Exceeding Expectations
First new Advanced series tray shrink packer goes to Britvic Ireland
Werner Ageling*
In order to guarantee the best quality packaging, Britvic Ireland again recently invested in KHS packing and palletizing technology. An Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced tray shrink packer is the first from the Advanced series to now go into operation at Britvic Ireland. Francis Maher, Engineering Manager for Britvic Ireland in Dublin, claims, "The new Advanced series offers us maximum flexibility and countless other advantages that we very much appreciate. We consider Innopack Kisters packing technology to be the Mercedes of packaging and because of this all of our six packers at the Dublin site are Innopack Kisters."
Solely Innopack Kisters packaging machines for a total of 280 products
These Innopack Kisters machines are used to pack a very wide range of a huge number of products. "We offer our consumers about 280 different products", explains Maher, "taking into account the diverse types of packaging for identical beverage brands."
Broad spectrum of Britvic brands
The range of Britvic beverages on the Irish market alone is enormous. Top Irish favorites include the classic Britvic fruit juices and Robinsons, an assorted brand of soft drink available in several flavors and many types of syrup. Other popular beverages are the entire Pepsi product range, 7UP, MiWadi, a brand that also offers a diversity of syrups, Club fruit juices and mixers, Energise sports drinks, J2O mix drinks, C & C, Cidona and TK soft drinks, and Ballygowan mineral water.
Number one in many areas
Not only Ballygowan tops the list as the number one brand of mineral water. In Ireland, 7UP heads the lemon-and-lime faction and the Club Orange and Club Lemon brands are the market leaders in the orange and lemon fruit juice segment. Cidona is the country's top apple juice drink; MiWadi takes the lead when it comes to syrups.
* Product Management Manager, Packaging Technology Competence Center,
KHS AG, Kleve. Phone: +49 (2821) 503-237
Per capita consumption of non-alcoholic drinks in Ireland at 200 liters per year
The defined main target group for Britvic brands is the person over 18 who has a high consumption of alcohol-free beverages. Consumers with these characteristics are widespread on the Irish market. This is successfully illustrated by the yearly per capita consumption of non-alcoholic drinks, which in Ireland currently amounts to 200 liters per year. The Irish figure is just slightly below that of soft drinks giant Great Britain, where the annual consumption of alcohol-free beverages reaches 215 liters per person. In Great Britain, the accent is on syrup, fruit juices, and mix drinks, with the Irish consumer more heavily geared towards mineral water and soft drinks. Like its parent company in the UK, Britvic Ireland precisely caters to the preferences of its individual consumers.
Big sell: PET bottles and cans
Mirroring its parent company again, Britvic Ireland has also focused on the preferred containers of its customers. According to Maher, at present about 30% of the beverages bottled at the Dublin site leave it in glass bottles, with 60% in PET bottles, and 10% in cans. Here, there seems to be an increasingly clear trend towards the PET bottle.
These statistics explain the ratio of Innopack Kisters packaging machines for PET bottles and cans. To date no fewer than four shrink packers wrap the PET bottles in film. A tray shrink packer, namely the new Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced, is responsible for packing up shrink packs produced in another shrink packer and also loose cans into tray shrink packs. This new tray shrink packer replaces a now outmoded Innopack Kisters tray shrink packer that according to Maher worked extremely successfully right down to its last day of operation. He states "The only disadvantage of our old tray shrink packer, which we used for 23 years, was that it couldn't include the newest technology. We're otherwise talking about a packer that is excellent in all respects – but then we wouldn't expect anything else from KHS."
Newest of the new: the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced
If you're going to invest in new technology, then it might as well be the latest technology KHS has to offer – or at least that's the thinking behind Britvic Ireland's order for a new Advanced series tray shrink packer. "Because of the very positive experiences we've had with KHS packaging technology", says Maher, "we expected a lot from our Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced. Even so, our positive expectations were exceeded. This machine is simply tops."
Modular design combined with product range harmonization
For some time now KHS has been using modular design in its high-performance packaging technology. In the new Advanced series, the modular design of shrink packers, tray packers, tray shrink packers, and pad shrink packers has undergone consistent further development. A further developed modular design for the wraparound packer in the new Advanced series is planned for the end of 2009, creating an advantageous system that offers all kinds of additional flexibility. Packaging technology can thus no longer be seen to be static; instead, it can be readily adapted to cope with new and future requirements. Let's take the most extreme case by way of example. When new market developments make it impossible to assess the future demands made of packaging technology and if a company invests in a packer that processes film only, thanks to its modular design this shrink packer can later be converted into a pad shrink packer or even a tray shrink packer. Modular design also allows the machine capacity to be increased at any time, simply by replacing the relevant function modules. The upper capacity for pad, tray, and tray shrink packers is 120 cycles per minute and for shrink packers 135 cycles per minute.
