König-Brauerei: quality is paramount
Further investment in KHS line equipment meets highest requirements
Wolfgang Augel* Committed to quality for 150 years - the König-Brauerei philosophy that is lived consistently and at all levels throughout the company to this day, puts it in a nutshell. König Pilsener, König Pilsener Alkoholfrei (alcohol-free) and König Pilsener Radler (shandy) are three premium products on the market, which have to satisfy the company's own high quality requirements. "The only way we can justify labeling the products we sell our customers 'premium' is by making this concept of quality paramount in every single one of our operations and measures from production to sales,” says Guido Christiani, König-Brauerei Production/Engineering Director, hitting the nail on the head. Hence, the latest investment in shrink packer and tray shrink packer lines for the existing canning line shows the company has also opted for quality by once again choosing KHS technology. Christiani says, "We regard KHS as a reliable, tried and tested partner. Not only have we found the KHS high-performance glass line installed in 2008 excellent, we also remain extremely pleased with our 1988 KHS keg line which we and KHS together have repeatedly revamped to suit the changing conditions." For example, KHS has fully updated all the control technology, made adjustments to the conveyors and replaced the treatment heads on individual machines with original parts. "The keg line serves as an excellent example of how expertise and customer care go hand in hand at KHS. This was one of the reasons why we were happy to choose KHS again, this time to supply the new modules for our small can packaging line," explains Christiani. Traditional techniques guarantee success After an apprenticeship in Bavaria and traveling and working abroad for several years in Bohemia, Theodor König finally opened his brewery in Niederrhein near Duisburg, western Germany in 1858. In 1911, König-Brauerei launched a beer on the market, which was to become more and more popular in the following years, König Pilsener. By the end of the 1920s the brand's popularity had started to extend beyond the borders of its home region and, from the Rhineland to Hesse and as far as Berlin, König Pilsener became the symbol of first-class Pils of the highest quality. König Pilsener's rise to national fame as a beer brand began after the Second World War. * Sales, Germany, KHS AG, Dortmund, Phone: +49 (231) 569-1635 Despite the fact that most German beer drinkers thought that drinking full-bodied Export beers was the only way to true happiness, the company remained undeterred in their decision to produce a Pils style of beer which, at the start, had only a small but discerning following. The trend towards lighter food and drink that marked a decisive change in consumer behavior in Germany in the mid 1960s prompted a radical departure from Export beers. The time was ripe for a light, hoppy Pils, and König Pilsener took on a leading role in the greatest revolution to take place in the history of German beer, the ascendancy of Pils. Pioneer in beer promotion This was also the time when the advertising of beer began in earnest in Germany. Here too König-Brauerei from Duisburg was in the vanguard. It was the first German brewery to launch a national beer campaign in print. As early as 1953 ads promoting König Pilsener as the 'most refreshing drink between dances' started to appear in Spiegel, Germany's most influential political news magazine. The brand continued to create advertising classics in a series of authentic campaigns: the "König-Treuen" (König faithful) campaign in the 1960s and 1970s with Hermann-Josef Abs and Maria Schell or the "Dame mit dem roten Hut" (Lady with the red hat) campaign at the start of the 1980s. The kingly images in the ads for the testimonial campaign with Boris Becker and Til Schweiger caused another sensation. And in this, the brand's anniversary year, the focus is now on the confident slogan, "Heute ein König" (a king today). However, totally in line with the König-Treuen tradition, the new campaign goes beyond this. In keeping with the times, it appeals to the emotions by promoting the idea of a world full of pleasure and experiences: "Moments of personal achievement, for which people reward themselves with individual, genuine König Pilsener," is how Henner Höper, König Pilsener Marketing Director, describes the focus of the new campaign. Regional hospitality trade Consequently, König Pilsener epitomizes the beer that crowns achievements great and small, and it does so very often in the best high-class restaurants. About 35% of total sales leave the company premises in kegs for consumption in restaurants. A further 60% is sold in glass bottles and about 5% in cans. According to Karin Sauer, Director of König Pilsener Communications, "Our above-average proportion of keg beer also confirms our close ties with restaurants. We regard restaurants as König Pilsener's traditional and true home, and this is why we foster a particularly close and intense relationship with our partners in this segment." So it should come as no surprise that every other five-star hotel in Germany serves König Pilsener, and the