Sojo Industries, a robotic packing system company with a factory in Bristol, uses automation to produce beverage variety packs for numerous local favorite drinks, writes Joseph N. DiStefano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

At its Bristol facility, Sojo Industries tests robots, sensors and custom-built vehicles before deploying them to its larger regional plants in Langhorne, California, Texas and Indiana.

Sojo Industries’ picking and packing machinery organizes clients’ products into variety packs that get shipped directly to Aldi, Costco, Walmart and other major retailers.

Many companies now produce mixed packs because store chains prefer products presorted into boxes to provide a range of flavors for young, selective consumers.

“Consumers like to try a little bit of everything,” said Ryan Seckinger, top supply officer at fast-growing Stateside Vodka. “They want options. If they’re going to a party, they want to bring an item that has a flavor for everyone.”

Creating a mixed pack once required stopping production, moving and sorting boxes of each flavor, loading trucks, and then delivering both mixed and unmixed boxes to retailers.

Now using robots, Sojo Industries has simplified and sped up the process.

The company recently raised $40 million from private-equity investors to construct a national network of robotic packing systems.

Read more about Sojo Industries’ Bristol facility is transforming beverage packaging through cutting-edge robotics in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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