Three Filling and Packaging Lines, One Turnkey Supplier
SABMiller RUS carries out greenfield project in Ulyanovsk with KHS as trusted partner
Natalia Nikashina* Ulrich Steinert** SABMiller plc is one of the largest breweries operating on the global beer market. Over 200 brands of beer, around 70,000 employees, and sales totaling 213 million hectoliters of beer a year – the figures speak for themselves. The brewery group is represented not only in South America and Europe, but also in North America, Africa, Asia, and South Africa. SABMiller's impressive portfolio includes both international premium beers and a great many national and regional beer brands. SABMiller began its career on the Russian market with SABMiller RUS in 1998 when it acquired an existing brewery in Kaluga. Situated about 200 kilometers or 120 miles southwest of Moscow, Kaluga is one of Russia's major industrial towns. Initially, the output achieved here with the existing equipment was 0.5 million hectoliters per year. However, output soon threatened to outstrip capacity. It was time to invest in new technology. SABMiller thus began its partnership with KHS on the Russian market. This partnership continues to develop, primarily thanks to the success of SABMiller RUS. Today the Kaluga plant not only has a KHS glass line, but also a canning line keg line and Keg Boy by KHS. Beer is also produced on an existing KHS glass line and PET line at the SABMiller RUS brewery in Vladivostok, which was purchased three years ago. (Vladivostok is Russia's major Pacific port). SABMiller RUS' latest project is the construction of a greenfield brewery in Ulyanovsk (situated in Central Russia in the Ulyanovsk region), where it is investing in three KHS turnkey lines for glass, PET, and cans. Adam Gunn, technical director of SABMiller RUS, comments, "Once again we chose KHS after competitive tendering to supply the latest filling and packaging technology for our greenfield project. We see KHS as a reliable partner who supplies top-quality technology for filling our top-quality beers and, at the same time, provides good overall service, including comprehensive consulting services. Basically, what we find attractive about KHS is that the complete package is convincing." * General director, KHS Russia. Phone: +7 (495) 783-8100 ** Technical Line Support, KHS GmbH, Bad Kreuznach, Germany Phone: +49 (671) 852-2327 Ranked fifth in the Russian brewing industry The figures clearly demonstrate the success of SABMiller RUS' premium concept on the Russian market. In place of its former capacity of 0.5 million hectoliters, the Kaluga brewery now has a capacity of 6 million hectoliters of beer a year. This is complemented by the 0.75 million hectoliters available from the brewery in Vladivostok each year and the 3 million hectoliters per annum produced at the brewery recently established in Ulyanovsk. This places SABMiller RUS in fifth place in the hierarchy of brewery groups on the Russian beer market. The sales figures in hectoliters alone give SABMiller RUS a 7% share of the Russian beer market. According to the total turnover the company achieves with its beer brands, SABMiller RUS has a market share of 10.8%. These statistics further underline the company's consistent premium strategy. 45% of sales achieved with premium international beer brands SABMiller RUS achieves 45% of its sales with international premium beer brands. About one third of all beer sales in the premium segment in Russia are credited to SABMiller RUS alone. International beers filled under license include Miller Genuine Draft, Pilsner Urquell, Kozel, Grolsch Premium Lager, and Holsten, while Peroni Nastro Azzurro is imported from Italy and distributed on the Russian market by SABMiller RUS. Another product is Redd's, a mixed beer beverage sold in various flavors. Two national and several regional beer brands Beer brands specially produced for the Russian market complement the range of international premium beers. Number one on the list of the two brands distributed within Russia is Zolotaya Bochka (translated as Golden Barrel). Another popular beer is Try Bogatyrya, meaning Three Knights. Also distributed in Russia is Essa, a mixed beer beverage flavored with pineapple and grapefruit launched on the market in the middle of 2010.Alongside national products, SABMiller RUS also offers consumers many regional products. One example is Simbirskoye, a brand specially produced for the Ulyanovsk region, whose title is reminiscent of Simbirsk, the old name for the city of Ulyanovsk. The focus on keeping traditions alive is intentional. The same applies to the Zhiguliovskoye brand brewed in Vladivostok, which is intended to awaken memories of the beer of the same name brewed in former Soviet days. One decidedly Russian specialty produced in Vladivostok in homage to tradition is kwas. This refreshing carbonated beverage, made by fermenting the basic ingredients of water, rye, and malt, is only available in the summer. Operating throughout Russia Although SABMiller RUS operates throughout Russia, a large portion of its total sales – 50% – is generated in and around Moscow. The reason is obvious: income levels are highest in Moscow. Muscovites like to treat themselves to something special after work. And a premium beer counts as something special. A further 10% of SABMiller RUS total sales are concentrated on the St Petersburg market. The remaining 40% are distributed over southern regions, Siberia, eastern Russia, and the neighboring Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which has an export share of 3%. Within all the distribution areas, it is the towns and cities which clearly stand out in terms of sales figures. 