Innovation spotlight: Clevertech and KUKA bring automation to the pet food industry
Italian company Clevertech is a leading specialist in end-of-line packaging solutions, with robot-based systems primarily serving the pet food sector. As the industry continues to grow rapidly, more than 80% of Clevertech’s installations are powered by KUKA robots. According to Luca Carollo, Business Developer at Clevertech, the increasing “humanization” of pet food—such as the introduction of yogurt, smoothies, and vegetable blends—has created new packaging demands. These products require processes that are highly accurate, gentle, and fast, making robotics an essential part of the solution.
Beyond product shape and handling, energy efficiency was another key challenge for customers. Achieving this requires cans to be arranged in complete and stable layers. Fully packed layers improve heat transfer during sterilization, as more product mass absorbs energy and less is wasted. Following sterilization, a new difficulty arises: the cans, now wet and exposed to thermal stress, must be removed carefully while preventing moisture from entering the system.
Automation is playing a key role in keeping pace with the rapid evolution of the pet food industry.
Luca Carollo notes that packaging formats are becoming increasingly compact, a trend similar to what the beverage sector experienced in the past. The current system is capable of handling up to 1,200 cans per minute, with potential to reach even higher throughputs. At the heart of the solution is a patented gripping concept that integrates vacuum technology with mechanical thrust. This Hybrid Sweep-off Technology allows smooth layer transfer and precise compression control.
By maintaining the integrity of intermediate layers that stabilize product stacks, the system helps minimize material waste and reduce replacement costs. “Each deformed intermediate layer leads to additional costs. This solution supports both efficiency and sustainability for the customer,” Carollo explains. Delivering more than 98% operational efficiency and featuring a scalable design, the system is engineered not only for speed, but also for durability and easy replication across multiple production sites.
The flexibility of the Clevertech–KUKA solution is already demonstrated in other applications.
In Romania, a comparable robot-assisted setup is used to handle pet food pouches, where the products demand especially gentle handling. “The concept stays the same: one KUKA robot manages loading, another handles unloading—one robot works with the product, while the other manages consumables such as interlayers and pallets,” Carollo says. He adds that this new solution is being showcased at international trade shows.