Even More Flexibility
The Carlsberg Group opts for standardized packaging technology
Volker Borngräber*Ralph Pohl** Today's market demands attractive packaging which gives products appeal at the point of sale, is cost effective to produce, and also pays more than just lip service to the aspect of sustainability. This is also precisely what the Carlsberg Group expects of its packaging, for instance. And there's more. When the group recently invested in packaging technology for its existing canning lines in Carlsberg's Northern and Western Europe sales region, it also demanded that the technical systems be designed so that all packaging formats used in Northern and Western Europe could be manufactured there, and that production orders could be flexibly distributed between the Carlsberg sites as and when needed. Peter Nilsson, Carlsberg´s former supply chain director for Northern Europe, now VP Customer Supply Chain Europe, says, "Standardization was a very important point in the investments recently made at our plants in Fredericia in Denmark, Kerava in Finland, and Gjelleråsen in Norway. Together with KHS we drew up a packaging concept for cans which now enables us to realize identical packaging options at the three aforementioned Carlsberg sites. The new KHS packaging technology is now up and running, giving us the planned benefits of flexibility, cost reduction, sustainability, and attractive packaging – in fact, just what we wanted." Fourth largest brewery group worldwide Carlsberg is the world's fourth largest brewery group, with its main markets in the regions of Northern and Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia. The Carlsberg Group and its brand products are represented in over 140 countries. Where there are no actual Carlsberg breweries, the company group relies on exports or licensed filling. Carlsberg's portfolio of beers includes over 500 brand products, the international premium beer brands being Carlsberg, Tuborg, Baltika, and Kronenbourg 1664. Strong national beer brands include Ringnes (Norway), Feldschlösschen (Switzerland), Lav (Serbia), and Wusu (China). Within Europe Carlsberg's premium Baltika beer brand holds first place. Premium beers Carlsberg and Tuborg are also among the top six biggest beer brands in Europe. Over 40% of all beer sales in Northern and Western Europe Carlsberg's Northern and Western Europe region, where its new KHS packaging technology for cans is being deployed, generates over 40% of all Carlsberg Group beer sales worldwide. Within its home market of Denmark Carlsberg is market leader – as it is in the other Scandinavian and Baltic states. Home market Denmark focuses on production site in Fredericia At 54%, the share of the beer market is particularly high in Carlsberg's native country of Denmark. This is where it all began in 1847, when founder JC Jacobsen opened a brewery. The next milestone in the history of Carlsberg Brewery was when it fused with Tuborg Brewery in 1970. Another major marker was the year 2001 when Carlsberg/Tuborg joined Coca-Cola Tapperierne, which has resulted in the Carlsberg Group having a 50% plus share of the soft drinks market in Denmark. Both beer and soft drinks activities in Denmark have focused on the plant in Fredericia since 2008. Here, 5.3 million hectoliters of beer and non-alcoholic beverages are produced every year, with beer taking up the lion's share of production at 3.1 million hectoliters a year. Identical packaging concept in Denmark, Finland, and Norway As at the sites in Kerava and Gjelleråsen, as part of its KHS turnkey packaging line in Fredericia Carlsberg has invested in an Innopack Kisters SP Advanced shrink packer, an Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced tray shrink packer, and a KHS Innopal PB 1 HS palletizing system with integrated robot grouping. With these newly established packaging machines, at all three plants Carlsberg can either pack the finished cans in small-unit shrink packs holding 4 to 10 cans, or in tray and/or pad shrink packs. Another option is to pack loose cans straight off the canning line into shrink, tray shrink, or pad shrink units of 12 to 32. Whatever packaging format is scheduled for production, Carlsberg can also apply carrying handles in the correct position that are perfectly suited to the type and size of pack. "To date we have packed larger packs in tray shrink packaging and small can formations in wrap-around cardboard packs", explains Nilsson. "With the smaller units especially, now packed as shrink packs and not in wrap around, the new concept is helping us to save quite considerably on packaging costs. At the same time, the attractive design of the new printed film packaging far beats that of the wrap-around packs." KHS' full consultancy package provides optimized packaging technology on all counts The setup of the packaging line in Fredericia – and indeed at the plants in Kerava and Gjelleråsen – has been fully tailored to suit the conditions on site. Says Nilsson, "KHS devised layouts for each site which took into account the exact requirements of each existing canning line. There were plenty of animated discussions and comprehensive consultancy sessions with KHS before the general concept was finished, without which the final solution on all counts would not have been possible." For example, numerous tests were carried out with the designated pack options using various packaging materials at the KHS plant in Kleve. Packaging workshops were also specially organized for the