80% of products filled in new glass bottles and cans As far as containers are concerned, glass bottles enjoy pride of place at SABMiller RUS; 55% of the beer bottled by the concern reaches consumers in glass. Gunn maintains, "We use only new glass in order to ensure our products have an immaculate appearance at the point of sale, which further underlines our claim to premium quality." Cans are also of prime importance to SABMiller RUS, as on the Russian market these are also accepted as containers for premium beers. They account for 25% of total sales. A further 15% comes from sales in PET bottles and 5% from beer sold in kegs. Larger PET bottles filled in Ulyanovsk for the first time It was only recently that SABMiller RUS started to use larger PET bottles for filling. To be more precise, the more sizeable containers entered production when a KHS PET line was commissioned for the new brewery at Ulyanovsk, with a capacity of 25,000 1.5-liter PET bottles per hour. Besides 1.5-liter PET bottles, the line also processes 1-liter and 3-liter PET bottles. "As far as PET bottles are concerned," says Gunn, "we're collaborating with KHS expertise in both technology and the development of new PET beer bottles." New PET beer bottles designed for the Russian market using the Bottles & Shapes program Using the Bottles & Shapes program, KHS Corpoplast has designed PET beer bottles especially for the Russian market and according to the requirements of SABMiller RUS. The first stage in the process was to determine the exact specifications of the desired packaging, the product to be filled, and the anticipated load. Based on the facts and figures they were provided with, KHS Corpoplast then presented their suggested designs. Not long afterwards, prototypes of feasible new PET bottles were produced. Once SABMiller RUS had made its decision, tests for the manufacture of the PET bottles in question were performed on a laboratory machine which operates just like the stretch blow molder later used in practice. Not until the laboratory tests had proved successful were the PET bottles approved for production in Ulyanovsk. In Gunn’s opinion, "In KHS we have a partner who combines technology with expertise so that we can derive the maximum benefit." First InnoPET BloFill monoblock in Russia Maximum benefit is what Gunn also anticipates from using the InnoPET BloFill monoblock on the PET line. This monoblocked stretch blow molder/filler/capper system is only the second InnoPET BloFill monoblock supplied worldwide – and the first monoblock concept to find application on the Russian market. Gunn explains, "We chose this technology because we saw the many advantages the system offers. Moreover, in retrospect all the benefits we initially anticipated have materialized." For example, the InnoPET BloFill concept saves on both time and space for the air conveyor. In addition, the PET bottles are handled more gently inside the monoblock. In the case of SABMiller RUS, an InnoPET Blomax 16 Series III is monoblocked with the Innofill DVF filling system, which has more than 126 filling stations. The bottom-up filling method with a long filling tube employed by the Innofill DVF facilitates a particularly gentle filling process with low oxygen pickup in the product. The filling process is divided into the following steps: a slow filling phase then a fast filling phase and braking phase, followed in turn by pre-depressurization and post-depressurization. Filling the PET bottles by means of electromagnetic inductive flowmetering ensures exact fill levels. Overfilling is not necessary, which in turn saves product. If a changeover to a new bottle size is planned, a press of a button is all that is required to make the necessary changes to the filling volume. In this way, PET bottles of various shape and size can be processed with extremely short conversion times. Perfectly planned building and line design What makes the Ulyanovsk site particularly special is the fact that as a totally new brewery it was possible to achieve a perfect match between the plans for both the building and the lines. KHS was also able to offer advice in this context. For example, the layout of the brewery was specially designed to incorporate a large storage area inside the building at a point which enabled easy access to all the consumables needed during the production process. Among other things, this ensures that preforms are stored separately from the filler area and that closures are stored outside the lines to save space. Another advantage of the new building is that all three filling systems can be housed within a section of the building designed specifically for the filling systems and separated from the remaining lines. Here, a ventilation system ensures laminar airflow and a permanent supply of freshly sterile-filtered air into the filling areas. Even where different containers have to be palletized in each of the systems, the palletizing technology is located on identically structured palletizing systems arranged in rows in order to make these easy to operate and optimize pallet handling. Inside the lines space has been deliberately left wherever more equipment might be required in the future. For example, there is room for an additional labeling machine inside the glass line. If the 1-liter can were to become even more popular in Russia, it would be possible to install a 1-liter can filler alongside the 0.5-liter can filler in the canning line. It would also be possible to integrate an additional version of a packer here as well. The general picture is that as turnkey supplier of the three lines for Ulyanovsk KHS managed all the planning for the lines, from the supply of quality beers up to and including the packaging and palletizing processes for the filled products. "In Ulyanovsk we deliberately selected KHS as the single turnkey supplier of three lines," states Gunn. "We considered it an enormous advantage that everything would then come from a single source and hence there could be no finger pointing. An additional point in KHS' favor is the fact that the company provides reliable technology which has proved itself at SABMiller on more than one occasion. It's this that guarantees us the product safety we need in a newly developing business with many new employees, for whom KHS is organizing training courses precisely tailored to meet their needs." KHS Innofill DVD computer-controlled volumetric filling concept for the canning line The names of the lines are based purely on when they were commissioned at Ulyanovsk. Work started with PET bottle filling (Line 1), followed by the canning line and, thirdly, the glass line. The heart of the canning line is the KHS Innofill DVD computer-controlled volumetric filling