Maximum flexibility fully integrated
Even if packers are to be adapted to cope with new processing conditions, companies in the beverage, food, and non-food sectors can't go wrong with the new Advanced series. Whether they need to process cans or PET, PVC, or glass bottles in whatever shape or height – practically everything is possible. Adding extra modules, such as a leaflet, glass, or partition inserter, a perforation station or a tray stacker, to name but a few, is also possible. The imagination knows no bounds!
"We're not making use of this flexibility yet," explains Maher, "as our new tray shrink packer is currently only intended to pack cans. Nevertheless, no one knows what the future may hold and it's comforting to know that this machine keeps all options open to us."
Cubic machine frame enables up to four lanes and increases ease of operation
For Britvic Ireland in Dublin, the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced has been designed for a capacity of 80 cycles per minute. This enables a rapid increase in capacity, as the tray shrink packer currently operates at just 40 cycles per minute. Like all the packers of the new Advanced series, the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced has a cubic frame that is wider than the machines in the early series. This machine frame makes it possible to operate the packer with up to four lanes. This is a great advantage, especially for high-performance systems processing small packaging units. Take a canning line with a capacity of 100,000 cans per hour, for example. If only three lanes are available for producing shrink packs containing four cans each, one shrink packer would not be enough. If four lanes can be used, the packing capacity of one high-performance, Advanced shrink packer operating at 125 cycles per minute is sufficient.
With its new tray shrink packer, Britvic has implemented a one-lane processing setup. The advantage the company gains from the cubic frame is thus a different one – namely that of increased ease of operation. The cubic machine design creates more space within the machine. The protective hoods also provide a better view of the machine during production. In addition, protective hoods that swing up are easier for operators to open and close, allowing optimum access to all parts of the machine.
New improved hygienic design
Maher also considers the improved hygienic design of the Advanced packaging system to be a major advantage. To date, components have been mounted on aluminum sections with superfluous gaps sealed by plastic clips. Supporting systems for the function modules are now made of painted tubes that are permanently welded to the machine. Also under the aspect of maximum hygiene, 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.
Operator-guided format changeover
Another thing Maher finds particularly important is the concept of operator-guided format changeover. The new Advanced packaging technology allows to choose between mechanical and operator-guided format changeover. The advantage of operator-guided format changeover is that the operator is informed via the machine operator panel precisely where new settings have to be made. Paper lists of parameter settings and a check of all areas where readjustments may be necessary are thus superfluous. Electronic displays communicate to the operator at the point of adjustment exactly which settings are necessary. Any play in the gear wheels or chains is taken into account with the relevant instructions. Chain drives have been replaced with cog belts wherever possible for quiet operation, simple design, and low maintenance. Besides working with the utmost precision, the simplicity of the operator-guided format changeover concept is second to none. In this mode of format changeover, adjustments can either be made manually or using a cordless screwdriver. "Each of our operators is responsible for several machines at once," explains Maher. "Quick, simple, and precise changeover is thus essential."
At present, the new tray shrink packer Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced optionally processes two shrink packs of twelve cans each or four shrink packs with six cans apiece. In both cases, the shrink packs are placed on trays of 24 that are then wrapped in film and shrunk. If required, loose cans that bypass the existing shrink packer can also be fed to the tray shrink packer where 24 cans are packed in trays of 24 and then shrink wrapped in film. These are essentially simple requirements that can be changed at any time for Advanced packaging technology.
Up to four servo motors in the collating unit
With up to four servo motors in the newly designed collating unit, Britvic Ireland is excellently equipped for the packaging of many different pack sizes. The new multiservo collating unit permits up to four servo motors to be used. Depending on the task to be performed and on the required capacity, the collating unit drive can be equipped with one, two, three, or four servo motors. Each servo motor in the four servo motor version has been directly allocated a collating tool to enable high-speed collating of a diverse assortment of product groups on one machine. Using four servo motors, formations both large and small can thus be collated at high speed and with the same degree of perfection.
Simplifying identical servo motors with integral servo controllers
The fact that identical servo motors with integrated servo controllers are used without exception in the new tray shrink packer concept is something Maher is very pleased about. Combining servo motors and servo controllers in one unit eases part replacement when carrying out maintenance and reduces the overall stock of spare parts. As the servo controllers are no longer housed in the switch cabinet – as was previously the case – the amount of cabling is also greatly reduced. The switch cabinet can also be much smaller and no cooling equipment is needed. This in turn helps in cutting electricity and maintenance costs.
