Römerquelle invests in innovative technology, quality and sustainability
KHS Ultra Clean system is the "first milestone" in the centralization of production and logistics activities
Edgar Petsche*Katrin Goldhahn** Quality, hygiene, environmental friendliness - these three criteria were at the focus of the decision in favor of a PET non-refillable line for Römerquelle, Austria. And, according to Patrick Misch, Supply Chain Director Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria, it is these three criteria that are today completely fulfilled by a KHS Ultra Clean line. "Even in retrospect, we made exactly the right decision by investing in our new KHS turnkey line," says Misch. "Not only have our high expectations relating to hygiene, quality, and environmental friendliness been taken into account in every regard, but also, as a technology leader, we are setting new standards. All in all, our new investment is a win-win situation for company and environment which could not be better." Römerquelle, the regional brand of Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria As the name suggests, the Roman spring (Römerquelle) was discovered at the beginning of the first millennium by the Romans. Mineral water was bottled for the first time in 1948. Römerquelle Ges. m. b. H. was established in 1965, and at the same time started distributing mineral water throughout the whole of Austria. Since 2003, Römerquelle has been part of Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria, which holds a majority interest. Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria employs around 1,100 people in the country and supplies branded beverages to more than 50,000 customers in the retail food and restaurant trade and therefore to approx. 8.4 million consumers. The product range includes the international classics such as Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola light, Fanta and Sprite, regional brands such as Römerquelle, and brands such as Nestea which are produced under license. Part of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company with annual sales of approx. 2 billion "unit cases" Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria is a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company with its headquarters in Athens. With around 40,000 employees in a total of 28 countries, the Coca-Cola Hellenic Group is the largest bottler of the Coca-Cola Company's products in Europe and one of the most important in the world. All in all, Coca-Cola Hellenic supplies around 570 million people each year with approx. 2 billion "unit cases" (a unit case is equivalent to 5.678 liters). Römerquelle mineral water with 45% market share in the Austrian restaurant trade "As a mineral water producer which has always had an enterprising approach, Römerquelle fits outstandingly with the innovative Coca-Cola Hellenic Group and with its strategy of being a complete provider of non-alcoholic beverages," says Misch. As a particularly balanced mineralized water, Römerquelle is available in still, mild and sparkling varieties and is defined by the consumer as a premium mineral water. This is certainly one reason why the best-known mineral water brand in Austria has a market share of approx. 45% in the restaurant trade and is the clear Number One in this sector. With a market share of just under 15%, Römerquelle mineral water is in third place in the Austrian retail market. The high quality of the mineral water is also confirmed by the fact that Römerquelle mild was awarded the Superior Taste Award by the renowned International Taste & Quality Institute in Brussels in 2011. The assessment was carried out by a jury of famous head chefs and recognized sommeliers. Römerquelle emotion near-water line provides the seven most popular near-water flavors in the country However, Römerquelle is not only particularly successful with classical mineral water, but also with the Römerquelle emotion line which was introduced in 2001 and is based on a combination of mineral water with natural fruit extracts. The Römerquelle emotion product range consists of eight different flavors and is supplemented every year by two "Limited Edition" products. Still especially successful is pear and lemon balm, which was the first flavor to be marketed on the launch of the emotion line. Measured by their popularity, this is followed by the emotion products blackberry and lime, apple and redcurrant, lemon and passion fruit, strawberry and rhubarb, lemon grass, josta berry, and guarana. With Römerquelle, the mineral water producer is a leader in near-water beverages in Austria. The market share in this segment is 42.4%. It is no wonder then that Römerquelle also provides the seven most popular near-water flavors in Austria. Freche Römer for the kids An interesting fact is that Römerquelle near-water products have recently become available as children's drinks under the brand name Römerquelle emotion freche Römer (cheeky Romans). The strawberry and rhubarb and apple and redcurrant varieties are currently bottled