Problem
Our customer is a large supplier of fresh produce. They have limited space and a high rate of production with a large manual labor component. Additionally, all equipment in the factory must move to a new location annually. The solution Quest provided had to be in a small footprint, fit in a semi-trailer and be ready for production within 12 hours of arriving at the new location.
Solution
From this challenge Quest created the Box Bot. This initial model was a space-saving skid-based robotic palletizer features a footprint which fits into a standard truck trailer. It also featured a long-reach robot that provides higher stack patterns, which better maximize tractor-trailer loading for more efficient shipping.
Box Bot Today
Many of our competitors have related solutions based on a standard box for the palletizing robot, and we continue to drive innovation and value for our customers. The Box Bot has been widely deployed in many different industries meeting the unique needs of each customer. Through the expanded deployment, we have learned that not all palletizing applications are best served with the original product and from this we have developed many variations to optimize customer outcomes.
Through this history, Quest has evolved the Box Bot palletizer series to include two standard options: (1) the original skid-based design or (2) a more flexible, modular design. For both layouts, Quest has used a modular approach to their engineering. Most of the common elements (such as pallet dispensers, robot pedestals, conveyors, etc.) have standard designs that can be easily included in a customer’s machine if the application warrants. This standardization at the element-level allows for quality control and complete flexibility in machine to “design for your application.” This provides our customers the ability to customize to their application, without the additional engineering time to design the solution and ultimately deliver customer value.