Carlsberg Group, where KHS demonstrated its expertise in packaging technology and film manufacturers also presented their view of things. "All told," states Nilsson, "KHS offered us a full consultancy package and demonstrated a field of competence that is unique to the market, both of which the entire Carlsberg Group has and will continue to profit from." Output of 72,000 or 90,000 cans an hour In Fredericia and Gjelleråsen the KHS packaging systems process 72,000 0.33-liter cans an hour and are linked up to an existing canning line. In Finland KHS packaging technology is connected up to two existing canning lines, one of which outputs 72,000 0.33-liter cans an hour and the other 90,000 0.33-liter cans an hour. The setup here has been devised so that it adjusts itself to the capacity of the line currently in operation, packing either 72,000 or 90,000 0.33-liter cans an hour. The Fredericia packaging concept In order to study the structure and function of KHS' packaging concepts for Carlsberg in Denmark, Finland, and Norway in somewhat closer detail, let's take the KHS system installed at the Danish site of Fredericia as an example. Loose cans destined for small shrink packs of 4 to 10 are sent to the multiple-lane Innopack Kisters SP Advanced shrink packer immediately after filling and pasteurization. The shrink packer in Fredericia can be configured to process one to three lanes simultaneously, depending on the number of cans per pack. The same applies to Gjelleråsen. In Kerava, however, the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced can cope with up to four lanes of cans at a time, as here the machine must master a maximum output of 90,000 0.33-liter cans an hour. After the relevant shrink packs have been formed, one of the two following options can be selected: either the shrink packs pass through a handle applicator and are then sent straight on to the palletizer, or they are conveyed to the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced tray shrink packer, which places a specified number of shrink packs in either tray+film, pad+film, or film- only packs. If loose cans are to be packed in large formations of 12 to 32, these go directly to the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced, where they are formed into tray, pad, or shrink packs as required. In Fredericia, Carlsberg can also produce unique shrink packages without bull's eyes, or what are known as fully-enclosed film packs, thanks to the patented KHS FullyEnclosed FilmPack option integrated into the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced. Only this ensures that even large shrink pack formations, i.e. packs of 20 (5 x 4 cans) or 24 (6 x 4 cans), are sufficiently stable. This system also ensures that cans maintain uniform rows within the pack avoiding can configuration shifting within the pack, a problem that can occur during inline conveying, at the point of sale, or from handling by the consumer. Safe transportation of the Fully-Enclosed FilmPacks is also ensured by the carry handle applied to the end of the pack. "At the moment we're testing consumer acceptance of the Fully-Enclosed FilmPack on the Danish market", Nilsson reveals. "If we get a positive response, this option might soon be retrofitted at other Carlsberg sites that have the recently installed KHS packaging machines." Nilsson finds another clear advantage of the fully-enclosed film pack is that this packaging format specifically offers him a concrete savings potential. The corrugated carton trays or pads that were previously needed to keep large can formations stable, for instance, are now no longer required. If the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced is programmed to make tray shrink packs or just shrink packs, once formed these then move on towards the palletizer. To increase the level of convenience, as an option these packs can then have carry handles affixed on the end of the pack by the handle applicator. Innovative Advanced technology – maximum accessibility for maintenance and minimum downtimes during format changeovers Like all the other KHS packaging machines procured as part of this innovative Carlsberg concept, the machinery in Fredericia has been designed with cutting-edge KHS Advanced technology. This is immediately recognizable from the cubic design of the machine body, for example. Together with a special protective hood concept, this offers operators the advantage of an even better view of the inner workings of the machine, coupled with optimum accessibility for maintenance. Another huge advantage of the Advanced series is its hygienic design. Here, the support systems for the function modules are made of painted tubes, permanently welded to the machine. Similarly, the drainage system for cleaning media, rinsing water, and any product runoff has been optimized by the use of drip trays arranged underneath the function modules to ensure maximum hygiene. A feature that is critical for producing such a wide range of shrink packs as required by Carlsberg, is the implementation of Operator Guided Format Changeover as a key option in the Advanced series which Carlsberg has chosen to integrate into its packaging technology. With Operator Guided Changeover the operator is informed by the machine's monitor and at the point of changeover where exactly the machine must be readjusted. With Operator Guided Changeover, where adjustments are to be made an electronic display also indicates exactly how this is to be done. Any play in the gear wheels