Parason has collaborated with ABB in India to automate and up-scale production of sustainable and compostable packaging solutions. The collaboration has been established to help Parason’s customers reduce their reliance on single-use plastics and Styrofoam packaging. These moulded fibre tableware products are widely used across multiple industries across restaurants and cafes, food catering, transport, travel and industry canteens.
ABB robots, integrated with Parason’s machinery, will help to facilitate the effective manufacturing of agro-waste products – creating 100 percent eco-friendly compostable packaging solutions. ABB initially deployed 10 robots at Parason’s five forming machine cell and added another 20 robots at the end of last year.
Compared to manual pick-and-place applications, ABB robots will help increase OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) performance by 30 per cent, while eliminating ergonomic risks for the workforce, and improving overall health and safety.
The 3.5 million tons of plastic waste generated in India per annum creates various hazards, which is why India has initiated a nationwide ban on single-use plastic, informs Subrata Karmakar, Country President, Robotics and Discrete Automation Business, ABB India. ABB’s innovative robotic solutions, combined with Parason’s revolutionary turn-key manufacturing process using agro-waste, will be a key contributor to addressing climate change by adopting a 100 per cent compostable alternative to plastics.Every year India generates about 500 million tonnes of farm waste which can now be used to create sustainable packaging solutions. ABB’s automated solutions have helped create a viable, cost-effective value chain and maintain a low carbon environment, as per Madhure Desarda, Director of Operations, Parason Group. This year, Parason intends to deploy 250 forming machine cells, which have the capacity to replace 150 tonnes of single-use plastic per day.