At the Bauli plant in Castel d’Azzano, northern Italy, a new system centralises and automates the palletising of baked goods. The technical solutions chosen by Uteco Contec combine with the reliability of Interroll’s Modular Conveyor Platform (MCP) to handle up to 2 000 product cases per hour and efficiently meet seasonal peaks.
Behind every Panettone, Pandoro or Colomba cake that arrives on time at retail outlets lies an end-of-line logistics system capable of operating with speed, precision and continuity. This is the goal of the new system built by Uteco Contec for Bauli at the Castel d’Azzano plant, utilising the most advanced technologies and integrating Interroll material handling solutions.
The project was designed to increase efficiency in managing material flows associated with low-height pallets by replacing the previous system, which was unsuitable for supporting the new operational performance and flexibility required by Bauli.
Uteco Contec analysed the material flows and designed, developed and built the entire system, equipping it with PC and PLC software for management and control. Interroll contributed to the system’s efficiency with its MCP technology, designed to handle crates as they enter the robotic stations.
Various types of packaging arrive from the production lines, namely sealed American-style crates, visual boxes, and visual pallets, all of which are displays destined directly to the retail locations. The system must identify them, handle them contactlessly, and sort them correctly to the four palletising stations, where four anthropomorphic robots pick up the packages and place them on pallets.
Flexibility is one of the key requirements of the application.
The entire facility measures 80 m by 30 m, covers an area of over 2 500 m2 and must handle Euro pallets, industrial pallets, and Düsseldorf pallets. The facility must handle different sizes, different palletising patterns, and different handling methods.
In addition, the system also includes the insertion of interlayer separators between the different layers of crates to ensure the stability of palletised loads that reach a height of up to 2.5 m. Once completed, the pallets from the four stations are collected by a self-propelled carousel and directed toward two stretch-wrapping lines.
This is followed by labelling and the stacking of certain formats before transfer to the warehouse. The redundancy of key functions helps ensure operational continuity even during periods of peak production.
The Interroll MCP at the heart of material handling
The Interroll material handling system is about 65 linear metres long and is entirely powered by 24 V. The configuration includes straight modules, curves and a transfer unit for a total of about 690 rollers, 30 RollerDrives and 20 MultiControls.
The conveyor technology enables speeds of up to 0.6 m/s and is designed to support a production capacity of up to 2 000 cases per hour.
A specific drive configuration featuring three-rib PolyVee belts, requested by Uteco Contec and Bauli, ensures a particularly stable connection between the RollerDrive units and the driven rollers, contributing to smooth motion even under the most demanding operating conditions.
Modularity, precise flow control, and pressure-free handling allow the system to be adapted to different package sizes and characteristics. This is a particularly important advantage for Bauli, whose production must cope with significant seasonal peaks linked to the Christmas and Easter holidays.
“We have been working with Bauli for over twenty years, and this loyalty is a matter of pride for us, demonstrating our commitment to excellence,” comments Alessandro Angiolini, CEO and Sales Director at Uteco Contec. “In this project, we started with the plant’s operational needs to develop a fully integrated solution. Centralising the palletising process reduces the fragmentation of activities, allows for better use of space and resources, and enables the control of material flows, previously distributed across multiple areas, from a single system. Our collaboration with Interroll then allowed us to integrate reliable material-handling technology that meets the performance requirements set by Bauli.”
“The modular low-voltage MCP was configured to meet the plant’s specific needs and the profile of the packages to be handled,” adds Julia Bonamici, Area Sales Manager at Interroll Italy. “The result is a compact, modular, and controllable system capable of combining speed, gentle package handling, and operational continuity. Constant collaboration with Uteco Contec and Bauli’s technical team was crucial in identifying the most effective solution at every stage of the project.”
Coordination between the end customer and the technology suppliers was also essential. “Bauli and Uteco Contec worked as a single project team,” emphasises Luca Ercolini, Automation Leader at Bauli. “Direct communication and the technicians’ willingness to help allowed us to quickly address the various needs that arose during development and commissioning. We have achieved a modern, efficient system built around our actual production flows.”
“In an application designed to handle high volumes and particularly intense seasonal peaks, the quality of the components is crucial,” comments Marco Tegazzini, Engineering Project Manager at Bauli. “Interroll’s solutions have proven to be robust, precise, and effective. The smooth operation and reliability of the components contribute both to process continuity and to the ease of managing the entire line.”
Completed in about a year from the order, the system went into operation during the summer and is now in the final testing phase.
The project demonstrates how a collaboration built on the complementary expertise of the customer, system integrator, and technology supplier can result in a tangible operational advantage, delivering increased capacity, greater flexibility, and a material-handling system ready to transport Panettone, Pandoro and Colomba on their journey from the factory to consumers’ tables.
