Keg system availability increased
HEINEKEN invests in the KHS Innokeg Till One4Two system
Dr. Felix Wagner* Jörg Lauer** Alexander Burenin*** HEINEKEN is one of the brewing concerns that like to use technical innovations to obtain major benefits. Such is the case with the patented KHS Innokeg Till One4Two treatment head. One4Two is a KHS development which - when properly integrated into the keg washing and racking heads – allows the processing of two different fitting types. This has not been possible in the past. If, for instance, a company had kegs with different fitting types in its range, when it changed from processing kegs with basket fittings to kegs with flat fittings or vice versa, this always involved replacement of the centering cone and fitting plunger in both the washing heads and the filling heads. A laborious activity which was very time-consuming and required subsequent CIP cleaning. With One4Two, such changeover times within the keg system are a thing of the past. This in turn leads directly to increased system efficiency. HEINEKEN has used the KHS Innokeg Till One4Two system at its Volga Brewery in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod for the first time. Matthjis Dietvorst, General Manager, Volga Brewery says, "We have had a lot of positive experience with the One4Two system, which other HEINEKEN sites in Russia and around the world can now benefit from." Third place in the Russian beer market With more than 125 breweries in over 70 countries and sales figures approaching 150 million hectoliters, HEINEKEN is not only the largest brewery concern in Europe, but at the same time one of the most important brewery concerns in the world. All in all, more than 200 brands of beer are brewed within the HEINEKEN group. As well as the international premium brand, Heineken, the range also includes* Manager, Filling and Keg Technology CC, KHS GmbH, Bad Kreuznach, Phone: +49 61 92/4 91-125 ** Keg Product Manager, KHS GmbH, Bad Kreuznach,
Phone: +49 61 92/4 91-206 *** Sales, KHS Russia, Phone +7 4 95-7 83-81 00 other international and national premium brands as well as national, regional and local brands. The HEINEKEN concern has become well established in Eastern Europe. Of particular importance here is the Russian market. HEINEKEN brewing activities started here in 2000 with the acquisition of the former Bravo International Brewery in St Petersburg. Today, HEINEKEN has a 12% share of the Russian beer market and is well positioned in third place after Baltika and SUNInBev. Outstandingly placed with eight sites In the meantime, HEINEKEN has eight sites in Russia: St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Sterilitamak, Kaliningrad and Nizhny Novgorod. The Volga Brewery in Nizhny Novgorod in particular has undergone extensive modernization in recent years, accompanied by an expansion in production capacity to 5 million hectoliters. The Nizhny Novgorod and St Petersburg sites are currently the Russian HEINEKEN breweries with the largest capacity. Different beers for different target groups Eight different brands of beer are produced in the Volga Brewery. These include the international premium brand, Heineken, the national premium brands Bochkarev and Doctor Diesel, the national brands Okhota and Tri Medvedya and the regional brands, Okskoye, Rusich and Zlaty Bazant (licensed brand). That the Volga Brewery is seen in its home city as the brewery of and for the region is demonstrated, amongst other things, by outstanding sales figures for the regional brands. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, for example, every fourth beer sold is an Okskoye. In addition to this, the Tri Medvedya and Okhota brands are among the three most popular beers in the region. Wide distribution area The distribution area served by the Volga Brewery is large, and as well as the Volga district also includes the region around Moscow and the Urals. The company also exports to Kazakhstan from here. Container distribution The quality beers produced in the Volga Brewery are filled in widely differing containers. With a share of 53%, the PET bottle is the most important. This is followed by glass bottles with a 25% share, cans with a 17% share and finally kegs with a 5% share. Innokeg Till Transomat 3/1 Duo keg line with DFC filling technology An Innokeg Till Transomat 3/1 Duo keg line with a capacity of up to 140 kegs/h is responsible for filling 30 and 50-liter kegs. Each of the total of three washing and racking segments of the Innokeg Till Transomat 3/1 Duo has one racking station and three washing and sterilization stations, and is equipped with the latest DFC (Direct Flow Control) racking technology. With DFC racking technology, the racking process is controlled by a control valve on the product feed. Maximum filling accuracy is ensured, as are great pressurization gas savings potential, minimum amounts of spray product, and the related exceptionally gentle-to-product treatment. Innokeg Till One4Two system for time-saving changeover between basket and flat fitting A general theme in HEINEKEN production facilities which relates to keg filling activities is that while the keg used for the international premium brand Heineken has a basket fitting, kegs for other Heineken brands are equipped with a flat fitting. The result is that, when it is required to change from the basket fitting to the flat fitting in a keg line, it is always necessary to replace the centering cone and fitting plunger in both the cleaning heads and the filling