Smart Logistics Solutions for Palletized Products

"Our core competency is stacking and palletizing printed materials, packages, and packaging," describes Managing Director Klaus Segbert, who has been working in the family business for 20 years and has been leading it as managing director for the past ten years. "In this process, the palletizer always forms the center."

Intelligent Palletizing Solutions

Essentially, Segbert offers two different types of palletizers. A special highlight is the Segbert layer palletizing concept. "With layer palletizers, the products to be placed on the pallet are first assembled layer by layer," explains Klaus Segbert. "A layer or product layer can consist of 10, 15, or 20 individual products. The products are fed to the machine and as soon as a layer has formed, it is immediately placed down in a single operation. These are very fast systems that can handle a higher production throughput."

Automatic Layer Images

The arrangement of products on the pallet is referred to as a layer image. A special feature of the Segbert system is that maximum speeds can be achieved across all possible layer images. "We achieve this by enabling layer images that are not possible with other layer palletizers," emphasizes Klaus Segbert. "The difference is that our palletizers convey the products in every process step within the palletizer. This is certainly a unique selling point of ours."

The Software Makes It Possible

The layer images are created by a special program. "Our 3-D layer program PalAdmin calculates the optimal positioning of each product on the pallet based on the product dimensions," describes Klaus Segbert. "The specially developed program is integrated into each of our palletizers." Operation is flexible and intuitive via touch panel.

Palletizers for Every Need

The product portfolio in this area consists of the MPA machines, which offer efficiency in the smallest of spaces, ZPA, which meets the highest performance requirements, DZPA, which can process two different product streams simultaneously, and the depalletizer DPA, which goes the reverse way. New to the program is the palletizer XPA. The double-stream palletizer is considered a particularly space-saving and user-friendly variant for simultaneously palletizing two identical or different product streams on the same level.

Cobot Solutions

In addition to fully automated layer palletizers, Segbert also offers robot and cobot solutions. "This is a relatively new area for us," says Klaus Segbert. "It involves the conveyance and placement of individual products. Thanks to robot technology, these solutions are particularly flexible and cost-effective, albeit somewhat slower."

Integrated Systems

Around the palletizer, Segbert offers other intelligent machines that can be combined into a holistic and fully integrated logistics system. The portfolio includes pre-sorters, cross-layers, blockers, destrappers, product markers, and conveying systems. "Thanks to the modular design, we can meet most needs with our standard program," Klaus Segbert is pleased to report. "Where this is not possible, we can create a custom solution."

Broad Customer Base

The traditional market for these products is the printing industry. However, the company is increasingly targeting customers from the packaging industry. "The print market is still huge, even though it barely grows due to online alternatives," observes Klaus Segbert. "Thanks to the boom in online trade, however, the packaging industry is growing particularly strongly. That's why we have also developed solutions for this area."

Keyword Digitization

According to the managing director, there are two perspectives on the increasing digitization: "Digitization has helped us tremendously internally. We dealt with topics such as ERP and inventory management systems a decade ago to achieve efficiency improvements in the company. Also, in construction, 3-D planning tools are indispensable." The increasing automation and networking of production processes through topics like Industry 4.0 also plays into Segbert's hands economically. "Our products provide the perfect interface between production and logistics," Klaus Segbert notes. "We also process the digital production data so that the customer always knows exactly which product is in which position on which pallet."

An Automated Future

Klaus Segbert sees the need for automation continuing to grow in the future: "The push factors are diverse and getting stronger. For us, this means that we will continue to bring new product developments to the market, like our current new cobot palletizers CPA-10 and -20, which have been very well received so far."