{"id":52920,"date":"2026-09-14T06:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T04:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/?p=52920"},"modified":"2026-09-18T15:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T13:26:09","slug":"a-valais-based-depalletizing-robot-frees-wineries-and-breweries-from-repetitive-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/news\/a-valais-based-depalletizing-robot-frees-wineries-and-breweries-from-repetitive-work\/","title":{"rendered":"A Valais-based depalletizing robot frees wineries and breweries from repetitive work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Loading thousands of bottles one by one onto a bottling line is the tedious daily routine for many wineries and breweries. Thanks to a pilot project supported by The Ark Foundation, the SME<\/strong> Oppletis<\/strong><\/a>, based in Saint-Maurice, has developed a compact and flexible depalletizing robot. Since the spring of 2026, this solution has been operating at full capacity at the<\/strong> Cave du Rhodan<\/strong><\/a> in Salquenen, demonstrating that such equipment is both technically feasible and economically viable for moderate production rates.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Until now, no automatic depalletizer was suitable for the modest production rates of small and medium-sized wineries or breweries. The equipment currently available on the market is too bulky and ill-suited to the confined spaces of cellars. It was this observation that prompted Oppletis to begin developing this solution in 2020.
\u201cThis depalletizing work is repetitive, and I didn\u2019t want to assign skilled staff to it. So it was clear that I needed to find a solution,\u201d explains Olivier Mounir, director of Cave du Rhodan. Responding to this need, Oppletis designed a robot based on a Universal Robots UR20 collaborative arm, equipped with an in-house-developed gripper and an automatic bottle and pallet detection system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compactness, flexibility, and autonomy<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Three criteria guided the machine\u2019s development. \u201cWe first chose a system suitable for all types of breweries and wineries. In other words, it had to be flexible and easily adapt to different bottle types without changing tools,\u201d explains Camille Pignat, director of Oppletis.
The floor space required is minimal, an essential advantage in often cramped facilities. The robot also handles the removal of separator sheets completely autonomously. \u201cThe operator loads the pallet, removes the cover, and starts the robot. The entire pallet is then depalletized,\u201d explains the director of Oppletis. The machine was designed for throughput rates of up to 3,000 bottles per hour. At the Cave du Rhodan, it is currently operating at approximately 1,800 bottles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Dual Benefit: Economic and Human<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

For Olivier Mounir, the decision to host this pilot project was not based solely on financial criteria. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just an economic aspect of the decision, but also a social one, involving ergonomic considerations and relieving employees of these tasks,\u201d he emphasizes.
The financial support provided by The Ark Foundation was instrumental in making this full-scale test a reality. \u201cWe are grateful that The Ark Foundation also supported this initiative so that this pilot project could be launched,\u201d notes Olivier Mounir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Scalable Model: Buy or Rent<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The robot is now fully operational and ready to be offered to other clients, whether in the wine industry, breweries, or juice producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oppletis is focusing in particular on a rental model, designed for companies with occasional needs.
This pilot project illustrates how support from The Ark Foundation enables innovative Valais-based SMEs to transform ideas into concrete solutions that are tested and immediately deployable in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a Glance<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Total project cost:<\/strong> approx. CHF 85,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amount invested by The Ark Foundation:<\/strong> CHF 15,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project duration:<\/strong> 6 months (October 2025\u2013March 2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partners: Oppletis, Cave du RhodanDiscover this project in a video<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

the sme oppletis has developed a compact and flexible depalletizing robot. this solution has been operating at full capacity at the cave du rhodan in Salquenen, demonstrating that such equipment is both technically feasible and economically viable for moderate production rates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":52702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[212,230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","category-natural-ingredient"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52920"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52923,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52920\/revisions\/52923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}