Sponsored Post – Experience the future of the beverage industry close up with KHS: at drinktec from September 12 to 16 the engineering company will be presenting its latest machine and packaging systems. The focus will be on the filler/seamer block SmartCan by KHS/Ferrum that provides clear benefits regarding hygiene, flexibility and simple operation. With its new Loop LITE PET bottle concept KHS is further helping to optimize the ecobalance of beverage packaging and promoting closed recycling loops. Furthermore, at its booth in Hall B4 the turnkey supplier will also be exhibiting a modular automation concept for PET lines plus its full range of services that include both on-site assignments and remote digital solutions.
After five long years, the wait is finally over: the beverage and liquid food industry can now again look forward to drinktec finally reopening its doors this September! Dr. Johannes T. Grobe, CSO of the KHS Group, is also eagerly anticipating the start of the trade show. “Messe München with drinktec is a close and indispensable partner for us. As the key innovative driver, this leading trade show enjoys a high standing in our branch of industry. True to this year’s KHS motto of ‘OUR PATH INTO YOUR FUTURE’, it’s the perfect platform on which to present our future-oriented systems and services to a large international audience.”
Dr. Grobe is especially delighted that drinktec can actually take place live in 2022. “In the past couple of years countless events have been canceled or staged in a purely virtual format. This was a difficult time for us all. Despite digital solutions, personal contact is essential. As one of the main exhibitors in Munich, we’re very pleased to be able to again welcome our customers and partners in person.”
KHS provides solutions to beverage industry challenges
The beverage and liquid food industry currently finds itself facing immense challenges and radical change. “The various global political tensions, our increasingly digital world and the effort to better protect our climate and environment are what dominate our work,” says Grobe. Flexibility and adaptability are the skills we need both now and in the future – for the latter even more so.” KHS supports its customers on this demanding journey forwards with reliable, future-proof systems and solutions. To this end, the company has specified four main areas of focus: Line Efficiency, Circular Packaging, Smart Operations and Reliable Services.
With its new, modular automation concept for PET lines KHS is meeting customer demand for high line availability and efficiency and fast product changeovers. With fast, reliable and reproducible changeovers the Dortmund engineering company significantly boosts the overall equipment effectiveness. (Photo: KHS)
Space-saving filler/seamer block from KHS and Ferrum
The new filler/seamer block SmartCan by KHS/Ferrum gives operators greater line efficiency and maximum process reliability. Customers profit from a space-saving, flexible system that is convincing thanks to its simple operation and sets new standards with its optimized hygiene concept. At the same time the joint development scores on simple and fast format changeovers when filling different products.
KHS promotes closed loopswith new rPET bottle
Moreover, for KHS the issue of environmental protection is also a major focus at the trade show. “Consumers and beverage producers are actively calling for sustainable packaging that’s as climate-friendly and low on resources as possible,” stresses Grobe. “KHS is well aware of its responsibility here and helps customers by providing specific advice and developing and implementing recyclable systems.” With its new KHS Loop LITE packaging concept the systems provider is consistently continuing to pursue this policy and now presents a very light 0.5-liter PET bottle made entirely of recyclate. The specially-developed design of this ecofriendly packaging for highly carbonated beverages allows up to 25 % less material to be used compared to standard market CSD bottles and can be fed into the closed recycling loop with no trouble whatsoever. Its thin interior coating of glass also ensures long-term product protection, with the tried-and-tested Nature MultiPack system from KHS providing optimum carrying convenience.
Greater flexibility with automated line changeovers
Besides environmentally-friendly packaging, more and more consumers want to be able to choose from a wide range of products. Bottlers thus frequently need to expand their portfolios, with the number of stock keeping units or SKUs constantly on the rise as a result. In order to keep line availability and efficiency at a high level, they require fast product changeovers. KHS caters for this demand with its new, modular automation concept for PET lines. With fast, reliable and reproducible changeovers it significantly boosts the overall equipment effectiveness. In ideal conditions format changeovers from one to another SKU can be performed in 30 minutes – including running the system empty and restarting it. Up to 80 % of all manual activities are rendered superfluous by the new KHS setup.
Reliable consultancy thanks to digital solutions
The corona pandemic has clearly demonstrated just how important digital services are for maintaining production systems. “Contact and travel restrictions meant that it was much more difficult than before to provide consultancy in person,” Dr. Grobe states. “Our intelligent ReDiS and augmented reality remote diagnostics and remote maintenance services and our web-based Basic Line Monitoring system have proved to be of inestimable value in this respect.” The significance of these solutions will continue to grow in the future. KHS will thus be presenting its further developments in this field at drinktec.
The Dortmund systems supplier is also a reliable partner to its customers thanks to its expertise in 3D line design. At the offer stage, for example, KHS can illustrate how a client’s potential new line or single machine can be integrated into the prevalent conditions on site – taking all dimensions and technical limitations in the production shop into account.
The KHS Group will be presenting its plant engineering in Hall B4 at drinktec in Munich, Germany, from September 12 to 16, 2022.
In its new sustainability report for 2017/2018 KHS documents its various sustainability measures, successes and targets
In its new sustainability report for 2017/2018 KHS documents its various sustainability measures, successes and targets. The latest publication focuses on saving resources within the company and as regards product and service concepts.
“KHS has always attached immense importance to protecting people, the climate and the environment. In our sustainability report we show which measures we’ve already taken and which we are yet to implement in this respect,” says Kai Acker, CEO of the KHS Group. The Dortmund systems supplier’s third voluntary report is again based on the globally recognized sustainability reporting standard developed by the Global Reporting Initiative and on the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.
