A palletizer refers to a device that is used to stack and organize materials or factory products onto a pallet. Palletizers can be hand operated or automated, and can either be simple machinery or a highly complex robotic device. However, when people especially business owners discuss about a palletizer, they usually mean a robotic palletizer. Robotic Palletzing machines can quickly and efficiently pack a large number of barrels, cases or boxes onto a pallet.

A robotic palletizer requires a few things. First, there must be a way for the factory products and the pallets to be brought together. This usually means incorporating two or more rolling platforms or conveyor belts. However, there are some cases where workers themselves can move the pallets into position either with the use of a forklift or just their hands. Once the boxes or barrels and the pallet are within reach of the palletizer, the machine can begin its work. It picks up the product using an arm or a crane and then it deposits the barrels or boxes neatly onto the pallet.

The boxes and barrels involved in robotic palletizing are usually of the same size, but there are more advanced robotic palletizers available in the market today that can be programmed to recognize differently sized packages and stack them onto the pallets accordingly.