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11/08/2016

Packaging technology: KHS increases availability of format parts for PET lines

The KHS Group is cutting the time needed from the initial design idea to format changeovers on PET lines. This means that new formats can be realized more quickly.

• Faster processing thanks to optimized processes
• Integrated holistic packaging systems
• Changeovers focus on high line efficiency

Dortmund, November 8, 2016 – The KHS Group is cutting the time needed from the initial design idea to format changeovers on PET lines. This means that new formats can be realized more quickly. This is made possible – among other things – by KHS standardizing its procurement processes in house, optimizing warehousing and making parts available faster. Beverage and food producers are now in a position to launch new packaging ideas to market earlier and just in time. Providing faster format changeovers is just one objective of the Bottles & Shapes™ program. "For food and beverage producers the container is a composite part of their marketing strategy. For us it's the heart of the system," says Frank Haesendonckx, head of Sales and Technology at KHS Corpoplast in Hamburg, Germany. New bottle formats, marketing concerns and cost pressures demand shorter intervals for format changeovers on filling lines. KHS gives its customers extra support here with its comprehensive packaging consultancy service, adopting a holistic view of the line, selecting the right preforms and bottles and providing much faster format conversions. The supply of conversion components can be reduced to eight weeks maximum. This enables bottlers to implement new launches faster and introduce new containers and packs to market more quickly. Faster processing is not the only benefit, however. The integrated, holistic packaging systems supplied by KHS not only concentrate on the packaging design but also on the standardization of procurement processes and components, predictive warehousing and, as a result, faster availability of spare parts. To this end the company has provided its own resources and further optimized its warehousing and logistics processes. "We can offer first-class consultancy and support across all topics and machines which take into account every single aspect, such as container design and production, filling, labeling and packaging," says Haesendonckx. This not only applies to new machines but especially also for existing lines which are upgraded by and retrofitted with conversions.

Attractive and efficient bottle design

A new bottle shape is often the reason for a format conversion. In order that the new design meets the specifications and requirements of the customer, the Bottles & Shapes™ program develops bottles which are distinguished by two main characteristics: an attractive design for consumers and a high level of efficiency on the filling line. "The earlier we start to develop projects together with our customers, the better we can influence the design of their containers," says Armin Wille, product manager of Conversions at KHS. The lightest bottle is of no use to the customer if pallets are later unstable or the output capacity drops. It is thus important to see the big picture and include all sub-functions in the project from the beginning. To ensure an optimum quality of design and engineering KHS has strengthened cooperation throughout its production sites in Design Engineering, Production, Offer and Order Processing and Logistics.

About the KHS Group

The KHS Group is one of the leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries. The KHS Group includes the following companies, among others: KHS GmbH, KHS Corpoplast GmbH, KHS Plasmax GmbH and NMP Systems GmbH. KHS GmbH manufactures modern filling and packaging systems at its headquarters in Dortmund, Germany, and in Kleve, Bad Kreuznach and Worms. The KHS Group's PET expertise is pooled at KHS Corpoplast and KHS Plasmax in Hamburg, Germany, where light PET packaging and innovative coating systems are developed and produced. NMP Systems GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KHS GmbH based in Düsseldorf in Germany, designs and markets new, resource-saving packaging systems for PET bottles. The Group has an international production and service network. In 2015 KHS was awarded the Top 100 seal of approval for exceptional innovative power and outstanding innovative success among German SMEs. In 2015 the KHS Group and its 4,871 employees achieved a turnover of around €1.17 billion within the Salzgitter consolidation. The companies in the KHS Group are 100% subsidiaries of the MDAX-listed Salzgitter AG corporation.