From two to four production lines

Bremen-based saturn petcare GmbH expands in the USA – with palletizers from Germany

There is an attractive market for pet food, especially for wet food for dogs and cats. Clear evidence of this comes from Bremen-based saturn petcare GmbH which has doubled its production lines in the USA from two to four lines. The palletising system was brought over from Germany. Performance, flexibility and excellent experience gathered in practice played a decisive role for this decision.

The global pet food segment has shown significant growth in recent years. According to market researchers from the online platform statista, sales are likely to reach around 140 billion euro in 2024. They even expect the market to grow by more than five percent per annum up to 2028.

Drivers of this trend are, among others, demographic change, the increase in the number of single-person households and the significant rise in available income. The “humanisation of pets“ is cited as another factor. High-quality raw materials, natural ingredients and superfoods are currently very much in demand for pets as well. And last but not least, the number of pets simply increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The order comprised the necessary conveyors including spiral conveyors, the integration of the two palletisers, automation and clarification of the interfaces as well as commissioning including operator training.

Since 2021 practically the same plant operating in Bremen

saturn petcare GmbH, which is part of the Heristo Group, is a company that is extremely successful in this field on an international scale. Its production facility at the company’s headquarters in Bremen was built in 1991. From then on, they have been producing wet food for dogs and cats for retail trade on state-of-the-art production lines at this site. Customers are mostly food chains that sell saturn products as their own brands. The production facility is IFS-certified and therefore meets the highest standards in terms of quality and product safety. With documented success: The Stiftung Warentest foundation took a close look at cat food in 2020. The result: six of the best 8 products came from saturn petcare, in 2024 even 4 out of 5.

Besides its works in Germany, saturn petcare has production sites in the Netherlands and, since 2021, also in the United States, which is currently the strongest-selling market worldwide. Within the framework of this expansion, a state-of-the-art production plant for wet food was realised at the site in Terre Haute in the federal state of Indiana, which was upgraded from two to four production lines in 2023. The plan was to replicate the systems one-to-one. This was also implemented – with the exception of the two palletisers. Harald Knaup, project manager at saturn petcare in Bremen, Germany, looks back: “The reason for this decision was the concept of the palletising system, the design structure, the additional add-ons such as Condition Monitoring, layer pattern generator or the maintenance manager, the attractive price-performance ratio and, last but not least, the good experience we have had with the practically identical plant here in Bremen since 2021.“ According to Knaup, another plus point was the layer pad inserter, which can be loaded with new material without the palletiser stopping.

The palletisers work according to the ‘lifting pallet’ principle. They are able to process very high loads and achieve an output of up to 280 layers per hour.

Conversion “at the press of a button”

Both the palletiser in Bremen and the two in the USA operate according to the “lifting pallet” principle. They are able to process very high loads and reach an output of up to 280 layers per hour. Due to the extensive use of servomotors and the omission of pneumatics, the machines carry out the palletising work in a highly energy efficient manner. With the “layer pattern generator” they are also highly flexible, as in this case the desired layer patterns are stored. All it takes is a “push of a button” to change them. The tool also supports the optimisation or design of a layer pattern.

Understandably, when comparing Bremen and the United States, some country-specific modifications were needed. For example, the US standards had to be verified and the operating language and pallet format had to be adapted. The 120-volt power supply in the US is also different. For this purpose, a corresponding transformer was installed in Germany in order to be able to test the electrical system and the control in advance. And talking about control: “For America, it was unusual that we had installed the Siemens S7 controller. This was an issue to begin with, but now they are extremely satisfied”, Knaup adds.

All in all, eight 40-foot containers shipped

The physical transport was another factor: the plant was split into as large parts as possible and stored in eight 40ft containers. The final container was loaded on a ship for New York on 22.08.2023. From there it was transported over 1,000 km on heavy-duty trucks to Terre Haute, where assembly began on 16.09.2023. The construction site was managed by a supervisor for mechanics, a supervisor for electrics and a commissioner. These were supported by five mechanics and three electricians from saturn petcare. In future, the plant will be looked after by the US company Standard-Knapp and from Germany via the internet. “A clear signal underscoring the international competence and expertise of the EOL Group”, Knaup emphasises.

Modern communication as an important tool

In concrete terms, the order comprised the required conveyor systems including spiral conveyors, the integration of the two palletisers, the automation and clarification of the interfaces as well as the commissioning including operator training. This complete package was executed on a turnkey basis. Modern, state-of-the-art communication and construction site management with LOP 4.0 were essential tools in this transatlantic collaboration project.

LOP 4.0 is a cloud-based system to which all parties involved in the project have access. This digital platform maps the project status with the highest possible transparency during the construction site phase, from the delivery right up to commissioning. LOP 4.0 is furthermore an open communication and documentation platform. Each project partner can, for example, upload photos or videos, propose next steps for discussion or prioritise individual items. This makes sure that the presentation of the status of all project modules is always up-to-date and clearly understandable. Any interactions with the next steps can thus be seen immediately. This reduces conflict and coordination losses and leads to a high level of planning ability.

Maximum flexibility: the palletisers either handle two products in parallel or each the same product, or only one of the two is in operation.

“A truly harmonious and focused collaboration“

Acceptance took place on 31.10.2023. “It was a truly harmonious and well-focused collaboration”, saturn petcare sums up. During the everyday production the two palletisers now each pick up two carton formats from the upstream filling and packing systems, in which different types of pet food are packaged. In the infeed area of the palletisers the infed cartons are turned and positioned according to the desired layer formation. This creates layer patterns that are individually adaptable by the customer. The pallets stacked in the palletiser are then conveyed to the discharge point via the pallet conveyor and from there they are conveyed to the warehouse. The pallets, in turn, are automatically fed in via a magazine. The two palletisers run both products in parallel or the same product, or just one of the two is in operation. The palletisers therefore not only boast high performance and reliability, they are also very flexible in use, and that means a really reassuring outlook considering the forecast growth scenarios.