Scaling high-mix production with modular automation: GMPack’s approach
In Short
As product complexity increased, GMPack needed a smarter way to scale high-mix production without adding labor or compromising hygiene.
By deploying modular automation powered by UR cobots, the company built a flexible production setup that improves consistency, reduces manual work, and adapts quickly to new formats.
The Challenge
GMPack specializes in filling and packaging a wide range of healthcare and cosmetics products across many different formats and container types.
As product variety increased, several key steps—including handling, capping, and part of the filling process—remained manual. These processes began to constrain GMPack’s ability to scale efficiently while maintaining strict hygiene and quality standards.
This created a number of operational and business challenges:
- Increased risk of variability in product quality and hygiene compliance
- Labor-intensive and repetitive processes driving higher operational costs
- Difficulty attracting and retaining workers for monotonous tasks
- Limited ability to scale production without adding complexity or headcount
GMPack
From partnership to customized automation
To address these challenges, GMPack partnered with Technicon to design and implement a tailored automation system based on collaborative robot technology.
Technicon brought deep application expertise and a turnkey approach, enabling GMPack to transition from manual processes to a fully integrated, modular setup without disrupting ongoing production.
The setup was built around three modular cream filling units, each combining two UR7e cobots in a coordinated workflow. This configuration was selected to balance flexibility, hygiene requirements, and ease of deployment in a high-mix production environment.
Within each module:
One robot handles the precise picking and positioning of empty containers A second robot applies caps and ensures correct placement of finished products An integrated printer enables batch traceability throughout production
Christian T. Kjærgaard, CEO GMPackThe UR cobot solution has increased consistency and reduced variability, giving us a more predictable production process and better control over quality.
By implementing the joint solution, GMPack achieved:
Reduced process variability and improved hygiene control Increased production capacity without increasing headcount Greater consistency and predictability in output quality Improved responsiveness to high-mix, customer-specific production runs A scalable automation foundation supporting future growth
Fast learning, smooth adoption
The use of collaborative robots allowed the system to operate safely alongside existing processes while maintaining a compact footprint and optimizing available space.
Flexibility was a key design principle. Interchangeable grippers enable fast adaptation to different container types and formats, allowing operators to switch between production runs quickly and without complex reprogramming.
The result is a modular, scalable solution that can be expanded or redeployed as production needs to evolve, giving GMPack a level of agility that would be difficult to achieve with traditional automation.
Driving performance and enabling future growth
The cobot solution has significantly improved GMPack’s operations, delivering higher product consistency, improved hygiene, and reduced manual errors, which results in greater efficiency and process stability. Precise gripper positioning ensures repeatable, high-quality output across production.
At the same time, the setup enables GMPack to scale its high-mix production model. By creating a more predictable, flexible, and efficient production environment, the company is now better positioned to take on new product variants and customers without increasing operational complexity.
What began as a solution to manual handling and variability has evolved into a strategic capability. With a modular and scalable automation foundation in place, GMPack is strengthening its competitive position in global healthcare and cosmetics markets—building a more resilient, adaptable, and future-ready production setup.
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