Process engineering for sensitive products–soft drinks

ContentsIt’s all a matter of perspective 4

Taking responsibility for plant and product 6

Testing under real-life conditions 8

When flavour is key 10

We’ve got everything covered 14

Get more – automatically 16

The art of filling 18

Topping it all off 20

Keeping an eye on the bottle and its contents 22

Giving a beverage its personality 24

Packing solutions 26

Optimised right down the line 28

Managing material flows 30

Keeping you informed 32

Plastic bottles in top form 34

Bottle-to-bottle recycling 36

Service that lives up to its name 38

A lifetime of service 40

krones Academy serves as an industry forum 42

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Plenty of ways to quench your thirstNever before has the selection ofnon-alcoholic beverages been wider,more diverse, or more flavourful.New beverages are coming onto themarket faster than ever and they’retrendier than ever because more andmore people are choosing non-alco-holic drinks to quench their thirst.As awareness of healthy lifestylesand fitness increases, people are in-creasingly choosing fruit juices, car-bonated and non-carbonated water,vitamin and mineral drinks, mixedbeverages, and energy drinks.

Soft drink and mineral waterproducers have to react quickly tothe rapidly changing, often short-lived beverage preferences of con-sumers by launching new productsgeared toward a wide range of targetgroups. To do this successfully, theyhave to have a feel for new trendsand a great deal of flexibility as prod-uct cycles grow shorter and shorter.

In the production process, a high level of product quality and optimumline efficiency are essential. This, inturn, requires technologically sophis-ticated, optimally coordinated, andfully automated lines for production,filling, and packing. And kroens canhelp, with our knowledge and experi-ence as a world market leader provid-ing complete production lines to thebeverage industry.

It’s all a matter of perspective

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At krones, we look at the completeproduction line and overall processsystems. This allows us – unlike sup-pliers who provide individual ma-chines or line components – to giveour attention to overarching factorslike energy savings, water treatment,and wastewater treatment and toemploy information technology tooptimise the use of resources.

Our holistic approach gives mineralwater and soft drink producers par-ticularly effective solutions becauseall of the parts and processes of oursystems are ideally coordinated. Ourdata systems deliver the critical in-formation; all of the process steps arecontrolled consistently and fully au-tomatically; and all processes are ful-ly traceable.

We offer the entire range of technicalpossibilities and our extensive expe-rience in beverage technology. Wecombine system expertise, processtechnology, and IT expertise to forma seamless, comprehensive solutionfor the entire production line.

Our work spans from concept plan-ning and technical specifications toconstruction and commissioning ofbuildings, production lines, and fill-ing lines. This includes the entirerange of engineering services – per-formance calculations, productionsimulations, and determining effi-ciency – and management of the entire construction site.

 

Logistics

  Filling + packagingAutomation + IT

Proc

ess technology 

Taking responsibility for plant and product

We take on responsibility for the en-tire production process, from start tofinish, providing the systems andtechnological expertise needed forthe production, filling, packing, andstorage of water and soft drinks. Ourexperience with process engineeringand our technological expertise en-sure the safety and consistent quali-ty of your beverages.

The success of our “single sourcesupplier” strategy is the result of our holistic approach to the produc-tion line – a system in which eachstage of the production processflows seamlessly into the next.

We want to be the one and onlypartner and supplier for producers inorder to ensure uniform automationand controls, without interfacingproblems. That is our understandingof taking total responsibility for production.

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Testing under real-life conditions

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krones’ state-of-the-art filling and process engineering pilot plantprovides a scientific basis for newprocess engineering methods and tri-als. Here, we treat and fill beveragesand other liquid products under liveproduction conditions – for example,in order to try out new formulas insmall batches.

In this way, we can work togetherwith soft drink producers to test theproduction, optimal processing, andfilling of their products in a mannerspecific to their needs in a test run.

With its testing equipment and thepossibilities it creates, the pilot plantcovers all the bases – including themixing, measuring, and thermaltreatment of beverages.

