Once per machine. Time in hours, PLC and robot programmers together
Recipe and layout handling program
With Pallet Designer: ready-made PLC function blocks, operator panel screens and HMI scripts, plus one standard method of data exchange between the machine and the robot. Once in place, the system is a ready-made module in every subsequent project
PLC–robot data exchange, recipe selection screens, layout handling in the machine program
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: per machine
Ready-made PLC function blocks for recipe handling
One PLC–robot data exchange standard in every project
3
One pallet layout: time today
Stages of work on one layout. Time in minutes, everyone involved combined
With Pallet Designer: one run for the whole layoutMechanical design, PLC/HMI data and robot data come out together. A full pallet with interlayer sheets and alternating layers
With Pallet Designer: the layout is checked against station parameters entered once: gripper footprint, opening side, allowable overhang, pallet height. Visible at once: collisions at each placement and robot cycles per layer, also for two gripper variants
Drawing the layout in CAD, number of placements with the given gripper, feasibility
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: in total
Layouts checked against the gripper dimensions before the gripper is built
Cases beyond the allowable overhang blocked
Labels of the outer cases facing out
PLC and HMI programming
With Pallet Designer: no copying from the drawing to a spreadsheet and from the spreadsheet to the recipe, so no step where swapped axes, a wrong orientation or a wrong layer count creep in. Data outside the ranges in the station parameters is not exported
Layout recipe in the PLC, layer preview on the operator panel
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: in total
DBs, HMI data, CSV and PDF from one saved file
Array ranges and name lengths checked before export
Layer image for the HMI together with the data
Robot programming and preparation
With Pallet Designer: the program splits the layer into picks (multi-pick included) and works out a gripper position clear of the cases already placed, the approach direction and the placing order. The robot program that runs this data: written once per station
Splitting the layout into placements, positions and order for the robot, simulation
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: in total
Picks and gripper positions per layer: worked out by the program
The same palletizing data in the PLC with any robot brand
Layout into the simulator from CSV, no manual build
Testing and on-site commissioning
With Pallet Designer: geometry checked in the program against the station parameters. On site: the station is verified once, on the first layout. Further layouts with no change to the program. Hence one hour per machine in the figures, not per layout
Trying the layout on the machine: waiting for product, a test pallet, position corrections
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: per machine
Station and robot points verified once
Layouts checked geometrically before the product arrives
The customer’s line tied up for less time
4
Changes, errors, trips
A change counts as one more layout. Trip cost and time: once, in the last card
Layout changes
With Pallet Designer: open the layout, make the correction, generate, send the files. The senior engineer stays on the current project. The layout change can still be billed to the customer. Less time and no trip mean a much lower cost for the integrator
A new case size, an extra product, a customer request after go-live. Some need a site trip
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: per change, no trips
One data source: placements, pallet, PLC and HMI data generated afresh
A less experienced person can prepare the change
New layout as a data file, loaded remotely
Layout data errors
Preparing the station and the products, finding the error, the fix, loading the data and the test. The test also means clearing and reloading the conveyors, then unstacking the test pallet
Swapped X/Y axes, wrong case orientation, wrong layer count, position out of range
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures: no data errors
Data in conflict with the station parameters is not exported
No copying from the drawing to a spreadsheet and on to the recipe
Gripper collisions and positions off the pallet visible before export
One trip to the customer site
Cost: travel and accommodation. The person’s time on the road and on site is valued at the team’s internal hourly cost
The same cost and time for trips for changes and for errors
EURtrip incl. time
With Pallet Designerin the figures: no trips
Layout prepared in the office, files sent online
Fewer layout data errors, fewer trips to fix them
The commissioning engineer stays on site
5
Sales: quotes and the configurator
Layout for a quote
With Pallet Designer: the customer’s case and pallet, with existing station parameters, give the layout, the layer count, the robot placements and a PDF. Once the order is won, the same layout goes on to mechanical design
A pallet layout drawing for the customer and a check that it fits
EUR
With Pallet Designerin the figures:
Placements and cases per move: calculated, not guessed
The quote layout goes on to design with no re-entry
Pallet PDF for the quote, contract and acceptance sign-off
End-customer configurator
With Pallet Designer: the end customer adds layouts for every new flavour, pack format or customer without calling in the integrator. Retailer pallet specs set hard limits, e.g. 1,800 mm including the pallet and zero overhang, and non-compliant loads are refused at goods-in. The program enforces the limit enteredrevenue
The customer adds layouts on their own. A separate line item in the machine quote
EURrevenue a year
In the quote
A ready-made program instead of an in-house configurator
The end customer adds layouts within the limits set
Machine parameters set once
1
Pallet layouts a year
2
Layout ordered from the integrator: cost today
The fee for the service, staff time for the briefing and service visits
With Pallet Designer: the layout is made in-houseA full pallet with interlayer sheets and alternating layers, with machine-ready data. No job and no visit
New layouts, office: machines × layouts per machine × (design + PLC/HMI + robot − 3 minutes). The amounts on the three cards are the stages’ shares of this one saving
New layouts, site: today every layout is tried; with Pallet Designer one hour per machine
Layout changes: changes × the office time saved on a new layout, plus trips for changes × (time + cost of one trip)
Layout data errors: errors × time to fix, plus trips for errors × (time + cost of one trip)
Layouts for quotes: quotes × (minutes today − 10 minutes)
Configurator in the quote: revenue, not a saving; added only in the total
Days and months: hours ÷ 8 and hours ÷ 160
Time: the sum for all people involved. The year after roll-out, before the cost of purchase and roll-out. Empty field: default value. Text and negative numbers: 0
How it’s calculated
Only work on pallet layouts is counted. Two figures that add up: fees avoided and the value of staff time
Integrator job fees: layouts ordered from the integrator × fee per job
Service visits: visits × fee per visit
Briefing the integrator: jobs × (minutes today − 3 minutes) × internal hourly cost of plant staff
Time: the sum for all people involved. The year after roll-out, before the cost of purchase and roll-out. Empty field: default value. Text and negative numbers: 0
