PALTAC and Okura Transportation Machinery Announce Technical Collaboration to Commercialize and Market Automatic Corrugated Cardboard Unpacking Equipment

(PALTAC), the largest wholesaler of cosmetics, daily necessities, and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals, and Okura Transport Machinery Co. Okura Transportation Machinery will commercialize the automatic cardboard case unpacking device developed by PALTAC and provide it as a solution to promote labor savings in manufacturing and logistics sites.

At manufacturing and logistics sites, the unpacking process of taking out materials and products that have been received in cardboard cases is an area where automation is lagging behind. For example, at a picking site in a logistics warehouse, a person uses a cutter knife to cut the tape on the top surface while unpacking and removing items from the case. The work is monotonous and can result in accidental cuts to hands and damage to the items inside. Moreover, the large quantities require a lot of manpower.
PALTAC has been independently researching and developing ways to mechanize this labor-intensive unpacking process for more than 20 years, and has installed automatic unpacking equipment in its own distribution centers.
PALTAC has continued its research and development since its introduction and has succeeded in developing a new automatic unpacking device using robot hands that can unpack cases of various sizes and shapes. Based on these results, we wanted to offer the system widely to other companies considering automation, thereby contributing not only to our own company but also to the industry as a whole.
On the other hand, Okura Transportation Machinery had received many requests to introduce automatic unpacking equipment for corrugated containers, and had been focusing on PALTAC's technology, which is capable of handling a wide variety of corrugated containers in a very fine-tuned manner. The two companies have agreed that PALTAC's technology and know-how will be commercialized and introduced to the market by Okura Transport Machinery Co.

The automatic unpacking system uses a robot hand with a cutter blade that can cut off the top surface of the case, and a robot arm cuts the top surface of the case in place of a human operator.PALTAC's proprietary cutting mechanism ensures that the top surface of the case is cut off. A major feature of this system is that it can cut the top surface of cases of a wide variety of sizes and shapes at high speed without damaging the goods inside the case.
The automatic unpacking system consists of a robot hand with a cutter blade, a robot arm, and a supply conveyor. The system also has an automatic removal mechanism for the cut top surface and an auto-change mechanism for the replacement blade. Processing capacity is 400 cases/hour.

The automatic unpacking system uses a robot hand with a cutter blade that can cut off the top surface of the case, and a robot arm cuts the top surface of the case in place of a human operator.PALTAC's proprietary cutting mechanism ensures that the top surface of the case is cut off. A major feature of this system is that it can cut the top surface of cases of a wide variety of sizes and shapes at high speed without damaging the goods inside the case.
The automatic unpacking system consists of a robot hand with a cutter blade, a robot arm, and a supply conveyor. It also has an automatic removal mechanism for the cut top surface and an auto-change mechanism for the replacement blade. Processing capacity is 400 cases/hour.

Automation of cargo handling operations in factories and warehouses has become a major trend in the industrial world. Under these circumstances, we believe that our automatic unpacking equipment, which automates the manual unpacking of cardboard cases, will be in demand as a new solution and will help solve social issues such as labor shortages, avoidance of hazardous work by employees, and solutions to the 2024 problem in logistics.
PALTAC will provide its technology and know-how, and Okura Transportation Machinery will be responsible for manufacturing and sales. In order to commercialize the product as a general-purpose model, Okura Transportation Machinery plans to make improvements to the equipment operating at PALTAC's distribution center and begin sales by October 1, 2012.