The pilot plant includes a fully auto-mated aseptic line that operates justlike one in a real industrial operation.Bottles can be disinfected, filled understerile conditions, and closed by anaseptic roll-on sealer. The adjoiningmicrobiological laboratory examinesthe products, bottles, containers, andclosures for their degree of germ con-tamination and conducts cleaningtests. The filling and process engi-neering pilot plant also covers thefield of automation and process mon-itoring, including the associated mea-suring, control, visualisation, andquality management through batchmonitoring.

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Precise measurement and mixing iscritical in the production of fruitjuices, carbonated beverages, andmineral waters. In addition, the pro-duction of flavoured soft drinks re-quires systems for adding flavouringagents, powders, and sweeteners.

Our beverage mixing systems andliquid measuring systems give softdrink producers high quality mixingand dissolving technology to ensuresteady, consistent productionprocesses. We also provide carbona-tion systems and flash pasteurisers,ultra heat treatment systems, or ournew hot filling processes to cover thethermal treatment of products –matched to the product characteris-tics and the filling technology used.

When flavour is key

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Sensitive products like flavoured wa-ter, energy drinks, sports drinks, icedteas, fruit juices, and fruit juice drinksin particular demand the highestpossible level of microbiological safe-ty. A hygienically designed produc-tion system with surfaces that can beoptimally cleaned and thorough, ful-ly automated cleaning processeshelp ensure this level of product safe-ty. For example, our fillers can bemeticulously cleaned in a closed CIPcircuit thanks to integrated CIP re-turn pipes.

krones cold aseptic filling technolo-gy ensures gentle handling of micro-biologically sensitive beverages. Evenmore so than the necessary plantcomponents, it is our experience inprocess engineering and our techno-logical expertise that ensure thesafety and consistent quality of thefinished product.

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Apart from the production process itself, the supply of carbon dioxide,compressed air, steam, and hot wateralso plays a critical role. kronesknows these utilities well. When lay-ing out a line, we focus on aspectslike planned output, energy costs,consumption peaks, and the compa-ny’s plans for the future. Whenanalysing utilities, we can also createindividual profiles with regard to re-quirements, actual consumption, andpossibilities for saving raw materialsas well as processing and operatingcosts.

We’ve got everything covered

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The high degree of efficiency of aproduction plant is the result of theconsistent automation of all process-es, including production, filling, pack-aging, and internal logistics as wellas all material flows and cleaningprocesses. That’s because our sys-tems make production processesplannable and effective and enablethe tracking of material flows.

Because we visualise every produc-tion step, every valve, and every othervariable and collect and analyse theproduction data, producers get thegreatest possible transparency for allof their processes.

Our modular process control technol-ogy and the control of batch-orientedprocesses help producers achievegreater productivity and increasetheir capacities. They provide greaterproduction security and productquality. They allow plants to act withgreater flexibility and achieve consid-erable cost savings. They deliver more – automatically.

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Get more–automatically

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The art of filling

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The seemingly endless variety of softdrinks and packaging options – fromdisposable or returnable plastic orglass bottles to aluminium cans – isreflected in the broad selection offillers. Carbonated, non-carbonated,and microbiologically sensitive bev-erages demand different filling tech-nologies.krones offers gentle fillingprocesses that are ideally suited tothese product characteristics andmeet their diverse requirements.

Regardless of the technology theyuse, our mechanical, volumetric, andelectronic filling systems ensure thehighest level of filling quality andcost-effectiveness, even at the high-est output ranges.

This applies to “simple” carbonatedand non-carbonated beverages in returnable and non-returnable petbottles as well as to the cold asepticfilling of microbiologically sensitivebeverages like fruit juices, flavouredwaters, and iced tea drinks and thehot filling of fruit juices with andwithout pulp.

Special block solutions from krones,in which a blow-moulding machineand filler or a bottle rinser and fillerform a single unit, offer soft drinkproducers additional cost-effective-ness and safety.

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Left:Non-contact fillingof non-carbonatedwater in plastic bottles

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Topping it all off

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For precision capping of beverage bottles, krones screw cappers areavailable in hygienic or aseptic de-signs and can handle all commontypes of plastic screw caps. We havealso redesigned a roll-on sealer foraluminium caps to reflect the lateststate of knowledge about cappingand hygiene. Of course, krones alsohas a range of crowners.

