At the Cutting Edge of Beverage Filling - Verpackungs-Rundschau
At the Cutting Edge of Beverage Filling - Verpackungs-Rundschau
At the Cutting Edge of Beverage Filling - Verpackungs-Rundschau
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BEER<br />
To meet rising demand, Kaiser has now installed a new Krones line producing 120000 cans an hour.<br />
Centred around a Volumetic filler, <strong>the</strong> line reached an efficiency <strong>of</strong> 90 per cent just two months after<br />
commissioning<br />
mados, Rio de Janeiro, by about 30 per<br />
cent, to around 500000 hl a month. In 1996<br />
alone, Kaiser’s sales <strong>of</strong> canned beer rose<br />
by approximately 20 per cent. Kaiser is<br />
Brazil’s third-largest brewery (November<br />
1996) with a share <strong>of</strong> 17.3 per cent on <strong>the</strong><br />
beer market, and is <strong>the</strong> market leader in<br />
<strong>the</strong> states <strong>of</strong> São Paulo and Paraná.<br />
Crucial factors in awarding <strong>the</strong> contract<br />
included punctuality and efficiency: Udo<br />
Mário Haertel, Plant Manager in Queimados,<br />
stresses that <strong>the</strong> line was running<br />
at an efficiency <strong>of</strong> 90 per cent just two<br />
months after being commissioned, with<br />
three-shift operation and an output <strong>of</strong><br />
120000 cph. Thanks to extensive automation,<br />
it can be handled by eight operators<br />
only (all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m technicians), explains<br />
Haertel.<br />
Kaiser uses <strong>the</strong> line to can five sorts <strong>of</strong><br />
beer for <strong>the</strong> entire Brazilian subcontinent:<br />
“This is <strong>the</strong> second canning line here at<br />
Queimados, and <strong>the</strong> third in <strong>the</strong> Kaiser<br />
Group as a whole. The new line is able to<br />
cope with 30 per cent <strong>of</strong> our entire production<br />
output”, says <strong>the</strong> plant manager. In<br />
his opinion, non-returnable containers,<br />
especially cans, are on <strong>the</strong> advance in Brazil,<br />
with sales being substantially boosted<br />
by increased consumer prosperity.<br />
Can Deliveries Just in Time<br />
The canning line in Queimados is based<br />
on a concept totally new for <strong>the</strong> Brazilian<br />
beer market. The vendor supplying <strong>the</strong><br />
aluminium cans, Latasa, has a storage fa-<br />
cility inside <strong>the</strong> canning plant, and delivers<br />
<strong>the</strong> cans “just in time” to <strong>the</strong> depalletiser.<br />
An integrated empty-can inspector<br />
makes sure that only faultless cans get as<br />
far as <strong>the</strong> filler. Latasa takes back any rejects.<br />
Commenting on relations with Krones,<br />
Mr Haertel said, “Why a Krones line?<br />
That’s quite simple: Krones has a production<br />
operation here in Brazil, and is known<br />
<strong>the</strong> world over as a manufacturer with unrivalled<br />
experience in can filling. Plus, <strong>of</strong><br />
course, <strong>the</strong> good service back-up with<br />
maintenance support, fast delivery <strong>of</strong><br />
spares, and staff training courses, which<br />
all pay <strong>of</strong>f for us in a medium and longterm<br />
view”.<br />
A fourth complete canning line from<br />
Krones is scheduled for installation in<br />
September 1997 at <strong>the</strong> Jacareí facility, São<br />
Paulo, where it is confidently expected to<br />
reach 90 per cent efficiency within two<br />
months.<br />
The Krones canning line is part <strong>of</strong> a<br />
capacity expansion programme at Kaiser<br />
begun two years ago and budgeted at 60<br />
million US dollars. Kaiser owns facilities<br />
in Jundiaí (São Paulo - 1987), Gravataí (Rio<br />
Grande do Sul – 1988 ) and Feira de Santana<br />
(Bahia – 1994). In October 1995, <strong>the</strong><br />
seventh facility started operations in Araraquara<br />
– São Paulo, while <strong>the</strong> eighth was<br />
inaugurated at Ponta Grossa, Paraná, in<br />
March 1997. There are ongoing plans for<br />
more production facilities in Anápolis<br />
(Goias) and Pacatuba (Ceará), and in Pernambuco<br />
State. ❐<br />
Smooth Operator<br />
A total <strong>of</strong> nine Genesis pallet wrappers<br />
from Robopac Sistemi, Verucchio/Italy,<br />
have now been installed in <strong>the</strong> factory<br />
<strong>of</strong> Corona beer producer Cerveceria<br />
Modelo, Mexico City. These pallet<br />
wrappers are designed to <strong>of</strong>fer an extremely<br />
low level <strong>of</strong> routine maintenance,<br />
owing to <strong>the</strong> elimination <strong>of</strong> most wearing<br />
parts.Brush contacts,which are subject to<br />
wear or sudden interruptions, have been<br />
replaced by a rotating arm. The machines<br />
also incorporate an electronic film prestretcher<br />
which generates all <strong>the</strong> electrical<br />
power it requires by itself, <strong>of</strong>fering advantages<br />
in safety and maintenance. New<br />
customers for <strong>the</strong> Genesis pallet wrapper<br />
include Guinness and San Pellegrino. ❐<br />
New PEN Range from Shell<br />
Shell Chemicals Europe has developed a<br />
PEN range <strong>of</strong> products called HiPERTUF<br />
for hot-fill beverage applications. Key<br />
market for <strong>the</strong> range is beer as <strong>the</strong> material<br />
is capable <strong>of</strong> withstanding <strong>the</strong> high<br />
processing temperatures associated with<br />
bottle washing and pasteurisation <strong>of</strong><br />
beer. Shell is undertaking a number <strong>of</strong><br />
HiPERTUF development programmes<br />
with leading packaging companies and<br />
some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world’s largest drink brands in<br />
twenty different countries. ❐<br />
16 VR <strong>Beverage</strong> Packaging 1997