplish this task.

I have designed a versitile vacuum end efector for robots and paletizing. There are 60 cups and I can create 1- 60 different zones and the combinations are almost endless. Practical paletizing usually requires 10 zones. The vacuum generators are self cleaning. This is easily configurable to meet many applications. This helps with a "standard" end effector.