Application of analuminium screwcap to a glass bottle

Top:Transfer of closedplastic bottles fromthe neck handlingsystem to the con-veyor

Above:Cap disinfection inan immersion bath

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Keeping an eye on the bottle and its contents

Reliable inspection and monitoringsystems are also an essential part ofany filling system that aims to pro-vide the highest level of quality andcost-effectiveness. Monitoring sys-tems located downstream of the fill-ing process are every bit as impor-tant as the inspection units thateliminate dirty or damaged emptybottles upstream of the filler.krones uses detection systems thatare designed for high outputs tocheck for proper fill level and closurepositioning.

Fill level inspectionusing x-ray detection

Left:Inspection of emptyplastic bottles

Right:Missing closure inspection using alaser sensor

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Giving a beverage its personality

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Another are our wrap-around labellers, which apply labels to filledor empty bottles. Our labelling adhe-sives, which are specially formulatedfor use on specific types of contain-ers, ensure perfect bonding of the label to the container.

“Sleeving” is another option that isideally suited for both glass and plas-tic bottles. Sleeves made of plasticfilm are slipped over the containersand either stretch to fit the contoursof the container or can be shrunk onin a steam or hot-air tunnel.

Bottles are given a “personality”immediately after the filling processis complete. Labels give consumersinformation about the product aswell as a visual stimulus to buy it.The possibilities for decorating con-tainers with labels are endless –not least thanks to the countless in-novations krones has made in this field. One option for flexible labellingare our fully automated modular labellers, which can be combined tohandle a wide variety of containerdecorations.

As a special application, an additionallabelling station can be fitted ontoour labelling machines to apply tamper-evident seals made of shrink-able film.

Our labellers support quick change-overs to different container sizes and label formats. This is especiallyimportant when producing smallerbatches that require frequentchangeovers and gives producers the flexibility they need.

Above:Applying stretchsleeves to glass bottles

Right:Reel of wrap-aroundlabels

Packing solutions

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The way bottles are packed is deter-mined by practical considerations regarding protection, transport, andstorage but also by retailing andrestaurant requirements.

Whatever the requirements, kroneshas a suitable packing solution thatwill ensure that the bottles and cansare packed with the same care withwhich they were brought to theplant, filled, and labelled.

In order to make conveying evensmoother, we have developed a dy-namic buffer system that preventsbackups on the conveyors. It offersgentle intermediate storage as need-ed by automatically moving bottlesand containers onto a horizontaltrack with a variable buffer length.

We offer the entire range of packingpossibilities, from packers for non-returnable containers such as shrink-wrapped packs, trays, or wrap-aroundcartons to palletisers and state-of-the-art robots equipped with an oper-ating radius of 360 ° and special grip-per heads that securely load packs on-to pallets with the utmost precision.

Our versatile conveyor systems alsohelp keep processes running smooth-ly. Air conveyors for PET bottles andconveyors for containers and packsare the links that complete every fill-ing line.

Packing glass bottles in wrap-around cartons

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A packing robotloads PET bottles onto plastic trays

Combining shrink-wrapped packs in the palletiser

Shrink-wrapped pack with tray

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ERP interface

PC

Production and machine data acqui-sition (via PC communication card)

Batch control(via master PLC)

Communication via standardised interfaces

Production

User program (front end applications) for

PlanningOperatingDocumentingMaintainingAnalysingOptimising of filling and packaging lines

Configuration dataRecipe dataMaster data

Collected data ofmachines and batches

Server applicationsfor batch control andallocation of data forclient application

Warehouse

Machineconnection

Network

Machinecontrol

Our line management systems helpeveryone. Production planners get aconvenient order and formula controlsystem, line operators get a detailedoverview of the machines, QA teamsget the readings they need to dotheir work, and management gets selected key data.