concept, which has over 124 filling stations. Maximum filling accuracy is provided by the Innofill DVD, thanks to electromagnetic inductive flowmetering. Tolerances for cans produced by different manufacturers are no longer an issue. For example, if a particular filling volume is programmed into the system, the cans will contain exactly this volume. Another huge advantage is that during the volumetric flowmetering process not a single mechanical part comes into direct contact with the product to be filled. The membrane sealing technology of the electropneumatically controlled filling valves provides additional microbiological safety. Can guide parts made of stainless steel guarantee the highest standards of hygiene and, above all, a long product life. Two depalletizing systems ... The Innopal AS1H depalletizing system is used on both the canning line and the glass line. It feeds the readied cans into the system fully automatically, one pallet at a time. Pallets loaded with new containers are conveyed to the pushoff level on a pallet lift down a shaft that is enclosed on three sides. Below the pushoff level, the block is centered on all sides by an additional centering bar. A pusher frame enclosed on four sides moves the containers gently onto the container table. A swiveling remover disposes of the pallet liners and covering frames in two different magazines. … and three palletizing systems The palletizing system is identical – with three Innopal PB 1 HS systems in use for the canning, glass and PET lines. The Innopal PB 1 HS is a high-performance palletizing system with the inline group of robots immediately upstream of it. On the canning line the robot group aligns the tray packs, on the glass line it aligns the wrap-around and tray shrink packs, and on the PET line it shrink packs. The fully automatic Innopal PB 1 HS portal palletizer works with the pallet lift. Using a divided loading plate is an enormous advantage, since releasing the products onto the pallet via a divided loading plate creates less friction. This is the best guarantee that the containers will be handled gently. Innopack Kisters packaging technology only The further compatibility of all three KHS lines in Ulyanovsk is ensured by the use of Innopack Kisters packaging technology. Whereas the canning line incorporates the Innopack Kisters TSP 050 Basic tray shrink packer, the PET line employs the Innopack Kisters SP 060 V shrink packer and the glass line the Innopack Kisters WSP 060 V wrap-around shrink packer. Common to both versions of packer on the canning and glass lines is the highly versatile packaging technology based on modular KHS Kisters design. The modular design means replacements can be made quickly and individual modules speedily adapted in order to adjust to product reorientation. It also means the existing system can be converted within a very short space of time if a decision is taken to integrate more functions. One example would be to add modules to the glass line, allowing pad shrink packs to be made alongside wrap-around and tray shrink packs in future. At the same time, the line can also be quickly adapted to accommodate new packing formations. "We attach great importance to flexibility", Gunn explains. "This is the only way we can respond to new requests from consumers on the Russian market as quickly as possible, at the same time maintaining our premium image in every respect." Largest KHS filling system: the Innofill DRS-ZMS Besides the many equipment features of the KHS lines mentioned above, the great significance SABMiller RUS allots to maintaining premium quality is further illustrated in the choice of the Innofill DRS-ZMS filling system for the glass line. This system is based on computer-controlled pneumatic pressure filling. With 194 filling stations, the Innofill DRS-ZMS in operation at Ulyanovsk is the largest filler of this type ever built by KHS. The Innofill DRS-ZMS has a filling level probe. The pressurizing and filling processes are usually preceded by triple pre-evacuation and double CO2 purging. SABMiller RUS even opted to align the Innofill DRS-ZMS in such a way that it enables four pre-evacuations. Says Gunn, "Using the Innofill DRS-ZMS further optimizes the low-oxygen filling process." An additional advantage of the filling system lies in the short changeover times for any necessary switches of product and bottle type. This is a big advantage, as SABMiller RUS processes six different 0.5-liter glass bottles and two different 0.33-liter glass bottles on the glass line. The Innofill DRS-ZMS has no external mechanical control devices, and all product and gas passages are additionally equipped with aseptic sealing systems. Premium quality in labeling as well Premium quality is also a mark of the Innoket SE labeling machine used on the glass line, which has three cold glue labeling stations and a camera station. Although the Innoket SE uses only cold glue labels at present, the practice can on no account be regarded as set in stone with this generation of labeling machines. Its modular design enables any amount of flexibility in the future. Should SABMiller RUS opt for additional or exclusively for self-adhesive, hot melt, or roll-fed labeling at a later date, for example, this requirement can be implemented by simply replacing the labeling stations on the centralized labeling carousel. The pleasure of the complete package "We're proud of our new operation in Ulyanovsk and of our new KHS lines", says Gunn. "What's crucial to us is that with KHS we feel we're in good hands. Among other things, we are benefiting from the supporting service provided by the KHS office in Moscow." Further gradual growth is planned Taking the Ulyanovsk site alone and the possibilities for expansion this offers, it should come as no surprise that SABMiller RUS is planning for further growth. According to Gunn, slow growth is definitely not a problem. The motto here is to make gradual progress without any compromise whatsoever on the requirement for premium quality. This is the motto SABMiller RUS follows not only in better times when growth is strong but also in a difficult economic environment – a motto that unites SABMiller RUS and KHS in a very special way.
