Press Release: Aagard Achieves Milestone in Fully Autonomous Packaging

Aagard, a leader in purpose-built packaging automation systems, announced a major milestone in packaging automation, bringing together more than a decade of engineering innovation, technology integration, and strategic partnerships into one coordinated packaging operation. The innovation is designed to reduce routine intervention, maximize uptime, and keep production moving.

The milestone reflects years of development across material handling, inventory management, robotics, packaging automation, controls, and system integration—all focused on a common goal, engineering out the reasons production stops.

Manufacturers continue to face mounting pressure to increase throughput, improve labor utilization, manage growing complexity, and reduce downtime. Yet many production interruptions still result from routine activities such as material replenishment, inventory movement, product handling, and manual system coordination.

Aagard's vision is to address those challenges through a more connected approach to packaging automation.

"This milestone wasn't achieved by automating a single task. It was achieved by systematically engineering out the reasons production stops. After more than a decade of innovation, we're demonstrating what becomes possible when every movement, every handoff, and every decision in the packaging operation is designed to work together," said Jonas Capistrant, Director of Customer Innovation.

Rather than focusing on individual machines, Aagard's approach integrates technologies throughout the packaging operation, including warehouse integration, intelligent material preparation, RFID inventory management, mobile robotics, packaging automation, palletizing, and system-wide controls.

The result is a packaging operation designed to reduce routine manual intervention while improving visibility, resiliency, flexibility, and production performance.

A key element of the initiative is designing for real-world manufacturing conditions where equipment slows, materials run low, packaging and production requirements change.

Rather than assuming perfect operating conditions, Aagard engineered recovery, accumulation, buffering, and redundancy throughout the operation to help keep production moving when disruptions occur.

The initiative also reflects a broader shift in how manufacturers utilize skilled labor.

Instead of dedicating personnel to repetitive tasks such as material movement, magazine loading, replenishment, and routine operational support, manufacturers can better deploy employees toward process improvement, troubleshooting, optimization, and problem solving.

"The automation system completely relieves operators from keeping the machines fed with materials. By eliminating those monotonous, non-value-add tasks, the priority can shift to monitoring product quality, monitoring the equipment, fixing issues, and preventing future downtime events," said Travis Kloehn, Director of Engineering. 

What you get is product in and finished goods out. Everything in between has been reimagined.

Aagard will showcase the concept at Pack Expo through an interactive 3D model and discussions with the engineering team responsible for its development.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore how integrated packaging automation can help address some of manufacturing's most persistent challenges while improving operational performance across their packaging line.

ABOUT AAGARD

Aagard specializes in purpose-built packaging automation systems, working alongside customers to deliver innovative, turnkey solutions. Based in Alexandria, Minnesota, Aagard is committed to building partnerships, promoting community well-being, and delivering excellence through collaboration and innovation.

For more information about Aagard, please contact:

Mandi Carlberg

Marketing Manager

Aagard

320.763.6043

mkcarlberg@aagard.com