In combination with an enterprisesystem, line management helps im-prove production planning and con-trol. The line management systemdocuments every step in the processof filling and packaging and thus es-tablishes consistent transparency of

the processes. It analyses energy consumption, supports line mainte-nance, and ensures highly cost-effective operation.

The line management system in-creases the productivity of the line asa whole and optimises line lifecyclecosts. It supports rapid productchangeover, optimises order se-quences, increases flexibility in softdrink production, and helps reduceunit costs.

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Optimised right down the line

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Filled, packed, and palletised bever-ages are sent to the storage ware-house. Whether you are planning anew warehouse or retrofitting an existing one, krones is there for youas your partner for everything fromplanning the warehousing systemsto delivering and commissioning themechanical, IT, and control compo-nents.

We use IT and automation solutionsto link production centres with theirlogistics centres. We establish theconditions that are needed in orderto identify all products, track and co-ordinate their complete paths fromproduction to delivery, and managethe warehouse.

This ensures that producers get allthe information they need to fullyutilise the potential for optimisationin the flow of goods, warehouse in-ventories, and resource use.

Integrated concepts for internal logistics ensure smooth warehousemanagement and automated stor-age and removal of the beer to andfrom the warehouse.

The flow of goods is controlled by ei-ther a forklift guidance system basedon radio frequency technology or au-tomated material flow processes. Allraw materials and other materials aswell as the filled and packed bottlesare managed from the moment theyare delivered to the plant through tothe moment they are loaded for out-bound delivery, and their movementsand positions in the warehouse canbe tracked – regardless of whetheryou use a high-bay warehouse or ablock warehouse.

Managing material flows

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Production Filling & packaging Warehouse

Production control level

Management level

Processcontrol level

Field level

Statis-tics/

ReportAPO

BOTEC LDS LVS LIMS MOSIS SIPS

ERP

Shiftforeman

Brew-master

Pro-ductionmanager

Labor-atory

Main-tenance

Ware-house

syskronservice

Service station &networkmanagementsystem

Phone

Modem

Operational network

Router

Back

bone

Manufactoringexecution system

syskronservice

InternetWorld Wide Web

SAP/R3

Firewall

Internet portalWeb servereGate

Internetgateway

Domainserver

WEBserver

Mailserver

Officenet

Business network

HMI CR

HMI CR HMI CR HMI CRHMI CR

MFR Commis-sioning

NVElabelling

Stackertruckterminal

Accesspoint

HMI CR HMI CR HMI CRHMI CR

MOBIC

GW

Control network

DW-d

24-h

211-0

10/0

3

Firewall

Firewall

Phone

Modem

HMI CRHMI CRHMI CRHMI CRHMI CRHMI CR Accesspoint

HMI CR

MOBIC

GWGWGW

Router

Back

bone

“Knowledge is power” is a realizationthat’s as relevant today as ever. Miss-ing information or delayed reactionsto events in production can deter-mine a company’s success or failure.

That’s why our software experts arecontinually developing new sourcesof information that considerably im-prove enterprise transparency and facilitate rapid decision-making.

Condensed information is furtherutilised in the office world. For exam-ple, calculations and analyses aremade and integrated directly into de-cision-making processes. The resultsof this approach are increased effi-ciency, real-time monitoring of quali-ty, and continued improvements tocost structures.

MES is the magic word in the field ofsoftware and enterprise manage-ment. MES stands for manufacturingexecution system and closes the gapbetween the process control systemsin production and office systems atthe management level.

MES analyses KPIs (key performanceindicators), which provide insight in-to production enterprise-wide. Webtechnology is used to ensure rapidavailability of the information acrossthe entire company.

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Keeping you informed

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Plastic bottles in top form

At a global level, more than 90% ofthe non-carbonated water producedfor sale is already being filled in PETbottles. Half of the containers of car-bonated water on the market aremade of plastic. More than 40% ofsoft drinks and more than 60% ofsports and energy drinks are pack-aged in plastic containers. And thesefigures are all expected to continueto rise in the future.

Plastic bottles have played a majorrole in the rapid increase in consump-tion of mineral water, non-alcoholicbeverages, and trendy soft drinks.And the improved barrier propertiesof plastic and the development ofspecial PET bottles for hot filling havecertainly contributed to this trend.