heads. From experience, at least one hour is the time that must be calculated for fitting-specific changeover work on a line, including CIP sanitizing. Dietvorst explains, "It is just this loss of production time that we want to eliminate at HEINEKEN. In order to establish whether the One4Two system is able to help us in this as well as KHS forecasts, we invested in the system at Nizhny Novgorod and basically launched a pilot project for the whole HEINEKEN Group." Smooth integration of the One4Two system into the existing keg line The first step in the integration of the One4Two system into Volga Brewery's Innokeg Till Transomat 3/1 Duo was the replacement of the washing and filling heads. This was followed by the modification of the pipework to suit the new situation and the connection of the electrical equipment to the new system. Sergei Dolinsky, Production Manager of the Volga Brewery says, "The whole conversion phase took only a few days. We were then able to carry on production with increased system efficiency. A step that was really worthwhile." Two fitting plungers fitted directly inside one another and easy to clean In the One4Two system integrated within the cleaning and filling heads, two fitting plungers are fitted directly inside one another. While the outer plunger is used for kegs with flat fittings, the inner plunger processes kegs with basket fittings. Plunger geometries within the One4Two system fit inside one another exactly and, at the same time, are designed so that all parts of the One4Two system are perfectly rinsed and cleaned. Centering of the keg fitting by two movable half shells In the One4Two system, two movable half shells are responsible for centering with respect to the outside contour of the particular keg fitting. The centering cone is aligned with the appropriate radius of the fitting to be processed in each case by means of two pneumatic cylinders. When opened, the half-shells center the dimensionally larger flat fitting, and when closed, they harmonize perfectly with the smaller basket fitting. Roman Astanin, Packaging Manager, Volga Breweries says, "This is a well thought-out system, albeit one which requires more maintenance effort than before. However, this increased maintenance effort is significantly outweighed by the substantially reduced changeover times." Changeover "on-the-fly" is also feasible A practice which has not previously been implemented at the Volga Brewery but, with the use of the One4Two system, can easily be realized is a continuous "flying changeover" between processing kegs fitted with basket fittings and flat fittings. The advantage of this "flying changeover" is that kegs no longer have to be sorted into flat fittings and basket fittings before processing. Whether a keg with a basket fitting or a flat fitting is about to be processed can be checked and relayed in advance with the "flying changeover" method, for example by means of a keg identification tag such as a transponder. Also conceivable is the installation of a laser scanner for detecting the fitting before the washing and racking process, and direct provision of information relating to the respective keg at the washing and racking heads. If - as at the Volga Brewery - kegs are presorted before being fed to the One4Two system, when keg processing is switched from kegs with flat fittings to kegs with basket fittings or vice versa, all that is required is to press a button at the operating terminal, and the washing and racking heads are automatically changed over. Innovation and simplicity go hand-in-hand "As we see it, with this system, innovation and simplicity go hand-in-hand with one another", says Dietvorst. And Dolinsky adds, "We also believe that format-part-free keg handling is a subject which will become ever more important in the brewing industry in future." Of ever increasing interest with worldwide globalization A view, which KHS shares absolutely. Particularly with worldwide globalization and brewery acquisitions, it is more and more frequently the case that kegs with different fittings have to be processed from one day to the next. When this occurs, there are several conceivable options. For example, the kegs could be converted to a common type of fitting. However, this incurs considerable costs for converting the kegs and for the work associated with the conversion. Another possibility is to invest in a set of additional fitting plungers and centering cones for the washing and racking heads in the keg system. As well as the investment costs, with this option it must be borne in mind that changeover time and a CIP cycle for sterilizing the racking head is required with every changeover. In contrast, when converting the washing and racking heads to the One4Two system, only a one-off investment is required. Suitable for integration into different keg systems As a general rule, the One4Two system can be easily integrated into existing KHS keg equipment. Whether in fully automatic keg lines or rotary keg machines - the One4Two system can be used everywhere. It is even conceivable for the One4Two system to be integrated into the Innokeg Till Keg Boy C2 semi-automatic keg washing and racking machine. Optimum system utilization at all times "The keg container is clearly gaining ground in Russia", says Dietvorst. "We expect a considerable growth in sales in the keg sector in the next few years. With the One4Two system, we are also in a position to cope with an increased demand, as optimum system utilization is ensured."
