Case Study: Johnson Controls achieves 22+ batteries/min throughput and rapid ROI with Bastian Solutions' robotic palletizing system

Johnson Controls - Customer Case Study

Johnson Controls enlisted Bastian Solutions to automate palletizing at its Middletown, Delaware battery facility, where operators needed to palletize over 22 batteries per minute across roughly 30 SKUs (6"–14"), support more than 70 pallet patterns, and endure years of direct contact with hydrochloric battery acid. The challenge was to reduce operational costs and eliminate manual battery handling while meeting high throughput and harsh-environment requirements; Bastian Solutions recommended a robotic palletizing system using ABB’s Foundry 2 Plus palletizing robot and integrated vision and conveyor technologies.

Bastian Solutions implemented a robotic palletizing cell featuring ABB’s Foundry 2 Plus robot, Bastian’s Robotic End of Arm Tooling, a row-forming conveyor acting as an auxiliary axis, an ABB auxiliary EOAP package, pallet conveyors and dispensers, and a vision system for product identification. The solution eliminated manual handling, met and exceeded throughput requirements (>22 batteries/min), handled the varied SKUs and 70+ patterns, withstood the caustic environment, and delivered an ROI of less than one year — the eighth such battery palletizing system Bastian Solutions has deployed for Johnson Controls.

Johnson Controls