Case Study: Bee Sweet Citrus achieves flexible automated palletizing, increased efficiency and reduced labor with Honeywell Intelligrated

Collaboration Results in Automated Palletizing Solution With Flexibility to Accommodate Diverse Product, Packaging Requirements

Bee Sweet Citrus is an independent California packer and shipper handling roughly 10 million cartons a year from a 400,000 sq. ft. campus that serves global retailers. The company’s wide mix of citrus varieties, multiple packaging types and differing pallet specifications made automated palletizing difficult, while rising labor costs, safety concerns and high turnover pushed Bee Sweet to seek a flexible, high-throughput solution.

Working with Honeywell Intelligrated, Bee Sweet installed a phased, software-driven end-of-line system built around two Alvey 910 palletizers, barcode scanners, a sliding-shoe sorter and 28 accumulation lanes to support six packaging types and 27 stacking patterns (covering about 95% of SKUs). The automation handles roughly 80% of cases, sustained the 50,000-carton/day throughput, cut palletizing headcount from 60 to 10 (an 80% reduction), improved safety and consistency, shortened projected ROI to about five–six years, and left capacity for future expansion.

Bee Sweet Citrus

Jim Marderosian

Owner & President