published on 12/11/09
The Oasis Water Company says that the installation of ABB robots by a team of skilled mechanical engineers has allowed it to expand its 5 gallon bottled water sales substantially, as well as improving workplace safety.
As part of an expansion project on the production line at the Dubai Plant, Oasis instructed the team of mechanical engineers to fully automate its 5 gallon production line by the installation of 2 ABB robots. An IRB 6600 loads empty water bottles and places them on the conveyor belt, while an IRB7600 lifts 16 water-filled bottles- along with a metal stack holder and loads them accurately into large steel racks. Productivity has been improved by some 36%.
This makes it the second largest 5 gallon water production line in the world. Having the ABB’s UAE robotics team was a key to the success with the units. The Plant Manager said “that having an engineering team with the skills and knowledge that this team of mechanical engineers carry is imperative in the 5 gallon water business, if one of the robots breaks down and we cannot deliver to a customer in time due to delayed maintenance, they might shift to another brand. The mechanical engineers that we have access to leave us secure in the knowledge that no matter what maintenance needs are required, either pro active or re active, in their hands we will be ok”

Read the full article at Soft Drinks International October 2009