Schubert has partnered with German co-packer MultiPac and battery and energy storage company Varta to develop folding cardboard boxes for safely transporting batteries. Schubert expands on the collaboration in this edition of the Spotlight.
As polymer gives way to wood fibre, it is most often for ecological reasons. Manufacturers from all market sectors are turning to cardboard and paper for packaging – because they are easy to recycle. Varta, the battery manufacturer, is no exception.
MultiPac, an assembly and packaging specialist based in Ellwangen, Germany, packages a wide range of consumer goods on behalf of other companies. Continuous improvement is part of its remit, and it takes a markedly sustainable approach.
A request from Varta demonstrated how this works in practice. Known for its vast range of batteries and energy storage solutions, Varta was planning to phase out the plastic thermoformed blister packs used to package the AA and AAA batteries that power small appliances in many households. Instead, the batteries would be sold in folding boxes made of environmentally friendly cardboard. With this in mind, the decision-makers at Varta approached MultiPac – and were met with a very receptive team.
“As a technology-savvy co-packer, we saw an opportunity to expand our portfolio, as folding boxes are bound to remain popular for the foreseeable future,” says managing director Matthias Meyer-Böhringer. MultiPac’s facility in Ellwangen, however, did not have any cartoners in its machine fleet. And the Varta order called for more than just your average solution.
Three different box formats had to be erected and filled with twelve, 18 and 24 batteries of different types – in the smallest possible space and as efficiently as possible. “When we were considering suitable partners, one name immediately came to mind,” recalls Michael Zaun, also managing director at MultiPac.
Eager for more
Schubert was the obvious choice. MultiPac had successfully collaborated with the German packaging machine manufacturer in the past. MultiPac operates two Schubert cobots that quickly pick up unsorted random products into trays. The experience MultiPac had gained with the automated machines made them eager for more.
“We knew that Schubert’s TLM systems, with their modular design and format flexibility, had redefined industry standards,” says Meyer-Böhringer. “Since we were impressed with the cobots, we were keen to find out what Schubert’s extensive expertise in precision cartoning could do for us – and we weren’t disappointed.”
The concept delivers maximum performance in a limited space: a four-lane magazine, an F2 erecting robot, a Transmodul transport robot, a grouping system as well as one F2 filling and one F2 sealing and transfer robot each are lined up in a row – over a length of just under six metres – to pack an impressive 1,100 batteries per minute.
Secure packaging for transport
Especially important for MultiPac was that the boxes had to be entirely filled – not an easy task with packaging designed to be tight enough to ensure that the layers are as stable as possible. “Neither the product nor the packaging could be damaged during transport. The less play inside, the better,” says Zaun.
Special sensors determine the flow in the F2 filling robot’s vacuum system and detect whether the suction tools have picked up the pre-grouped batteries securely and in their entirety. The filling robot then precisely places six batteries into the folding box in two, three or four layers.
At the end of 2024, after a week of installation, the system was approved – laying the foundation for highly efficient cartoning. “The batteries are positioned in the boxes exactly as they should be – securely and in the exact quantity,” says Zaun, who is clearly delighted with the new acquisition, and especially with its outstanding efficiency. “We would team up with Schubert again anytime.”
Learn more at: www.schubert.group
This content was sponsored by Schubert.
