Indeed, behind every innovation, there are visionaries who see an opportunity within a longstanding problem. For Itsik Mann and Benjamin Cohen, co-founders of Ayal Robotics and Engineering Ltd., such an opportunity presented itself when they encountered a recurring problem faced by their clients in the plastics industry. Many of these clients were conducting a manual sack emptying process. The workers would lift the heavy sacks and open them with blades, before emptying the pellets into a hopper. Not only was the usage of sharp objects a safety hazard, but when emptying the sacks, some of the contents often fell on the floor. These inefficiencies intrigued Mann and Cohen, and they searched far and wide for a robust solution that would help their clients, but without any luck. So, deciding to build one themselves, they went back to their design desks, put on their thinking hats, and for the next four years, immersed themselves in the R&D of their envisioned robotic solution. The result was an optimal automation system that addressed all sack emptying challenges in the most efficient and simple way possible.
This success marked the beginning of LaborSave—a proprietary and subsidiary brand of Ayal Robotics and Engineering Ltd.—to develop and supply the robotic automation system and enable production and logistics facilities handling raw material bags to save unnecessary labor costs and streamline their production process.
The unmatched speed of sack lifting, cutting, and emptying facilitated by LaborSave made it an instant sensation in the plastics, chemical, food and beverage, feedstuff and pharmaceutical industries. With its ‘all-in-one’ build, the system offered a range of fully automatic abilities—from sack handling through lifting, cutting, shaking, emptying, compressing, and empty pallet stacking and removal. The product comes in different models, offering throughput ranging from 400 to 1300 sacks per hour, with negligible material loss. It was a boon to factories that had long depended on manual sack emptying processes. Today, over 800 factories across the world are using more than 1000 LaborSave automation systems to streamline manpower, save work hours, and achieve more than 99.99 percent sack content emptying rates. The LaborSave system coupled with its peripheral equipment increase emptying workstation production rate by up to 60 percent.
Through LaborSave, Ayal is continuously setting the standard in sack emptying automation. But according to Mann, Ayal’s first and foremost identity will always remain as a robotics and engineering company that primarily invests in R&D. Ayal’s adherence to providing top quality products and services translates into the use of best-in-class materials, components, assembly, and workmanship, and is manifested in well-kept ‘free maintenance’ assurance and ‘Lifetime warranty’ pledge.
The Epitome of Engineering Excellency
Ayal’s massive success with LaborSave rests upon the fact that robotic automation can be as uncomplicated as it is smart. As a true ‘plug and play’ solution, LaborSave is easy to install, use, and maintain. The modular system can be assembled and installed in accordance with the specific requirements of a given production floor. It can also be equipped with peripheral equipment such as an automatic full pallet feeding conveyor, automatic empty pallet evacuation conveyor, and automatic stacker, each of which can be installed at the time of LaborSave’s first installation or can be commissioned at some other point in time.
Over 800 factories across the world are using the LaborSave automation system to streamline manpower, save work hours, and achieve more than 99.99 percent sack content emptying rates
Compelled by such appealing features, even the companies that have been using alternatives like vacuum sack lifting equipment are now making a switch to LaborSave. Unlike vacuum systems, which require additional worker attention and cannot be used for jute or other non-woven bags, the LaborSave automation system can be used for any type of sack and irrespective of the material used. Notably, as all its contact parts are made from GMP-grade stainless steel, the system offers the lowest contamination probability.
Besides the galore of features, the clients can always rest easy knowing that the LaborSave team is ever ready to lend its support. On the rare occasion a problem occurs in the equipment, the system’s PLC screen displays text and animated messages with both the problem and the solution. Even then, if the clients are unable to solve the problem on their own, they can always use LaborSave’s 24/7 hotline services for remote troubleshooting. To top it off, LaborSave provides a comprehensive lifetime warranty to its customers.
The Unflinching Focus on Simplicity and Quality
Today, a handful of providers are trying to follow the footsteps of LaborSave by developing similar robotic automation equipment. Nonetheless, the company has not lost sight of its true goal amid the competition in the market. “Being a leader in the automated sack emptying space, we need to be responsible to our existing customers, potential clients, employees, and ourselves,” says Mann. Rather than investing in unnecessary sophistication, LaborSave is focusing on making the sack emptying process as simple, cost-effective, and seamless as possible with its automation system.
As for quality, LaborSave automation system has been approved by the world’s major standards institutes and organizations such as CE, UL, TUV, and GOST, and is also Industry 4.0, Safety category 4, and GMP-certified. Having been rigorously tested by leading compliance and regulatory agencies, LaborSave perfectly demonstrates the engineering genius and craftsmanship that went into its development.
Driven by such industry-leading quality and safety standards, LaborSave is indeed a trailblazer in the sack emptying segment of multiple industries. Moving forward, the company will focus on integrating cutting-edge robotics and design upgrades for its system while maintaining its position at the helm of the sack emptying segment of the processing industry. “Our clients are no longer taking the slow path to success. They are breaking through the limitations of manual processes and getting on the fast lane of growth powered by automation technologies,” concludes Mann.