in 0.33-liter PET bottles with sports caps which have been specially developed for kids. Susanne Lontzen, Press Spokesperson for Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria, says, "The combination of Römerquelle mild with the balanced mineralization as well as the light carbonation and the fruity basis of the "freche Römer" fulfils the wishes of the young consumer without losing sight of the parents' expectations." Also an active exporter Like the classical mineral water, Römerquelle emotion is distributed throughout the country as part of the sales activities of Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria. This is accompanied by exports to Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Centralization of production and logistics activities While the sales and marketing activities for all Coca-Cola Hellenic branded products have always been combined, up to now production and logistics activities have been carried out at two locations. Whereas Römerquelle bottles its mineral water brands in Edelstal in Burgenland, other branded products made by Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria are produced in Vienna. A process which is shortly to change. This is because no further expansion is possible in Vienna on the total of 55,000 square meters. On the other hand, a total area of 350,000 square meters is available in Edelstal and is ideally equipped for future increases in production. The Edelstal site will therefore be expanded to become the production and logistics center of Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria, and only administration will be left in Vienna. The transfer of production activities from Vienna to Edelstal will take place in the fall of 2012. The project is expected to be completed in 1Q13. "We are investing a total of 40 million euros in the Edelstal site and creating 150 new jobs there," says Misch. New Ultra Clean line suitable for all types of bottling Barry O'Connell, General Director of Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria, describes the "investment in the most up-to-date water bottling plant in Europe", and therefore the investment in a new KHS Ultra Clean line, as the first forward-looking investment within the framework of the planned overall project. This line is ideally suitable for the bottling of such sensitive products as still mineral water and near-water beverages as well as for carbonated mineral water and soft drinks. According to Misch, "With this line, we are well prepared for all future eventualities, and the aspects of quality and sustainability which are so important for our company have been taken into account in every regard." Capacity: 28,000 PET bottles/h At the present time, mineral water and the above-mentioned near-water beverages are bottled and packed on the new KHS turnkey line in 0.33-liter, 0.5-liter, and 1-liter PET non-refillable bottles. The capacity of the new KHS Ultra Clean system is 28,000 bottles/h. Pioneering performance: InnoPET Blofill stretch blow molding machine / filler monoblock with integrated preform sterilization for the first time Römerquelle is the first company in the world to use an InnoPET Blofill stretch blow molding machine / filler monoblock with integrated preform sterilization for the production and filling of its PET bottles. "We are pleased to be at the very forefront with innovative technical solutions in which we see real additional benefits," says Misch. "By using the brand-new preform sterilization process where we are acting as pioneers, we achieve clear additional advantages with regard to sustainability and cost reduction." Rinsing water, sterilizing agent and rinser costs saved The KHS preform sterilization process takes place within the heater segment of the InnoPET Blomax Series IV generation of stretch blow molding machines in a newly developed sterile chamber module. Here, the preform is sterilized by a mixture of hot air and hydrogen peroxide. After this, sterile air is blown over the preform to reliably remove any remaining H2O2 residue on the outside of the preform. The preforms finally pass into a heating chamber in which the exact heating profile is applied to them. This means that preforms are pre-heated in a timely manner and therefore particularly precisely, thus enabling the best possible material distribution within the PET bottles during the stretch blow molding process. Compared with the previously common practice of rinsing PET bottles upstream of the Ultra Clean filling process, the preform sterilization process saves investment costs for the rinser as well as rinsing water. What is more, as preforms have a significantly smaller surface area compared with ready-blown PET bottles, the area to be sterilized is considerably smaller and sterilizing agent consumption can be reduced by about a factor of ten. Energy-saving heater segment As a general principle, the heater segment of the innovative InnoPET Blomax Series IV generation of stretch blow molding machines is particularly energy-saving with regard to its