THACO AGRI Introduces Robotic Palletizing at Cambodia Banana Packing Plant
On November 11, THACO AGRI showcased its banana export packing line at the Snuol Complex in Cambodia’s Kratie province. ABB robots stack cartons on pallets at the end of the line. The company says this task previously required more than 20 workers. The complex is planned to cover 20,960 hectares, with expected investment exceeding VND 22 trillion.
On November 11, THACO AGRI’s partners visited the Snuol Complex in Cambodia’s Kratie province. In the banana export packing workshop, ABB robots picked up cartons of bananas from a conveyor belt, turned them and stacked them in layers on pallets. The company said this stage previously required more than 20 workers; the robots have reduced manual handling.
After harvest, bananas are transported from the growing areas to the workshop by a pulley system, then undergo preprocessing, washing, sorting and packing. The palletized goods are then shipped in containers. THACO AGRI previously said the ABB robots in its BP1.B banana workshop began trial operations in 2024. They use IRC5 controllers, allowing their movements to be programmed and coordinated with other equipment on the line. THACO has also adjusted the robots’ configuration to meet packing needs, adding components supplied by THACO INDUSTRIES.
Trịnh Tuấn Kiên, deputy general director of THACO AGRI, said the company drew on its industrial production experience to help design the packing workshop and automate several stages. According to him, a major overseas fruit distributor has ordered the system for deployment in other countries.
Trịnh Tuấn Kiên, deputy general director of THACO AGRI.（VietVance）
THACO AGRI also organizes its growing areas on an industrial production model: each banana production unit covers about 800 to 1,200 hectares and is divided into farms of about 300 hectares, with electricity, roads, irrigation, supply warehouses and packing workshops. Bananas are transported from the growing areas to the workshops through a pulley network to reduce truck traffic within the farms.
The pulley transport system used in the banana growing areas.（VietVance）
Under the 2024–2028 plan, the Snuol Complex covers a total of 20,960 hectares, including 6,022 hectares for banana cultivation, with expected investment of more than VND 22 trillion (about US$850 million). THACO AGRI also announced a plan to reach VND 12.0778 trillion in banana export revenue in 2027. Trịnh Tuấn Kiên said the company aims to rank among the world’s five largest banana suppliers.
Source: VietVance