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Stretch blow-mould-ing machine for pro-ducing PET bottles

Transfer arm for preform handling inthe stretch blow-moulding machine

One major advantage of plastic bot-tles for water and soft drink produc-ers, besides their light weight andstability, is the incredible flexibility ofdesign they afford. This outstandingproperty makes possible an entirelynew variety of bottle shapes, whichwe develop and test in collaborationwith producers in our Centre for Bot-tle Design.

If water and soft drink producers wishto make their own plastic bottles (PETor OPP), we can help by providingthem with our stretch blow-mould-ing machines.

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PET bottle, preform,and moulding cavity

Bottle-to-bottle recycling

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As one of the leading manufacturersof stretch blow-moulding machinesfor the production of plastic bottlesand as a developer of innovativeprocesses for plastics technology, weconsider it one of our responsibilitiesto support the reuse of empty, usedPET bottles.

Our compact recycling plant, devel-oped right here at krones, helps usfulfill this responsibility. The plantrecycles disposable plastic bottles ina deep-cleaning, meticulously con-trolled process. The krones recyclingsystem is safe and saves energy andtime compared with conventionalprocesses.

The recycled plastic is of the samequality as virgin material – but pro-duced at a far lower price – and canbe used to produce new bottles inthe stretch blow-moulder.

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A lifetime of service

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Assembly/installation

Commis-sioning

Training Consumables Replacementparts

Servicing Maintenance In-houseoverhaul

Lineoptimisation

The commissioning of a kronesline is the beginning of an intense,lasting relationship. With kroneslifecycle service, you’ll get compre-hensive care – from our headquartersand from our local specialists world-wide – over the entire life of the line,to ensure smooth production andconstant line uptime.

We offer tailored service programsfor each of your line’s life stages sothat you can maintain high levels ofperformance over the long term.These programs range from inten-sive, hands-on training for operatingpersonnel, supply of consumablesand spare parts, and software-sup-ported maintenance programs to lineanalyses and process optimisation –if desired, throughout the entire lifeof the line.

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You can count on our service. And wemake it easy and convenient to takeadvantage of it. For example, we’llsupply original parts for your line,even years after commissioning. Ourdigital parts catalogue, which is alsoavailable online, allows you to selectand order parts via the Internet.krones delivers the parts quickly,whether you order online or by moretraditional means.

Our service helps you prevent prob-lems. Our state-of-the-art mainte-nance concept is tailored to your line,so you’ll receive the spare and wearparts you need at optimal intervalsfor your products.

krones teleservice allows inspectorsand control systems – and soon othermachines – to be monitored and ser-viced remotely, so maintenance andchangeover procedures can also becompleted without sending in a ser-vice engineer.

Finally, we offer in-house overhaulservice as an alternative to on-sitecomponent overhauls. This saves youtime and money. You simply send usthe complete assembly and we over-haul it in our plant and return it toyou in renewed condition.

Service that lives up to its name

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KRONES Academy serves as an industry forum

With all the automation and technol-ogy in today’s production lines, peo-ple are still the critical factor. Onlywhen the operator knows the line“like the back of his hand” – so he canidentify problems early on and elimi-nate them quickly – can the desiredlevel of efficiency be achieved.

We at krones know the value ofproviding our customers’ line opera-tors with good basic and continuedtraining. That’s why we founded the krones Academy more than 20 years ago.

The training programs – multi-stageseminars on machines and lines – aretaught by experienced training spe-cialists with strong subject-matter expertise and are precisely tailored to participants’ needs.

In addition to being a source of basicand further training, krones Acade-my is also an active centre for com-munications for the beverage andpackaging industry and a forum forthe latest industry trends. New devel-opments need new responses. And we want to be the ones to give them.

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krones agBöhmerwaldstraße 593073 NeutraublingGermanyPhone +49 (+94 01) 70-0Fax +49 (+94 01) 70-24 88E-Mail info@krones.comInternet www.krones.com