2024-10-20 22:32:00
FirstPak collaborates with ABB to transform the sustainability of travel packaging
The rapid growth of China’s meal/food delivery market generated more than 1.6 million tons of plastic waste in 2020. With the Chinese government’s pledge to ban single-use plastics by 2025, packaging producers like FirstPak need to find new materials.
Solution
Packaging producer FirstPak is using ABB robots to produce and ship degradable packaging. Robots have provided a 100% increase in production line efficiency and a reduction of up to 30% in energy costs.
Application
A fleet of 200 ABB robots is used to handle various operations along the packaging production line, including material handling, picking and palletizing.
The problem of plastic waste generated by the rapidly growing food delivery industry, both in China and globally, is creating an urgent need to reduce the use of single-use plastics to achieve carbon neutrality and peak targets and accelerate sustainable development. In China, the issue is being addressed by introducing regulations that will ban the use of single-use plastics by 2025.
To help meet these regulations and reduce the food-to-go industry’s environmental footprint, Chinese packaging producer FirstPak is working with ABB to automate the production of a new generation of degradable packaging materials made from agricultural waste.
Founded in 2018, FirstPak takes advantage of the abundance and high concentration of resources in the sugarcane industry in Guangxi Province to produce recycled degradable packaging materials from bagasse, which is the fibrous residue remaining after extracting sugarcane juice. cane. Bagasse is commonly used in the production of recycled products, helping manufacturers find new ways to minimize environmental impact.
FirstPak processes 40,000 tons of sugarcane bagasse
The plant of FirstPak in Laibin it processes around 40,000 tons of sugarcane bagasse per year, of which 35,000 tons are transformed into finished products. FirstPak uses bagasse to produce several alternatives to the single-use plastic packaging commonly used in takeout foods.
ABB has supplied more than 200 high-performance robots for material handling, picking and palletizing. With their superior speed, stability and precision, the robots have helped FirstPak significantly improve its productivity.
“Using ABB robots for loading and unloading, quick picking and wet press palletizing helped us achieve faster, more stable and more accurate performance, bringing benefits to the entire production line,” said Jiahui Xu, Vice President of FirstPak . “Since we started using robots, production line efficiency has increased by 100%, while our energy costs have been reduced by 30%.”
A key benefit of the robots was their ability to handle FirstPak’s wide range of products, which include paper bowls, paper plates, paper lunch boxes and other containers used in takeout food.
ABB robots participate in various activities at FirstPak
With the ability to be reprogrammed to perform a wide range of tasks, ABB robots installed at FirstPak can handle multiple steps in the production process. This flexibility also allows for the production of customized packaging solutions, tailored to meet specific customer needs.
The degradable paper-plastic industry has enormous market potential, with projections for growth of 6% between 2023 and 2032, reaching around US$814 billion. As a means of producing degradable packaging quickly, efficiently and with minimal waste, the collaboration between ABB and FirstPak can play an important role in developing the circular economy and realizing the goal of sustainable low-carbon production, both in China and globally.
The success of the project led FirstPak to seek other opportunities to expand its production operation.
“We plan to build a new production base to expand our capacity,” said Xu Zhu, Production and Technology Manager at FirstPak. “We look forward to further cooperating with ABB and moving forward together towards a greener future of high-quality and sustainable development.”
References: Mapping the Environmental Impacts and Policy Effectiveness of the Takeout Industry in China – Yuting Zhang, Zongguo Wen, 2022
ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation
As one of the world’s leading robotics and machine automation providers, ABB is the only company with a comprehensive, integrated portfolio that includes robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and machine automation solutions, designed and orchestrated by our software. value creation. We help companies of all sizes and sectors – from automotive and electronics to logistics – become more resilient, flexible and efficient. ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation supports customers’ transition to the connected, collaborative factories of the future. Our business area has around 11,000 employees in more than 100 locations in approximately 53 countries.
Find out more at go.abb/robotics.
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