When Bots Meet Boxes: The Future of Robotics in the Corrugated Industry
With recent advancements in robotics, the way we handle corrugated production is changing: picture robots navigating the factory floor with precision, conducting inspections, driving predictive maintenance, handling materials and completing complex tasks with speed and accuracy. While this might sound like science fiction, it’s quickly becoming our new reality.
The idea of robots can be a bit intimidating. They don’t need coffee breaks, and their version of a sick day is a quick reboot. But there’s no need to worry! Let’s dispel any fears and dive into the exciting world of robotics in the corrugated industry. We’ll explore the innovations on the horizon, how they’ll revolutionize our work, and why these robots are more likely to be valuable partners than replacements.
A BRIEF HISTORY
The use of robotics in the corrugated packaging industry began to gain traction in the late 20th century. Initially, robots were introduced to perform simple, repetitive tasks in packaging operations, with some of the earliest examples being robotic palletizers and basic automated systems for case packing.
In the early 2000s, the corrugated packaging production industry witnessed a dramatic increase in the adoption of robotics, driven by several key factors. Advancements in software significantly enhanced the capabilities and flexibility of robotic systems, while improvements in sensors and electronics made robots more capable and easier to integrate into packaging operations.
Substantial reductions in the cost of computer hardware, such as microprocessors, made robotic systems more accessible to a broader range of companies. The increased capabilities of robots, including advanced sensors and rudimentary machine vision systems, expanded their potential applications, aligning perfectly with the packaging industry’s needs for flexibility, efficiency, quality, cost benefits, and improved safety.
LABOR SCARCITY DRIVES DEMAND
One of the most significant factors driving the adoption of robotics in the corrugated industry today is labor scarcity. The 2023 Annual Manufacturing Wage & Salary report by the Manufacturers’ Association highlighted a looming crisis: one-third or more of the manufacturing workforce is expected to reach retirement age within the next five years. This wave of retirements is set to create a substantial knowledge and skills gap, posing a significant challenge to the continued growth and innovation in the industry.
“When I began selling robots over a decade ago, box plants were primarily focused on labor costs. Today, the conversation has shifted to labor scarcity,” says Bob Kaska, founder of Kaska Robotics. “We’re hearing it more and more—there’s no one left to push the buttons, no one to feed the sheets into the machines. It’s an unprecedented challenge.”
With a significant portion of skilled workers nearing retirement, the need for automated solutions is pressing. Robotics offer a viable solution to bridge this gap, ensuring that operations can continue smoothly and efficiently, even as the labor pool shrinks.
CHALLENGES & ADVANTAGES
As advanced robotics become the new standard, several challenges remain that require careful attention and strategic planning to overcome:
Skepticism/Safety Concerns: Despite the growing interest in robotics, skepticism and safety concerns remain significant barriers to implementation. Workers may fear that robots could replace their jobs, and there are understandable worries about the safety of human-robot interactions. “Oftentimes, the very first thing I get asked is, ‘Is this thing going to catch my building on fire?’” says John Weiler, sales manager, industrial applications at Boston Dynamics. “What if it makes a mistake? These thoughts are natural, because they don’t know what they don’t know.”
To mitigate these concerns, companies can invest in comprehensive training programs that emphasize collaboration between humans and robots, highlighting how robots can take on repetitive or hazardous tasks, improving overall workplace safety and job satisfaction.
Upfront Cost: While the initial investment in robotics might seem daunting, robotics can actually reduce the need for overall equipment investment in the long run. For example, instead of investing in extensive sensor networks or additional fixed machinery, a single mobile robot can conduct inspections across multiple assets. “Companies will place sensors on their most important equipment that require 24/7 monitoring,” explains Weiler. “For everything else on our site, it’s often more cost-effective to buy a robot with mounted sensors, conducting inspections of every piece of equipment on the floor.”
By minimizing the investment in permanent infrastructure, companies can achieve significant cost savings while maintaining or even improving operational efficiency.
Implementation: Preparing a factory for robotic implementation may involve modifications to existing infrastructure. This includes ensuring that the layout is conducive to robotic movement, upgrading power supplies, and integrating robotics with existing software systems. However, new advancements in robotics technology have made it possible to integrate systems with minimal changes to the factory environment. These advanced robots are designed to be more adaptable, often requiring only minor adjustments to the existing setup, making the transition smoother and more cost-effective.
