Fluctuations in demand, customized packaging and ever shorter product life cycles: logistics service providers and companies in the co-packing sector must continuously respond to customer requirements and offer tailor-made solutions. Customers from the consumer goods industry in particular are subject to strong seasonal fluctuations in demand (Christmas sales, Black Friday or seasonal sales), which lead to a sudden increase in sales figures and therefore also in the goods that need to be produced, packaged and shipped. Last but not least, the strong growth of online retail has also led to more and more goods being packed and shipped.

Flexible companies, such as the global logistics service provider DHL, rely on collaborative robots to respond to today's customer requirements. Smart cobots such as Sawyer from Rethink Robotics are used for various sorting and packaging tasks along the supply chain as required. They are mobile and can be moved and taught in the production line at any time: Sawyer learns new motion sequences simply by guiding the robot arm using train-by-demonstration. Dedicated programming knowledge is no longer required and expensive downtimes and changeover times are eliminated. This is particularly important when companies need to increase their capacity at short notice and are faced with the challenge of finding qualified employees quickly.

Collaborative robots also help with repetitive tasks, especially in the packaging industry, which are monotonous and sometimes stressful for humans in the long term: They take over monotonous or physically demanding tasks so that employees can devote themselves to more challenging tasks. Structural challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers make it a critical competitive factor for companies to deploy their employees in the most value-adding way possible. Flexible automation solutions such as Sawyer give them the necessary room for maneuver. as