Find your fit: Palletizing edition

3. Engineered end-of-line cobot palletizers

Best for: Lower-throughput lines with frequent product changes or limited space.

For manufacturers with limited space or more frequent product changes, cobot palletizers provide a highly flexible alternative. These systems typically occupy just 100–200 square feet, come with built-in collaborative safety features, and can be redeployed quickly. Throughput ranges from 8–15 cases per minute, which is ideal for small- to mid-volume lines. While payload capacity is lower than that of large robots, cobot palletizers excel at providing a safe, adaptable solution that minimizes fencing requirements and operator risk.

Limitations of these three engineered solutions include long integration and lead times, the complexity that comes with customized solutions, vendor lock-in, and scope creep, any of which will slow down ROI.

4. “In-a-box” palletizers 

Best for: Small, standardized operations that want plug-and-play simplicity.

“In-a-Box” palletizers are pre-engineered, compact solutions designed for fast installation and mobility. They are truly plug-and-play, letting manufacturers get up and running quickly without major layout changes. However, they offer limited customization, fixed pallet patterns, and moderate throughput (6–12 cases per minute).

5. Lean palletizing

Best for: Mid-volume operations with diverse product sizes and the need to grow over time.

A Lean Palletizer strikes a balance between flexibility and scalability. Combining collaborative hardware with intuitive software, this solution allows manufacturers to set up cells quickly, run multiple box formats, and scale to additional lines without starting from scratch.

It provides a predictable payback period of 1-2 years while giving operators an easy-to-use interface that doesn’t require extensive programming expertise. This is an ideal option for growing operations that need a repeatable, structured way to automate while maintaining the ability to adapt to future production changes.

6. Manual palletizing

Manual palletizing remains common in low-volume facilities, but it comes with significant downsides. Labor costs can reach $30K–$70K per operator per year, while repetitive lifting puts workers at risk for injuries and fatigue. Throughput is typically low — about 4–6 cases per minute — which can create bottlenecks at the end of the line. 

Manual palletizing may make sense for very small or unpredictable production runs, but as volumes grow, the cost and risk often outweigh the flexibility it provides.

Key considerations for choosing a palletizing solution

When comparing palletizing systems, think about:

• Throughput: Cases per minute you need to hit
• Space: Floor footprint available for equipment
• Budget: CapEx vs. expected ROI/payback period
• Flexibility: Frequency of SKU changes and future growth plans
• Safety & Ergonomics: Operator interaction requirements

Take the first step

Choosing the right solution is easier when you have data. With the Robotiq Palletizing Fit Tool, you can:

✅ Validate your application in minutes
✅ Generate a custom 3D simulation of your palletizing cell
✅ Calculate ROI and payback period with your real data
✅ Get a downloadable report to share with your team