{"id":4925,"date":"2026-05-07T08:56:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T06:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/?p=4925"},"modified":"2026-05-07T08:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T06:56:26","slug":"safety-security-packaging-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/safety-security-packaging-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"More than just safe products!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As part of a sys\u00adtem\u00adatic plant assess\u00adment of Bega Group\u2019s 19 man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adturing sites (as at FY2024), the automa\u00adtion spe\u00adcialist scru\u00adti\u00adnised hun\u00addreds of plants and machines, with the focus on Safety and Indus\u00adtrial Secu\u00adrity. The aim was to create uni\u00adform machine safety stan\u00addards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety aspects play a key role in the oper\u00ada\u00adtion of auto\u00admated plant and machinery: Safety stands for the highest level of safety for oper\u00ada\u00adtors and those in the vicinity of the machinery. This applies to newly com\u00admis\u00adsioned machinery as well as sys\u00adtems that have under\u00adgone sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant changes fol\u00adlowing con\u00adver\u00adsions or retro\u00adfits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big player for milk and more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bega Group is a renowned man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adturer of dairy, bev\u00ader\u00adages and food prod\u00aducts across Aus\u00adtralia and inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adally. Head\u00adquar\u00adtered in Bega, NSW, Aus\u00adtralia, the com\u00adpany employs approx\u00adi\u00admately 3,700 people across 19 sites and gen\u00ader\u00adated approx\u00adi\u00admately AU$3.5 bil\u00adlion (approx\u00adi\u00admately \u20ac2 bil\u00adlion) in rev\u00adenue in FY2024. Its her\u00aditage traces back to 1899 in the Bega valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past eight years, Bega Group has expanded through numerous strategic acqui\u00adsi\u00adtions trans\u00adforming it into an inte\u00adgrated food man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adturer. Milk pro\u00adcessing capacity mate\u00adri\u00adally increased, cre\u00adating momentum for stream\u00adlined oper\u00ada\u00adtions and greater effi\u00adciency across the organ\u00adi\u00adsa\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From fresh milk and cheese to spreads and juices, Bega Group\u2019s prod\u00aducts pass through com\u00adplex, auto\u00admated pro\u00adduc\u00adtion lines. Oper\u00ada\u00adtors oversee every step\u2014from tanker unloading and mixing to filling, pack\u00adaging and pal\u00adletising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick-and-place delta robots pre\u00adcisely insert the yoghurt pouches into boxes on a par\u00adallel con\u00adveyor. Safety gates are in place to pre\u00advent access to any haz\u00adards and pro\u00adtect oper\u00adating per\u00adsonnel. \u00a9 BEGA CHEESE LIMITED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth to 19 sites led Bega Group to assess its facil\u00adi\u00adties sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcally. Newer plants fea\u00adture advanced safety sys\u00adtems, while older ones may require upgrades. Bega Group\u2019s goal: con\u00adsis\u00adtent, com\u00adpliant safety across all sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe believe intel\u00adli\u00adgent safety solu\u00adtions can pre\u00advent any inci\u00addent.\u201d<\/p>\nNeil Roberts, Group Risk Engi\u00adneer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur teams should focus on their tasks, not haz\u00adards.\u201d In 2020, Bega Group com\u00admis\u00adsioned Pilz to con\u00adduct com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive safety assess\u00adments. With a 15-year rela\u00adtion\u00adship and exper\u00adtise in machinery safety, the Mel\u00adbourne-based automa\u00adtion spe\u00adcialist was a nat\u00adural choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying the safety requirement, suggested optimisations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the first step, Pilz recorded the tech\u00adnical con\u00addi\u00adtion, automa\u00adtion level and safety stan\u00addard of the respec\u00adtive plant and machinery at each indi\u00advidual site, using an iden\u00adtical method\u00adology for all oper\u00ada\u00adtions. In the process, Pilz gath\u00adered suf\u00adfi\u00adcient usable data to enable them to iden\u00adtify the key com\u00adpli\u00adance and safety fac\u00adtors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pop\u00adular Bega Cheese on its way to the final packing sta\u00adtion, where it is stacked into boxes, ready for ship\u00adping. Appro\u00adpriate safety devices on drive shafts, covers and gates ensure a hazard-free working envi\u00adron\u00adment. \u00a9 BEGA CHEESE LIMITED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the 19 sites assessed, some of which had up to 150 plants and machines, Pilz iden\u00adti\u00adfied on average, eight to ten poten\u00adtial risk min\u00adimi\u00adsa\u00adtion mea\u00adsures for each machine \u2013 including a list of pri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adties for which mea\u00adsures should be imple\u00admented first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In phase two, indi\u00advidual sites com\u00admis\u00adsioned Pilz to take over all or part of the risk assess\u00adment, design, engi\u00adneering and val\u00adi\u00adda\u00adtion of the safety equip\u00adment on their machines. AS\/NZS 4024 stan\u00addards, which adopt inter\u00adna\u00adtional stan\u00addards for machinery safety such as ISO 13849\u20131, form the guid\u00adance for deter\u00admining if machinery meets the leg\u00adisla\u00adtive require\u00adments according to appro\u00adpriate WHS or OHS reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions. They refer to the func\u00adtional safety of plant and machinery, par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlarly with regard to elec\u00adtrical, elec\u00adtronic and pro\u00adgram\u00admable elec\u00adtronic con\u00adtrol sys\u00adtems. They define the require\u00adments for the design, inte\u00adgra\u00adtion and val\u00adi\u00adda\u00adtion of safety-rel\u00ade\u00advant com\u00adpo\u00adnents and sys\u00adtems. The aim is to min\u00adimise risk and ensure the safety of people, machinery and the envi\u00adron\u00adment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn the course of this project, the risk analysis and sub\u00adse\u00adquent assess\u00adment by qual\u00adi\u00adfied Pilz experts cre\u00adated a new level of safety aware\u00adness for our staff.