Swire Coca-Cola deploys AI robot for picking and sorting in Zhengzhou plant

Swire Coca-Cola said on Wednesday that it has deployed artificial intelligence robots at one of its largest bottling plants in the Chinese mainland, which can pick heavy, shrink-wrapped packs quickly and accurately for mixed-product orders.

SAI is an intelligent picking and sorting system guided by a single AI brain capable of making decisions on its own to optimise operations, and it is processing live customer orders at Swire Coca-Cola's Zhengzhou plant in Henan province, according to Swire Coca-Cola.

It sequences customer orders, orchestrates a wider fleet of robots to identify products, pick and sort heavy shrink-wrapped beverages, move them across the warehouse floor and build mixed-product pallets without manual intervention.

Each robot is built on a 40kg-class heavy-load platform and can lift up to four shrink-wrapped packs in a single movement. At peak, it handles 600 cases an hour, is designed to run around the clock, and picks with accuracy approaching 100 percent.

By applying AI and robotics to this demanding work, it reduced physical strain and ergonomic risk for frontline colleagues and also equipped employees with new skills in robotics maintenance, the company said.

Following its successful commercial deployment, the capability is planned for Swire Coca-Cola's Nanjing, Hefei and Guangzhou plants next year.

SAI offers safer work for staff by reducing physical strain and ergonomic risk on the warehouse floor, while strengthening the speed, consistency and resilience of the company's operations, said Karen So, chief executive of Swire Coca-Cola.

As a Hong Kong-headquartered company, the purpose-built solution developed in the mainland and now ready to scale across the company's global markets demonstrates the super value-added, super-connector role Hong Kong is positioned to play, So added.

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