design. Here, the preforms are heated using shortwave infrared radiation or "near infrared", which means particularly short heating-up times and enables the heater segment to be kept small. Servo-motor-controlled stretching process ensures highest precision and material-saving bottle production The highlight of the production of PET bottles in the InnoPET Blomax Series IV is the servo-motor-controlled stretching process, by means of which preforms can be optimized down to the last tenth of a gram of PET material. Moreover, with the servo-motor-controlled stretching process, the stretch speed is independent of the machine speed, which facilitates the rapid adaptation to changing filler capacities for different bottle sizes. Monoblocking results in reduced space requirement and the absence of air conveyor sections When the bottles have been produced, the removal of bottles from the blow station and the adjustment of the distance between freshly blown PET bottles according to the configuration of the filling system are handled within the monoblock system for Römerquelle by just one modular transfer wheel. The bottles then pass via an air lock and a cooling section directly to the Innofill DRV filling system. This procedure highlights a further advantage of monoblocking: the reduced space required compared with the conventional separate blow molding and filling process thanks to the absence of air conveyor sections between blow molding machine and filler. The filling and capping process is carried out in an Ultra Clean isolator, which is fitted with filter units in the ceiling area. These filter units filter the bottle shop air. There is a permanent flow of air from the ceiling to the floor area. This provides the open bottle conveyors with a continuous supply of filtered air and prevents unfiltered bottling shop air entering the isolator. Innofill DRV for bottling still and carbonated beverages The Innofill DRV is a computer-controlled volumetric filling system. The version used at Römerquelle can be used for both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. A special feature of the system is that the Innofill DRV uses only two pneumatic cylinders per filling valve for bottling carbonated drinks. These two pneumatic cylinders control the entire filling process including lifting the bottle and sealing the bottle mouth against the filling valve. A further pneumatic cylinder is brought on line when bottling non-carbonated drinks. The system alternates between pressurized and pressureless filling at the press of a button. The waiting PET bottles are filled using a swirler. In addition to dispensing with spreader elements protruding into the PET bottle, the benefits here include great flexibility when filling. The use of the swirler allows widely differing types of PET bottles to be filled without changing over. Once the filling valve is opened, the swirler forces the liquid over the bottle walls into the PET bottle at high speed. A reduced filling rate is used in the area of the narrower bottle neck. Once full, pressure-controlled snifting follows and pressure is maintained at approx. 1 bar. Final snifting follows. This special snifting procedure prevents the formation of excessive foam and makes it possible to fill even highly carbonated beverages at temperatures of 20°C and higher. Non-carbonated drinks require no snifting. "The high quality of KHS filling systems is well known in the industry," says Misch. "Based on the experience we have gathered with the Innofill DRV, we can certainly confirm this excellent filling quality." Screw capper for constant capping force and increased opening convenience The Innofill DRV is monoblocked with the Innofill SV-ACF screw capper, which is distinguished by a simple and open structure in hygienic design. It processes classical screw caps as well as the sports caps intended for the Römerquelle emotion freche Römer children's drinks. It also provides constant capping force and increased opening convenience for the end consumer. Complete process technology package included With the Innopro KZE flash pasteurizer and Innopro Paramix C blender, a complete package of cutting-edge KHS process engineering has been integrated into the system at Römerquelle. "It was clear to us from the start that the filling and process equipment had to come from a single source," says Misch. "This enables us to avoid any interface problems in such a sensitive area from the very beginning." The first stage in the two-component Innopro Paramix C blender is the deaeration of water which is based on the principle of two-stage vacuum spray deaeration. Deaerated water, syrup and other beverage components are precisely dosed according to the recipe through flow control segments in the blender. The Innopro Paramix C is designed for exceptional ease of operation. All the necessary product data for each individual product in the huge product range are stored in recipe memory and can be accessed at the press of a button. Exact compliance of the Brix and CO2 values with the product specification