top German restaurants with König Pilsener on tap can boast nearly fifty Michelin stars between them. The brand's 'royal' family Although König Pilsener is König-Brauerei's major brand, König Pilsener Alkoholfrei and König Pilsener Radler complement it perfectly to round off the range. Höper sees potential for further growth in both the original brand and these two additions. With the popularity of shandy continuing to rise on the German market, he has high hopes for König Pilsener Radler, launched on the market in March 2011 to replace the existing beer-mix beverage König Pilsener Lemon. In Höper's words, "There is a steady increase in the share of shandy on the commercial market. We have therefore adjusted our product range accordingly and are marketing our Radler under the umbrella brand König Pilsener in both the retail and restaurant trades." Exports gaining ground Even though the restaurant and domestic trades in Germany remain König-Brauerei's main sales channels, exports are still an important factor. As far as exports are concerned, among other things, König-Brauerei benefits from the extensive international activities of the Bitburger Brewery group, which operates in more than 60 countries in five continents. The list of countries in which König Pilsener epitomizes pure premium Pils pleasure is long. Within Europe the brewery exports mainly to Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, and Turkey. Outside Europe the main export destinations are China, Hong Kong, Canada, the United States, and Oman. Cans win hands down as the No. 1 container for exports. "We believe there is still a lot of potential here," says Christiani. And he can definitely see more cans appearing on the German market as well. "In my opinion cans make excellent containers for beer. They offer the product complete protection against light and oxygen, ensure that beverages lose none of their carbon dioxide content, and are light and easy for machines to handle. As convenience packaging, cans deserve a fair chance with enlightened consumers in Germany, not least thanks to their much reduced impact on the environment resulting from further reductions in the quantities of materials used and targeted recycling measures." High reliability of new KHS packaging technology wins out Given an output of 52,000 cans per hour, the established canning line at König-Brauerei clearly has a far greater filling capacity than the brewery needs at present. This means König-Brauerei is capable of filling all the products of the Bitburger Brewery group on its canning line. "Filling all the Bitburger Brewery group beers in small cans is now a permanent fixture at our site,” explains Christiani. On the one hand, this enables our canning line to be fully utilized and achieve its maximum output. On the other hand, since we are the only site in the group with a canning line like this, it is especially important that it operate highly efficiently. Therefore we felt that it was vital to opt for such a reliable system as that offered by KHS when investing in new packaging technology." Wide range of cans and packaging At present the line processes above all 0.5 and 0.33-liter cans, with 0.5-liter cans accounting for the lion's share. The 0.355-liter cans are also used for exports. A recent addition to the can range is the innovative 0.568-liter (equivalent to 1 pint) version. The intention is to use this for special sales promotions in future, starting specifically with the one celebrating the 100th anniversary of the König Pilsener brand. The can is to have a special anniversary design focusing consumers' attention on both the long tradition behind the König Pilsener brand and the additional benefit of 13% extra beer. Karin Sauer explains, "Our campaign aims to focus on our brand anniversary and at the same time say thank you to all the König Pilsener drinkers who have remained so loyal to our product for so long." Christiani adds, "And it shows consumers that cans can be thoroughly respectable containers for beer." The new KHS packaging machines can process very different types of packs of the can varieties filled with König Pilsener. The shrink packer can package cans in 4, 6, and 8-packs. They then arrive at the tray shrink packer where they are packaged in 24-tray packs in the following formations: 6 x 4, 4 x 6, and 3 x 8. Alternatively, the cans can be packaged loose in 24-can tray packs. In this case, the tray packs are covered with an additional layer of film to make them perfectly secure. The new 62,000-cph shrink packer, matches that of the tray shrink packer, is an Advanced series KHS Innopack Kisters SP shrink packer and therefore has many advantages. Hygienic design The machine body of the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced is designed in the shape of a cube. Together with the new protective hood concept, this offers operators the overriding advantage of an even better view of the inner workings of the machine. Another huge advantage is its hygienic design. 