Page 65 - Packaging News magazine Sep-Oct 2022

13 ■ SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2022 MACHINERY MATTERS
KHS line optimises Coca-Cola
bottler’s complex sorting
KHS has contributed a returnable glass system production line to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany’s (CCEP DE) plant in Mannheim, helping it optimise and manage its highly complex sorting process.
Overall, CCEP DE fills a total of six different bottles on the line – four
in 200ml and two in 330ml formats. The smaller sizes are primarily destined for the hospitality trade, while the two formats for the bigger containers go to the retail sector.
According to Christopher Bee, plant manager at the Mannheim facility, one of the outstanding features of the KHS line is the sorting system, which has the ability to feed the empty bottles by type to the washing and filling process fully automatically.
“In principle, the sorting and filling processes take place on two separate systems. We use a segment to combine both sections with one another specifically for our main product types,” Bee explained.
“Here, the containers that are largely returned from the market by type are sent straight from sorting to production. They no longer have to take a detour through the empties warehouse.
This reduces the amount of effort needed for handling.”
The other five product types from the sorting process are first packed into beverage crates, and then onto pallets, before being temporarily stored until they are filled.
And, thanks to the system’s high degree of automation, the only manual task required takes place right at the start of sorting.
“The de-crater is so intelligent that it places the biggest bottle type on one conveyor. The smaller bottles are set down on a different conveyor where they’re separated and guided to different lanes with the help of camera systems and pushers,” explained Bee.
“Here, we aim to manipulate the containers as little as possible. In other words, to ensure that they have very little contact with the machine. In this way, we can keep the risk of something falling over at such high speed to a minimum.”
With a large output capacity
Top: The intelligent KHS Innopack PPZ decrater places the unpacked bottles onto different conveyor belts.
of up to 66,000 bottles per hour, Bee said CCEP in Mannheim seldom suffers any downtime with its empties, even during the peak season.
A highlight of the new returnable glass line from KHS that Bee singles out is the Innoclean DM double-end bottle washer.
“On average, we save up to 40 per cent in water and energy for each filled bottle, compared to previous-generation systems,” Bee emphasised.
“This is enabled by the fresh water control, for instance, that’s automatically adjusted to the current machine capacity by a control valve.
“The new ECO carriers
are also good for the energy balance – they weigh about a quarter less than the previous
bottle pockets, and have side openings that permit better rinsing. This reduces the amount of caustic and heat carryover, and thus, the colling requirement within the machine.”
As is the case for an increasing number of companies, the issue of sustainability plays a big role at CCEP.
By 2040, CCEP wants to reach its net zero emissions target, and have no more impact on the climate. This not only includes emissions from its main line of business, but throughout the entire value chain.
Within the Coca-Cola network, Mannheim is the most recent of three major projects for more climate-friendly production that KHS has implemented with CCEP DE in the last few years. ■
Above: Like on the platforms of a huge railroad station, the sorted crates of deposit bottles await further processing.
Right: At the start of the sorting process the Innopal PKT depalletizer removes the returned crates of deposit bottles from the pallet.
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