Case study Food & drink industry Bottling plant

Challenge SolutionSystem

Chivas Brothers' success in its driveto become the global leader in

Scotch's fast-growing premium sectorrequired a significant increase inproduction from the company'sPalletisation and Automatic Despatchfacility in Dumbarton on the outskirtsof Glasgow. The facility plays a key rolein the distribution of brands such asBallantine's, Beefeater Gin and ChivasRegal 25 Year Old. A recentlycompleted project to upgrade thepalletising and conveyor systemsincluded a significant quantity ofmotorised rollers and Zero PressureAccumulation controls from Itoh Denki.The system is designed to ensuremaximum production from the siteand provide Chivas Brothers with anestimated 50% increase in output.

Reliable transport of fragileproduct over distanceunderground

Increase production capacity

Energy efficiency

1,140 24v motorised rollersmanufactured by Itoh Denki

Zero Pressure Accumulating logiccontrols with built-incommunication links

Adjustable speed and transferconfiguration

Smooth, low noise transport ofgoods on precision bearing rollers

Energy efficient, run-on-demandlow voltage motorised rollers

Self-managing accumulation logicprevents collisions and breakages

Dynamic product bufferingautomatically adjusts toproduction throughput

Cost effective built-in controlswithout the need for complex orexpensive PLC I/O modules

Chivas Brothers

Case study Food & drink industry Bottling plant

ITOH DENKI EUROPE S.A.S.UK Branch

Victoria Court - 91 Huddersfield RoadHOLMFIRTH HD9 3JA - UNITED KINGDOM

Tel: +44(0)1484 68 10 10 - Fax: +44(0)1484 68 08 08Web: www.itohdenki.co.uk

E-mail: sales@itohdenki.co.ukRegistered N.: FC027589 - Registered in England and Wales

490 Avenue des jourdies - Z.A.E. Les JourdiesB.P. 323 - 748807 ST PIERRE EN FAUCIGNY Cedex - FRANCE

Tél : +33(0)4 50 03 09 99 - Fax : +33(0)4 50 03 07 60Web : www.itoh-denki.com

E-mail : infor@itoh-denki.comS.A.S. au capital de 460 000 Euros - SIRET 343 034 344 000 30 - CodeAPE 4669B - R.C.S. BONNEVILLE 87 B413 - N. TVA : FR 71 343034344

Zweigniederlassung DeutschlandNeumeyerstraße 48

90411 NÜRNBERG - DEUTCHLANDTél: +49(0)911 25 26 200 - Fax: +49(0)911 25 26 201

Web: www.itoh-denki.deE-mail: infor@itoh-denki.de

Handelsregisternummer: HRB25221

The new conveyors transport differentsized cartons containing a variety ofbottle sizes, from eight existingproduction lines in the Clyde bottlinghall to a completely new palletisingsystem. Cases leave the bottling hall oneight separate conveyor lines at speedsof up to 60 cases per minute. All eightlines then travel underground forapproximately 100m and aroundseveral bends before returning aboveground to the feed eight newpalletisers. The solution from ItohDenki was selected because it offeredsignificant energy savings overtraditional technology. It alsoincorporated simple and reliable ZeroPressure Accumulation controls whichensure that the high value cartonsarrive safely at the palletisers, ondemand.

Itoh Denki's unique logic controls notonly prevent cases colliding, they alsomanage the flow of cartons betweenthe bottling hall and the palletisers.This provides a significant level ofproduct buffering which dynamicallyaccommodates the throughputrequired by the palletisers or changesin production output.

The controls work in conjunction witha photo-electric-cell in each conveyorzone. Each zone comprises a singlemotorised roller and several slaverollers.

The rollers are pitched to support thecartons and provide a clear and distinctproduct space that segregates thecartons from one another. Thecontroller detects the arrival of cartonsin upstream zones from the productionline as well as monitoring the bufferingof cartons in downstream zones.Providing the next section is clear andready to run, it will start the motorisedroller and transfer cartons from onezone to the next. If a controller detectsthe conveyor zone in front is occupiedand stationary it will hold product untilthe downstream zone becomes free.The system ensures a steady andregular flow of cartons is fed into theeight palletisers and maximisesthroughput to the despatch areawithout interruptions or breakages.

At times of reduced throughput orchanges in production the motorisedrollers are automatically stopped bythe controllers and remain in standbyready to start when signalled to do so.This run-on-demand methodologyensures minimum energy usage andmaximum efficiency with the use ofItoh Denki's 24v Power Mollermotorised roller technology. PowerMoller motorised rollers and controlscan achieve an estimated 60%reduction in energy use compared toconventional industrial drive solutions.

Drive zone

Conveyor section

PLC 24 VDCToTT the next HB510

ToTT the next HB5101 circuit board to each motor

Chivas Brothers, ProjectManager Stephen Trainordescribes the solution: “Thesystem is handling high valuegoods and the loads are quitefragile, so the combination ofself-managed conveyors withZero Pressure Accumulationprovides very effectiveprotection for the valuablethroughput”.

HB510PZero Pressure Accumulation