SUMMER 2021
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ENGINEERING
APPLICATION BRIEF
Shiseido Moves to Forefront of Cosmetics Packaging with XTS Machine builder Unista uses linear transport system to provide the basis for compact and flexible packaging system with minimized changeover times Frank Würthner, Global Business Management Packaging, Beckhoff Automation
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nd customers in the cosmetics industry require their suppliers to provide them with packaging systems that feature maximum adaptability and flexibility. After all, the market demands ever-evolving changes in product presentation and packaging. To meet the needs of cosmetics company Shiseido, equipment manufacturer Unista developed a solution based on the eXtended Transport System (XTS) from Beckhoff Automation as well as other automation components and software from the technology supplier. Shiseido is a Japanese maker of high-end cosmetics with an international presence. Its European headquarters and two manufacturing plants have been based in France for 30 years. Machine builder Unista, located in the Nantes region near the western coast of France, was selected by Shiseido to develop and build two packaging machines. Since Shiseido uses containers in many sizes and shapes for its diverse portfolio of products in the luxury segment, the equipment had to deliver a maximum of flexibility. Unista has produced packaging lines for 10 years and specializes in robot-supported equipment. The machine model developed for Shiseido supports many different con-
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tainer types and lot sizes while keeping changeover times to a minimum.
Keyword: Flexibility Unista’s goal was to meet the demand for flexibility without compromising the engineering, motion controls, and production process, according to Anthony Forget, managing director of Unista France. “To accommodate the broad product portfolio of Shiseido, we needed an extremely flexible machine.” Unista employed an XTS with a track length of 4 meters, which enabled them to maintain a compact machine footprint and put the available floor space to its best use. “Unista’s needs were very much in line with the properties of our XTS transport system,” says David Ranchy, sales engineer at the Beckhoff office in Nantes. “XTS now functions as the machine’s central component and makes the production much more flexible.” The mechatronic linear transport solution is supplemented by two 6-axis robots for product handling. The first robot takes care of the loading and unloading. It places the filled cosmetics jars on the XTS, which uses 11 movers to
5/25/21 10:20 AM