Technical Articles

Pine Glo Case Packer

Fewer hands, faster packing, smarter growth.

Transparent green bottles with spray caps stand in a grouping unit

Labor-saving robotics for versatile case packing

  • Labor Savings: Automated case packing reduces manual work and boosts efficiency.
  • Flexible Formats: Handles various bottle sizes, including spray bottles, with quick-change tooling.
  • Scalable Speed: Precise robotics increase throughput and ensure consistent, reliable performance for long-term growth.

The Challenge

Manual case packing is a thing of the past

Founded in 1979 by Robert Diehl in the family bathtub, Pine Glo started with 20 formulas and a goal to make disinfectants that smelled good. Still rooted in family values, the Zebulon, NC-based company has grown into a large-scale operation, supplying major retailers like Walmart, Family Dollar, and Dollar General.


Now shipping over 20 million bottles annually, Pine Glo faced growing challenges with manual case packing. With expansion on the horizon, the company sought to reduce labor, boost throughput, and improve job satisfaction through automation.


“We wanted to reduce manual labor, increase throughput, and improve overall job satisfaction,” says Matthew Diehl, President of Pine Glo Products.


To meet rising demand, Pine Glo needed a flexible, efficient packaging solution—one that could handle various bottle sizes and tricky spray formats with quick-change tooling and minimal downtime.

The Solution

Automated case packing powers Pine Glo's Growth

To meet rising demand and reduce labor costs, Pine Glo turned to Schubert for a flexible, automated packaging solution. The company needed a system that could handle a wide variety of bottle types and case formats—especially challenging spray bottles—while allowing quick changeovers to keep up with production demands.


Schubert’s preconfigured lightline Casepacker proved to be the perfect fit. With customizable in-feed and out-feed systems, it supports quick format changes and consistent, precise packing.

Three lightline Casepackers were installed at Pine Glo’s Zebulon facility. Schubert engineers supported the line layout, integrating a 90° curve at the in-feed and collaborating with suppliers to improve case stability.


The fully automated line minimizes manual labor while offering the flexibility to handle a variety of bottle sizes and case configurations ranging from four to twelve bottles per case. After filling, capping, and labeling, lightline Casepacker erect the cases and then loads the bottles with Schubert’s F2 robots. These highly agile robots handle the bottles with precision, minimizing the risk of product damage. After loading, cases are sealed with hot-melt adhesive for secure closure and automatically conveyed to a palletizer, which stacks them for stable, efficient transport and storage.

A robot lifts twelve green plastic bottles into a box

Schubert’s shorter lead times for the lightline provided faster machine delivery, allowing us to meet our rapidly growing demand.

Steve Williams

Production and Engineering Manager, Pine Glo Products

Technical details

  • Packs 4 to 12 bottles per case
  • Quick and easy changeovers
  • Hot-melt gluing for secure case sealing
  • Customizable in-feed and out-feed options
  • Adjustable tooling to handle various bottle and case formats
  • 90° conveyer curve for better in-feed bottle flow
  • Shorter lead times for faster machine delivery
Close-up of the start switch of a packaging machine

The lightline programme includes packaging machines with preconfigured modules.

Enhanced efficiency

Schubert installed three lightline Casepackers at Pine Glo’s Zebulon facility. “We were excited to integrate the case packing machines into our daily operations and see their impact on current processes. No matter what challenge we faced, Schubert was ready to provide a solution,” Diehl says. The engineering experts from Crailsheim supported Pine Glo in achieving a harmonious line layout.

Considering the Casepacker’s fixed magazine location they added a 90° curve to the bottle in-feed to improve the process flow. Additionally, Schubert collaborated with Pine Glo, along with its case and glue suppliers, to improve the stability of the cases, addressing issues with them popping open after gluing.

The fully automated workflow reduces manual intervention while maintaining the flexibility to pack a variety of case configurations and bottle sizes. Once the bottles are filled, capped, and labeled, the lightline Casepackers take over, first erecting the shipping cases, then loading the bottles with Schubert’s F2 robots.

These highly agile robots handle the bottles with precision, minimising the risk of product damage. The entire case packing line was designed with flexibility in mind, accommodating various pack sizes, ranging from four to twelve bottles per case.

A robot lifts twelve green plastic bottles towards a box

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