\u201d<\/p>\nNeil Roberts, Group Risk Engi\u00adneer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Heightened awareness of dangers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Prac\u00adtical training courses pro\u00advide up-to-date knowl\u00adedge on nor\u00adma\u00adtive and legal require\u00adments \u2013 ranging from machinery safety and func\u00adtional safety to indus\u00adtrial secu\u00adrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about our training courses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training on plant and machinery safety at Pilz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The plant assess\u00adments and insights pro\u00advided by Pilz raised aware\u00adness of safety risks across the organ\u00adi\u00adsa\u00adtion. As a result, Bega Group com\u00admis\u00adsioned Pilz to train staff throughout the group in machinery safety, equip\u00adping them to iden\u00adtify and mit\u00adi\u00adgate poten\u00adtial haz\u00adards. Pilz sub\u00adse\u00adquently car\u00adried out com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive training at all loca\u00adtions, devel\u00adoping \u201cCham\u00adpions within the Busi\u00adness\u201d to serve as in-house machine safety experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilz\u2019s Machi\u00adne\u00adSAFE Com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive course pro\u00advided fun\u00adda\u00admental aware\u00adness-raising for oper\u00adating and ser\u00advice per\u00adsonnel in terms of Machinery Safety. Aimed at begin\u00adners, the course is based on the Aus\u00adtralian stan\u00addard AS 4024 \u2013 Safety of Machinery. The course teaches the basics of inter\u00adna\u00adtional and national safety stan\u00addards and intro\u00adduces risk assess\u00adment methods. At the same time, it pro\u00advides an overview of the type and appli\u00adca\u00adtion of indi\u00advidual safety com\u00adpo\u00adnents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CMSE course (\u201cCer\u00adti\u00adfied Machinery Safety Expert\u201d) from Pilz was aimed at qual\u00adi\u00adfied Bega Group per\u00adsonnel with pre\u00advious knowl\u00adedge, such as plant and machinery oper\u00ada\u00adtors, system inte\u00adgra\u00adtors, engi\u00adneers and main\u00adte\u00adnance per\u00adsonnel, and pro\u00advided in-depth safety exper\u00adtise. In coop\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion with T\u00dcV NORD, this is com\u00adbined with a glob\u00adally recog\u00adnised T\u00dcV cer\u00adtifi\u00adcate in the field of Machinery Safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Free Webinar: Your Guide to EN 415<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Get a con\u00adcise, prac\u00adtical overview of EN 415\u2014the key stan\u00addards series for the safety of pack\u00adaging machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you are a machine man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adturer, safety engi\u00adneer, or respon\u00adsible for pack\u00adaging oper\u00ada\u00adtions, ben\u00adefit from valu\u00adable insights for safe and com\u00adpliant sys\u00adtems.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Watch the recording any\u00adtime for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Spirit of Safety brought to life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By com\u00adpleting the courses, Bega Group training del\u00ade\u00adgates have deep\u00adened their knowl\u00adedge along the entire machine life cycle \u2013 from legal require\u00adments through to func\u00adtional safety. Thanks to the inter\u00adme\u00addiate courses and hands-on training pro\u00advided by Pilz, Bega Group employees are better equipped to answer ques\u00adtions related to Machinery Safety and inde\u00adpen\u00addently carry out tasks that lead to the imple\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion of safety mea\u00adsures. Having trained and qual\u00adi\u00adfied its in-house safety experts in this way, Bega Group can per\u00adma\u00adnently embed the new safety cul\u00adture within the com\u00adpany. \u201cThe knowl\u00adedge and expe\u00adri\u00adence of the Pilz team have brought the \u2018Spirit of Safety\u2019 to life at the Bega Group,\u201d says Neil Roberts, sum\u00admarising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flex\u00adible solu\u00adtions for safety and secu\u00adrity in pack\u00adaging<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bega Group has grown to be one of Aus\u00adtralia\u2019s largest dairy com\u00adpa\u00adnies in recent years. The people at Bega Group \u201cbelieve that all inci\u00addents, injuries and work\u00adplace ill\u00adnesses can be pre\u00advented\u201d \u2013 and brought Pilz on board to sup\u00adport them. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":4929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pilz-magazine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4925"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4937,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4925\/revisions\/4937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}