ABB Limited has supplied a custom-made robotic solution to Kraft Food Schweiz AG, the world's second largest food and beverage company, to help produce the new range of bite-size Toblerone One by One. The result ensures that the company has met its own stringent requirements and reduces labour costs, turnover, capital costs and material waste. The introduction of the automatic production process will also improve product quality and levels of productivity at the factory in Bern, Switzerland.
Created in 1908, the Toblerone bar was distinctive in its triangular shape and popular combination of chocolate, honey and nougat. The new range of bite-size pieces required the factory to undergo a number of changes to ensure the efficient production and delivery for the new product launch. Before approaching ABB, Kraft Food recognised the need to introduce a robotics solution that would meet the growing demands at the chocolate factory, including:

• Automatically feeding chocolates to five foil-wrapped machines
• Collecting and merging the packaged products for placement in palette containers
• Maximising access for monitoring, cleaning, service and maintenance
• Accomodating a three-shift operation
• Using simple component designs
• Providing a simple operating system to facilitate frequent changes in personnel.

The team at ABB quickly examined each stage of the production to determine what the robots would need to achieve and how. Their answer was to divide the process into several subtasks, to achieve a quick and efficient production line using ABB's IRB 6600 and IRB 2400 robots.
The IRB 6600 robot, with a reach of more than three metres, transfers containers carrying trays filled with mini chocolate pieces to a separating station, where the trays are removed and placed on one of two conveyor belts. The robot gently removes the trays from beneath the chocolates so that they remain precisely and evenly spaced. This handling process ensures precision and prevents the product from being damaged as it passes down the production line.
The IRB 2400 robot transfers the chocolates onto the conveyor belt for individual foil wrapping, before merging on a central collection conveyor. Finally the chocolates are collected in a large container ready for distribution.
ABB's solution has been successfully in operation for nearly four years. With the improvements achieved by the robots Kraft Foods is now able to manufacture the new product in increasingly large volumes as it progressively launches Toblerone One by One in new markets across the globe.