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Accupak will bring a Kawasaki duAro dual-arm collaborative robot (cobot) to stand C200 at AUSPACK 2019.

The duAro has two arms which reach horizontally and move as a pair. According to AccuPak, this means the cobot can easily perform operations similar to those of a person using both arms within a one-person space.

It is also safe to operate around humans thanks to its collision detection systems and a function that slows it down when near a person, the company says, adding that because of these features, it can be reliably operated in tandem with human workers.

The robot is controlled by a single controller which makes it possible to perform coordinated movement, and direct teaching methods can be used to teach required movements by holding and moving the arms rather than having to program them in.

At an average cost of $50-75,000 per unit including vision system and systems integration work, the purchase of a cobot is within reach for most small and mid-sized enterprises, claims AccuPak.

The company will also exhibit a WIPOTEC-OCS HC-A checkweigher and a twin Fortress Stealth metal detector “combo” machine.

Food & Drink Business

Select Harvests has appointed Kristina Hermanson as the company’s new managing director and CEO, effective from 3 August. She takes over from David Surveyor, who has been in the role since February 2023, and will finish on 31 July.

Lactalis Australia has paid $59,400 in penalties after the ACCC issued it with three infringement notices for alleged misleading labelling – the latest in a string of food companies to be hit with penalties over the past two months.

Across Australia and internationally, food and beverage businesses are facing growing pressure to provide greater transparency about where products come from, how they are produced, and whether claims relating to quality, sustainability, and authenticity can be verified. Griffith University Asia Institute associate professor of agribusiness and international trade, Robin E. Roberts, offers advice for companies to transform this pressure into a competitive advantage.