Sanitarium automates

Sanitarium, home of ‘Australia’s favourite trademark’, Weetbix, is making a multi-million dollar upgrade to its historic Cooranbong, plant in NSW.

The development will transform Sanitarium’s production and warehouse processes into one of the most modern and efficient in the world.

Since opening on the site of an old sawmill in Cooranbong, NSW, in 1899, Sanitarium has now been producing cereals there for well over 100 years.

To this day, the company proudly remains 100 per cent Australian owned and has now appointed another big Australian, Robotic Automation P/L, to design and install new systems that will take the company forward to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace.

“The drivers behind this project include a need to reduce manual handling functions on the Cooranbong site leading to a reduced risk of injuries as well as productivity improvements,” says Sanitarium general manager of operations, Darryn Woolley.

“The Robotic Automation solution is right for Sanitarium as it provides a ‘whole of project’ approach, taking responsibility from packet receival to warehouse storage coupled with space efficiency, given the site’s limited available footprint.”

Robotic Automation, Australia’s largest supplier of robotic solutions, will use a combination of robotics, automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), labelling, and pallet-wrapping technologies to provide a seamless chain of automation through the production line and on through warehouse and despatch departments. This turn-key solution is set to deliver new levels of safety, efficiency and commercial viability.