Concepts for the future
“We aim to continue producing holistic systems and solutions for our customers and at the same time protect the environment,” states Acker. To this end KHS intends to lower its carbon emissions in the long term by making considerable savings in energy, materials and resources – and not just within its own company but also regarding its product and service concepts. In this way the Dortmund engineering company is helping its clients to reach their own sustainability targets.
The most recent example of this is the next generation of the KHS Innofill Glass DRS ECO glass filler, distinguished by its lower energy consumption which is reduced by up to 20%. The machine also cuts carbon emissions by as much as 50%. Thanks to digital networking and monitoring the glass bottle filler also provides optimum product quality and higher line availability. “By increasingly applying intelligent products and solutions we can also boost the efficiency of our plant engineering,” Acker explains.
The next generation of the KHS glass filler is just one example of how beer, mixed beer beverages and soft drinks can be processed gently and efficiently while protecting the environment. (Photo: KHS)
Employees a source of innovation
One core component of the KHS sustainability report is the company’s personnel. Besides providing a number of facts and figures the machine manufacturer gives readers an insight into the diverse fields of work covered by its many employees and their specific commitment to sustainability over the past two years. “Our employees are of central importance to KHS. It’s they who are behind every single idea and development and who are largely instrumental in promoting our economic and sustainable actions,” emphasizes Acker. In the future KHS will continue to intensify its development in the context of climate and environmental protection and check into which process steps further measures can be integrated.
New system will enable companies to substantially improve capacity and operational performance, dramatically cutting rejection rates in the process JBT Corporation has announced the launch of a new solution for filling flexible pouches commonly used in the infant nutrition and sports drinks categories, which could spark further market growth for the sector. The JBT AsepFlex™ Linear Pouch Filler has been developed to overcome problems associated with current pouch packaging, including a high rejection rate and low capacity.
The market of flexible packaging is growing, with pouches becoming the preferred option for processors and consumers thanks to their non-breakable, lightweight, easy to open, and easy to empty (squeezable) characteristics. In the infant nutrition category flexible pouches are expected to grow their market share by 10 % each year.
However, growth in the category has been restricted by limits to current pouch filling technology. The two existing shelf stable pouch solutions both suffer from significant drawbacks. Solutions using an aseptic form fill seal typically have a low capacity and a high Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) due to a high rejection rate. Hot fill with retort sterilization solutions, meanwhile, often have low (120 ppm) capacity and low product quality.
The JBT AsepFlex Linear Pouch Filler has been developed to solve the problems with these existing solutions by substantially improving capacity and operational performance. With a capacity as high as 500 ppm – or 30,000 pouches per hour – the fully aseptic solution is designed in accordance with the FDA guidelines for low acid aseptically filled food products and can achieve an impressive operational performance, with a 95 % efficiency rate and a typical reject rate of only 0.5 %.
JBT Product Manager, Bert Krakers, said: “Apart from capacity and aseptic integrity, the AsepFlex Filler offers flexibility. Pouch formats and sizes can be changed on the fly without the necessity to change parts.”
The filling system, he explained, can fill a wide range of products from water-like liquids through to high viscous products, such as smoothies with particulates. It can also be equipped with a nitrogen dosing system to reduce the oxygen in the headspace of the pouch, which limits the chemical deterioration (oxidation) of the product, helping maximize product shelf life in the process.
The JBT AsepFlex Filler has been designed for use with infant nutrition products, such as fruit and vegetable purees, and ready-to-drink baby food, as well as sports and breakfast drinks ‘on-the-go’, and nutraceutical products. A first AsepFlex filling unit in Europe has recently been supplied to a leading specialist in infant nutrition.
At its AUSPACK conference on March 27, 2019, the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) selected the best packaging innovations and products of the year. GEA VIPOLL received the Award of Excellence for its ALL IN ONE monoblock filler in two categories: GEA’s Australian partner Foodmach had submitted the filler for the competition and received the “Best New Product Award” and the “Best Imported Equipment Award” for the ALL ON ONE which fills cans, glass and PET bottles.
A joint presence in the Australian market
The multifunctional system provides an unprecedented level of flexibility to beverage manufacturers with medium capacities: It can be used to fill glass, cans and PET containers, handle a wide range of formats and seal them with diverse cap types, fill carbonated or still drinks, in cold and hot processes. Partner Foodmach develops and produces secondary packaging equipment and automation systems for food, beverage and industrial companies, and, together with GEA VIPOLL, provides innovative filling technology in Australia. In 2018, the company integrated the ALL IN ONE for the first time into a line for Lion’s Malt Shovel Craft Brewery. As one of Australia’s largest food and beverage companies, Lion markets numerous premium brands in the dairy, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage categories.
A flexible and sustainable filling solution
In Melbourne, Australia, the ALL IN ONE won over the APPMA by demonstrating its ability to produce big results in small spaces, and to save time during filling and format changeovers. “We are naturally very pleased with this success in Australia, which honors both the good cooperation with Foodmach and Lion and our development work”, says Jakob Šalamun from GEA VIPOLL. “The ALL IN ONE provides a solution to the massive challenge that beverage manufacturers are currently facing. The desire for efficiency and flexibility is clearly a key driver of innovation. Our customers, for example Lion, want to conserve resources and take environmental responsibility for their packaging processes.”