Targeted savings from the end-of-film-reel check
Cost-cutting is also the object of another new development: the end-of-film-reel check. And not only the Advanced series profits from this new feature; this end-of-film-reel check can be retrofitted into all Innopack Kisters packers already in use. In the past, a light barrier usually monitored the film reel. When the reel undershot a certain circumference, a 'stop machine' signal was triggered. There was usually a considerable amount of film left on the reel at this point, as it is not possible to make the setting too tight. If, for example, the cardboard core the film is wrapped around were a bit thicker – which often happens – the end of the reel could run out. The machine would then be down for longer – a not usually welcome occurrence – while the film was completely rethreaded. For this reason, in the conventional systems implemented to date an average of 0.8 kilograms of film per reel remains on the reel. This costs money! The situation is very different with the new end-of-film-reel check. In order to be able to use it, the film has to be perforated about five meters before the end of the reel. The electrostatic sensor signals that it has detected the perforation and triggers a machine stop. The machine halts with the utmost precision and about three meters of film are left on the reel – much less than before. At an average machine capacity in two-shift operation, this results in savings of approximately twelve tons of film per year. This is a saving Britvic would also have if the tray shrink packer was set to operate at the 80 cycles per minute that are currently feasible. At the present capacity of 40 cycles a minute, the machine could still save about six tons of film per annum. The Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced is equipped to realize conceivable cost reductions. "We shall shortly be making use of this opportunity", says Maher, "and contacting our film manufacturers with a view to including suitable perforations in our printed film material."
Reduced film thickness with perfect packaging results
Another new development in the Advanced series concerns the film cutting and feed system that makes it possible to process films much thinner than those previously used. In place of the market standard 45 to 50 my film, film thicknesses of down to 35 my now also guarantee perfect processing results. One special feature of the film cutting station is the width-adjustable vacuum belt that optimally positions the various widths of film on the conveyor belts. These have been given an even finer hole pattern and are designed in such a way that they automatically discharge any static electricity. In conjunction with an additional antistatic system, this offers maximum conveying stability, even for very sensitive film types. The sequences of motion in the continuous operation film station of the new Advanced series are controlled by means of an electronic cam. The length of film section and position of the printed image are electronically set in the system by selecting the format at the operator panel. The film wrapping process is thus matched to the respective height and length of the product with the greatest accuracy. A servo-driven film cutter providing highly precise film cutting with less wear to the knives is standard in the new series. Britvic processes printed film with the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced. Maher claims "This extreme positioning precision suits us very well indeed. There is a variation of just 3 mm maximum. This guarantees the attractive appearance of our packaging at the point of sale."
Vertical blank magazine chosen by Britvic Ireland …
With the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced, the shrink packs or loose cans provided are always first packed in trays before being wrapped in film. At Britvic, the trays are transported from a vertically arranged blank magazine by means of a tried-and-tested rotating suction system. The new Advanced series also allows integration of a horizontally arranged blank magazine. This has the advantage that the blanks can be ergonomically placed on the blank conveyor – plus the fact that there is an even greater capacity for storage. A horizontal array is particularly beneficial when running at high machine capacity. Britvic could thus retrofit a horizontal blank magazine layout if a further increase in machine capacity requires it. After blanks have been singled and the designated product placed on the unfolded tray, hot melt is applied efficiently and exactly by a speed-dependent nozzle control, followed by reliably folding and pressing the tray edges together automatically.
… and a shrink tunnel with electric heating
After they have been wrapped in film, the packs are directly conveyed towards the shrink tunnel. Here, Britvic has opted for the shrink tunnel with classic electric heating. It would also be feasible to use the gas heated eco shrink tunnel, cutting energy costs by up to 50% with up to 60% less CO2. This is an option for Britvic as the gas heating system can be retrofitted to the eco shrink tunnel at any time. The hot air nozzle equipment of both versions of the shrink tunnel is variably adjustable within the shrink tunnel hood. Whether the packs are large, small, tall, or short – the nozzles always provide hot air to exactly the points where it is needed for optimum shrinkage results. "It couldn't be better", says Maher.
"Couldn't be better" also applies to palletizing concept
Maher also has an enthusiastic "Couldn't be better!" for the new KHS palletizing concept that has been supplied together with the Advanced tray shrink packer. Palletizing here centers around the Innopal PBL1N1 column-type robot, equipped with a low pack infeed and installed directly downstream from an existing PET line. Before the shrink packs of PET bottles are conveyed to the Innopal PBL1N1, they are positioned as required by a robot. Pack manipulation elements, such as turning stations or gap splitters, are no longer needed. In addition to the resulting cost advantages, this is a benefit when it comes to gentle pack handling.
"Here, too, we appreciate not just the careful handling of packs but also the great flexibility the new palletizing concept offers us", says Maher. This flexibility is of extreme importance, considering the high level of flexibility Britvic Ireland itself shows towards its consumers. For 2009 alone, there are thus lots of new ideas in the making – with regard to both products and packaging. For example, Energise Sport, the leading sports drink manufactured in Ireland, is to be launched in a new PET bottle with a special recessed grip. Britvic fruit juices will be available in stores not just in a new style glass bottle but also in an additional range of flavors. Flavored, sugar-free Ballygowan mineral water is coming soon. And for 7UP the company is planning a new, ambitious advertising campaign based on the seven wonders of the world. This will entail on-pack promotions, among various other things. These extensive plans illustrate that Britvic Ireland is banking on further success. Maher has just one more thing to say. "This is success in which KHS has a big role to play – from a technical standpoint – and will continue to do so."