or chains is taken into account with the relevant instructions. Jasper Fabricius, Carlsberg's engineering manager in Fredericia, says, "After an initial period of training the operators on this machine, they are especially pleased with the precision and simplicity provided by this system of operator-prompted format changeover. We have noticed a clear saving in time for changeovers as opposed to classic packaging technology. With the high number of packaging options we process – about 20 at present – this is extremely important, and greatly improves the availability of our line." Another aspect that provides cost savings and contributes to sustainability is the fact that the Advanced series can process extremely thin film materials, as low as 25 µ (microns). This is possible thanks to a special film cutting and feed system. A vacuum belt of adjustable width perfectly positions the various widths of film on the conveyor belts. Specially-designed hole patterns enable the precise belt adherence to the film and discharge any static electricity automatically. In conjunction with an additional antistatic system, this offers maximum conveying stability even for difficult-to-manage film characteristics. The sequences of motion in the continuously operating film station are controlled by means of an electronic cam. The length of film and the position of the printed image are electronically set within the system by selecting the format at the operator panel. As a result, the film wrapping process is adjusted to product height and length with absolute precision. The film is cut with a servo-driven knife. High-performance palletizing concept with inline robotic grouping for extremely gentle pack handling In Fredericia – and in Kerava and Gjelleråsen – the formed packs are palletized by the high-performance Innopal PB 1 HS palletizer. Directly upstream of this palletizer is an inline robotic grouping station, which in Fredericia and Gjelleråsen is comprised of two robots and in Kerava three robots have been integrated together for the first time by KHS. Inline robotic grouping aligns the finished shrink packs with minimal space requirements, leveraging positive-fit grippers to capture, raise, turn, and place each individual shrink pack exactly to a precise, programmed position. This gives Carlsberg highest levels of accuracy, exact repeatability, precise placement and extremely gentle pack handling. Robotic grouping means that the system can be adapted to suit all current future pack and layer requirements, simply by selecting the existing pattern, or by programming a new pack and layer configuration within the programming section of the Kuka grouping-palletization system The fully-automatic Innopal PB 1 HS gantry-style palletizing system operates with a pallet elevator and split loading transfer plates. Loading the packs onto the pallet using KHS split loading plates eliminates expensive to replace rollers, and maintenance, while using special decreased friction technology which ensures accurate, smooth and gentle pack handling. A special part of the Carlsberg challenge to KHS included handling several different pallet types and sizes. Euro, half and quarter pallets, including dolly-type pallets with wheels are managed within the specially-designed KHS pallet handling and conveyance system. Within the palletization process, half and quarter pallets are placed on Euro pallets and with the larger loads suitably secured for logistics and distribution "A fine job" Niels Sogaard, project engineer at Carlsberg in Fredericia, and Christian Malmstrom, project manager and also at Carlsberg in Fredericia, are in complete agreement. "KHS has done a fine job. We're just as pleased with how the project has gone as we are with the result. We also appreciate the fact that after commissioning KHS placed an engineer at our disposal for several months who was able to answer any questions our employees had." Fabricius adds, "I think we should also specifically mention that KHS provided us with the complete packaging system we required, within a particularly short space of time. We ordered the new packaging line at the end of 2010 and it was ready for action for the start of the 2011 season. The same applies to the packaging lines in Kerava and Gjelleråsen. This was very important to us – and it was really an achievement." The success story continues With such enthusiasm being voiced for the KHS packaging systems now installed in Fredericia, Kerava, and Gjelleråsen, it's no surprise to learn that KHS recently received three more orders for packaging concepts downstream of canning lines which can produce all the packaging formats required within Northern and Western Europe. These came from the Carlsberg plants of Okocim in Poland, Saku in Estonia, and Lübz in Germany. "Standardization of our packaging technology is by no means finished once the three new lines are in operation", states Nilsson. ". In the end, what we're concerned about is that we can provide our customers with the attractive packaging options they require – anytime, anywhere. For our focus is always on the customer. After all, it's this strategy which we hope will help us come closer to our goal of being the fastest growing global beer company. Together with KHS technology, of course." And that just about says it all. * Manager, Regional Center North Europe, KHS GmbH, Dortmund, Germany. Phone: +49 (231) 569-1669
**Global Key Account Manager Carlsberg, KHS GmbH, Dortmund, Germany.
Phone: +49 (231) 569-1383