Grupo Modelo builds world's largest automated bottling plant

Grupo Modelo has constructed a bottling plant near the Mexican border that is recognized by Guinness as the world’s largest automated facility. The plant represents a total investment of $520 million.

The facility utilizes a complex management system featuring over 50 distinct robots to handle tasks such as packaging, product sorting, and goods transport. The automation includes 37 specialized robots for bottling, enabling a capacity of 6,000 cans per hour on a single line and 144,000 bottles per hour across three lines. This brings the total annual capacity to 10 million hectoliters.

Logistics are managed via laser-guided automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and the Production & Logistic Automated System (PLAS) developed by Sidel. This software integrates packaging lines, automated warehouses, and transport vehicles to allow real-time data exchange. Additionally, the plant features a high-density warehouse spanning 11 stories with a capacity for approximately 72,000 storage positions.