Kleannara Advances Smart Manufacturing with Fully Automated Raw Paper Packaging

Kleanara , a lifestyle innovation solution platform company, announced on the 17th that it has established a robot-based 'raw paper packaging automation' system at its Cheongju plant to enhance productivity and quality competitiveness while strengthening on-site safety . Through the implementation of this automation , the company has laid the foundation to improve hourly productivity by approximately 70% compared to existing levels .

Clean Nara's base paper packaging automation system focused on transitioning the process, where workers directly handled heavy base paper weighing up to 2.5 tons, to a robot-centered automation line . Base paper is a semi-finished product produced through the papermaking process and is used as a basic material for printing paper and various packaging materials, such as cosmetic cases , snack boxes , and fruit packaging boxes .

In particular, paper packaging is considered a process prone to variations in quality and productivity depending on the skill level of workers, due to the diverse product specifications and frequent repetitive tasks . Clean Nara’s strategy is to transition this process to robotic automation and a data-driven operating system to minimize work variations and maximize process efficiency , while simultaneously strengthening on-site safety and production competitiveness .

To this end, a total of 12 advanced robotic units, including collaborative robots , industrial robots , and logistics robots, were introduced at the Cheongju plant . The entire packaging process—ranging from base paper transfer to X-Lift, conveyor-based logistics movement , cap insertion , seal attachment , automatic taping , high-speed wrapping , and label application—has been automated to efficiently reorganize the process flow . Furthermore, the Warehouse Management System (WMS / WCS) and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) have been linked in real-time to enable integrated management of production and logistics data . This allows for a comprehensive overview of the process status , and plans are underway to implement process optimization in stages based on the accumulated data.

Once the automation system goes into full operation, the production rate per hour (UPH) is expected to improve by approximately 70% compared to the existing level . Based on this, Clean Nara aims to achieve a 100% on-time delivery rate by enhancing process stability . In particular, as responsiveness to delivery schedules has been strengthened early on since the introduction of automation, positive responses from clients have continued ; therefore, it is expected that customer satisfaction management through the establishment of a more stable supply system will become a reality in the future .

Meanwhile, on-site, as robots handle the process of handling paper rolls weighing up to 2.5 tons following automation, the burden of handling heavy loads on workers is significantly reduced, and it appears that there will be meaningful changes in terms of industrial safety .

With the implementation of this automation, Clean Nara plans to continuously accumulate and analyze operational data generated from production facilities to further refine and advance its processes . The strategy is to elevate the completeness of the smart manufacturing environment, which combines robot technology and data-based operations, to the next level and further accelerate AX ( AI Transformation ) .

"The establishment of this automation system is intended to accelerate AX in manufacturing sites and strengthen customer satisfaction management by fully integrating robots and data into the production process," said a Clean Nara official. "We will continue to enhance process competitiveness and stable supply capabilities through continuous manufacturing innovation . "