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. Operator-prompted format changeover A feature that is critical for producing such a wide range of shrink packs is the concept of operator-prompted format changeover. Christiani says, "This operator-prompted format changeover is not only kept very simple, it also saves time, which in turn ensures high system availability." Operator-prompted format changeover means the operator is informed precisely where new settings are required via a monitor. This eliminates the need for paper lists of parameter settings and checking all the areas where adjustments may be necessary. Moreover, an electronic display indicates precisely how adjustments should be made at the specified points. Any possible play in the gear wheels or chains is taken into account in the relevant instructions. The Innopack Kisters SP Advanced usually uses toothed belts wherever feasible. This results in quiet operation, simple design, and low maintenance. A dedicated collating tool for each servo motor With two servo motors near the collating unit, the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced is ideally equipped for packing all the packaging units König-Brauerei requires. A dedicated collating tool is directly assigned to each servo motor. This enables the high-speed sectioning of different product groups. Up to now, it was usual to have a fixed pitch, always configured for the largest product formation to be packed. This meant that smaller units had to be conveyed at considerably higher conveyor speeds and the capacity of the packaging machine was restricted as a result. Now the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced has yet another advantage, identical servo motors throughout, each with an integrated servo controller. This simplifies part replacement when carrying out maintenance and reduces the overall stock of spare parts. Minimal use of film for sustainability and cost reduction As a company that values sustainability and cutting costs, König-Brauerei sees the fact that the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced can process far thinner film materials than ever before as an important feature. The reason is a recently developed film cutting and feed system. A vacuum belt of adjustable width perfectly positions the various widths of film on the conveyor belts. A sophisticated hole pattern enables the latter to discharge any static electricity automatically. In conjunction with an additional antistatic system, this offers maximum conveying stability even for extremely delicate film types. The sequences of motion in the continuously operating film station are controlled by means of an electronic cam. The length of film section 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 cutter, yet another guarantee of maximum precision as well as minimal wear on the cutter blades. Sustainability and cost reduction thanks to essential support from KHS expertise. The product of KHS experience, such expertise enables the company to provide advice on film type and film thickness as well as on the ideal type of material for the tray packaging. Hot air nozzle equipment for variable use in the shrink tunnel After they have been wrapped in film, the packs are directly conveyed into the shrink tunnel. The shrink tunnel is fitted with classic electrical heating. In common with all KHS shrink tunnels this shrink tunnel features hot air nozzle equipment which can be used in a variety of ways. This means the hot air nozzles can be accurately and reproducibly adjusted for each individual shrink pack format. Comprehensive advantages package also with KHS tray shrink packer The highly accurate, electrically heated KHS shrink tunnel is also installed immediately downstream of the KHS Innopack Kisters TSP tray shrink packer, for those customers who also want to film-wrap loose cans on 24-can trays. Like the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced, the Innopack Kisters TSP comes with a complete package of positive features. These include large sliding doors for easiest possible access, hygienic design and the easy machine cleaning that goes with it, the use of toothed belts wherever feasible, the reproducible, simple format changeover, the extremely gentle handling of individual cans and shrink packs during processing, precise and efficient hot melt application, and the reliable folding and automatic pressing together of the tray edges, after blanks have been singled out and the designated products placed on the still unfolded tray. Excellent reputation of KHS packaging technology confirmed in double-quick time Christiani says, "We recognize the large number of advantages offered by both packaging machines. However, the most important feature for us is the way the perfect packaging and high availability of the system as a whole supports our premium concept. Everything has been implemented just as we envisaged. The good reputation that goes before KHS has been confirmed in practice in double-quick time." And König-Brauerei will continue on its chosen traditional course of premium quality within the Bitburger group which achieved sales totaling 7.4 million hectoliters in 2010. At the same time König-Brauerei intends to keep its traditional place among the top ten premium breweries in Germany, by maintaining its successful combination of premium product quality, premium line technology, and a premium marketing concept, with KHS on board.