Scalability: Scalability is another challenge, as robotic systems may not easily adapt to varying production demands or shifts in product lines. A system that works well for one scale of operation might require significant reconfiguration to handle different volumes or new product types. To overcome this, companies can opt for modular robotic solutions that allow for incremental upgrades and adjustments. This flexibility ensures that the system can grow and evolve alongside the box plant.
KEY ADVANTAGES
The use of robotics offers several key advantages for box plants:
Increased efficiency and productivity: Robotics significantly boosts efficiency and productivity by automating repetitive tasks and allowing continuous operation without breaks.
Enhanced precision and consistency: Robots provide enhanced precision and consistency, ensuring each cut and assembly in the production process meets exact specifications and quality standards.
Less floor space: The compact design of robotic systems requires less floor space, enabling more efficient use of the manufacturing area and facilitating easier integration into existing production lines. In addition, use of robotics over fixed automation systems allows human operators to step in and carry out short, customized order runs easily.
One relevant application of the compact flexibility of robotics is robotic prefeeders. “The flexibility to seamlessly switch between an automated robotic pre-feeder and manual operation is crucial,” notes Kaska. “This adaptability is especially valuable in spaceconstrained box plants that frequently handle short-run orders.”
Reduction in labor costs and workplace injuries: Using robots reduces labor costs and minimizes workplace injuries by taking over hazardous or physically demanding tasks, thereby improving overall worker safety.
THE FUTURE OF BOTS IN BOX PLANTS
As robotics transform the corrugated industry, several emerging trends and technologies are shaping the future. These trends include:
The Final Frontier: Robotic solutions now exist for nearly all functions on the corrugated manufacturing line, including material handling, cutting, and assembling. However, key tasks such as dunnage sheet placement and load tag insertion have been challenging to automate—until recently. The first robotic solutions for these functions have now become available, pushing the corrugated industry toward 100 percent automation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI-driven vision technology enables robots to track units on conveyors with remarkable accuracy, eliminating the need for barcodes or RFID tags. This innovation relies on visual data to assign virtual serial numbers to each unit, ensuring continuous and touch-free monitoring throughout the production process.
Additionally, advancements in AI, particularly through the integration of large language models (LLMs), are making it possible for nontechnical users to interact with and command robots using natural language, significantly broadening their accessibility and usability. “The advent of AI is starting to really accelerate things,” says Weiler. “Now, the software is getting to the point where non-technical people can do quite a lot of useful things. It’s also allowing for faster training of our robots, expanding their capabilities a lot quicker.”
These capabilities, combined with AI’s ability to autonomously navigate and adapt to dynamic environments, improve work-inprocess tracking and reduce errors while also enhancing robots’ ability to perform preventive maintenance and other critical tasks.
Robots on the Move: Mobile robots, along with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and safety in the corrugated manufacturing industry. These mobile robots can autonomously navigate complex environments and conduct detailed inspections, enabling proactive maintenance that reduces downtime and improves reliability.
AGVs streamline the movement of raw materials and finished products, minimizing human error, reducing labor costs, and supporting just-in-time manufacturing processes. Together, these technologies significantly boost productivity while ensuring a safer and more efficient manufacturing environment.
PEOPLE IN THE ROBOTIC ERA
The future of human work with robotics will involve a collaborative relationship where robots take on repetitive, dangerous, or highly precise tasks, allowing humans to focus on more complex, creative, and strategic roles. The integration of AI and LLMs will make it easier for non-technical workers to interact with robots using natural language, broadening their accessibility in the workplace. As robots become more autonomous, there may be a shift toward “lights-out” manufacturing, where human oversight is minimized.
This evolution will demand ongoing adaptation and skill development for workers, ensuring they can leverage these advanced tools effectively. Ultimately, robotics will likely enhance human capabilities rather than replace them.
The future is here—the new wave of robotics promises to make corrugated manufacturing more efficient, safe and productive. But are you and your company future-ready?
It is not too early to save the date for CorrExpo 2025: Connecting the Corrugated Packaging Industry to the Future, which will take place October 20-22, 2025, in Savannah, GA. CorrExpo brings together a large and dynamic group of industry decision-makers from both box makers and industry suppliers, providing a variety of unique connections and the ability to build long-lasting relationships through exclusive networking events.
To learn more, please visit correxpo.org.