for the brand products to be blended is ensured by the implemented measuring instrumentation. Innoket 360 S labeling machine impresses An Innoket 360 S roll-fed labeler handles the task of labeling the filled bottles. It is compact in design and is distinguished by high process quality and user-friendliness. A highlight of the Innoket 360 S is the fact that it is fitted with a self-sharpening cutter which ensures precise label cutting. Another plus is that the gluing roller of the labeling machine has an induction heater with sensors in the roller jacket. This ensures precise temperature control and resource-conserving and energy-saving operation. Among other things, the highly accurate labeling process supports the correction of overlaps in continuous operation. An auto splice system and the automatic height adjustment incorporated within the system ensure continuous operation of the labeling machine and its rapid adjustment to suit new situations. The segmented design of the vacuum drum and the exclusive use of maintenance-free bearings are also an advantage in this regard. "The Innoket 360 S runs and runs and runs, and therefore works to our complete satisfaction," says Misch. "Along with high labeling quality, the ability to make rapid changeovers is of utmost importance to us. This is essential for the overall system efficiency with a range as wide as ours." Outstanding experience gained with the eco shrink tunnel The task of packaging the bottles in film is undertaken by an Innopack Kisters SP 050 Basic. 4, 6, and 24-packs are formed here. After shrink wrapping, they can be fitted with a handle by the Innopack Kisters CSM before passing either directly to the palletizer or to a further Innopack Kisters SP 035 Basic shrink packer. The task of the Innopack Kisters SP 035 is to wrap several shrink packs in one film wrapping before they go from here to the palletizing system. A common feature of both shrink packers is that they are fitted with an eco shrink tunnel. The eco shrink tunnel operates with a gas heater instead of the electric heater usually found in the market. "We have already gained a lot of positive experience with this concept in our Vienna production facility," says Misch. "In the meantime, three KHS shrink tunnels with gas heating are in use here. These enable us to make significant energy cost savings and achieve a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions. Once again, this perfectly accords with our high level of environmental orientation." In fact, the use of the eco shrink tunnel enables energy cost savings of up to 50% to be achieved compared with the electrically heated shrink tunnel. This percentage is a rough figure, as energy costs vary from country to country. What is more, the environment benefits from an up to 60% reduction in CO2 emissions. The gas heater works using what is known as porous combustion technology. The high power density of the porous burner enables its design to be extremely compact. Combustion is so complete as a result of the porous combustion technology that no residue remains and no soot is formed. Compared with electric heaters, the temperature can be configured more quickly and accurately on the porous burner unit and heating times are much shorter. Gentle palletizing Shrink packs are conveyed to the Innopal PB1(N)H palletizer in two lanes. The Innopal PB1(N)H palletizer with level compensation makes it possible to feed the packs to the palletizer at any height. Each layer is automatically centered from all sides prior to discharge onto the pallet. This results in perfect layer patterns, gentle product handling, and high overall stability of the pallet load. The liner inserter goes into action automatically after each layer is released. The use of servo motors, toothed belts, and PC-based robot control results in low-noise operation and minimum wear, which at the same time ensures high machine availability. A pallet wrapper installed after the palletizer secures the pallet loads. In the best of hands "Our new KHS turnkey line does exactly what KHS promised," says Misch. "It is extremely sustainable, gives us innovative and cost advantages with its many extras, and - and this is the all-important point for our customers - delivers excellent product quality. And what we also particularly like about KHS is the outstanding service. We feel we are in the best of hands." A good omen The investment in innovative KHS turnkey plant engineering as a first milestone combined with the grouping of the production sites and the expansion of the Edelstal plant has been extremely successful for Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria. A good omen, which raises hopes for equally positive steps, which, in the future, will ultimately enable Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria to continue to grow in the market with high-quality products. Together with KHS technology. * Director Market Zone Europe, KHS GmbH, Tel: 02 31/5 69/16 68
** Business Manager, KHS Austria GmbH, Wiener Neudorf,
Tel: +43/22 36/6 25 10