Faced with high labor turnover, tight floorspace, and nearly 900 SKUs, Nyco Products turned to modular cobot palletizing to stabilize end-of-line operations, improve throughput, and create a more sustainable workforce model.

Nyco Products, a 106-year-old manufacturer of specialty cleaning chemicals, blends and packages products for facility maintenance, foodservice, HVAC, industrial cleaning, and other applications. With more than 300 formulations and nearly 900 SKUs, the Countryside, Ill.-based company has experienced steady growth in both product variety and production demands. As production volumes and product variety increased, ongoing labor challenges began to strain end-of-line operations, making manual palletizing increasingly difficult to sustain efficiently.

“Labor availability and significant turnover had been an increasing issue over the past three years,” says CEO Bob Stahurski. “As absenteeism increased, we were forced to utilize our upskilled labor for palletizing and stacking, resulting in increased costs and reduced productivity.”

According to the company’s internal assessment, turnover in stacking roles averaged roughly every 90 days, creating both operational inefficiencies and morale challenges. As labor challenges intensified, the company began evaluating automation options for palletizing.