In this case study, PKN looks at how KHS line specialists worked with German beverage company Bad Meinberger to modify its water bottling plant’s existing returnable PET line for processing, which involved the conversion of the KHS Innofill Glass DRS bottle filler.
Until recently, Bad Meinberger filled its products on two lines: a returnable PET and a glass bottle line. However, the increased demand for mineral water and soft drinks in glass bottles called for a radical restructure.
“We’ve been seeing a massive growth in this segment since 2013. In the long term, we saw no alternative but to increase our glass capacities,” explains Volker Schlingmann, managing director, Bad Meinberger, who says that that the company places the same high standard and quality on its packaging as it does on its mineral water.
The question was whether the plant needed to invest in a new line or whether one of its existing lines could be revamped so that it could cope with the higher demand.
Bad Meinberger then approached KHS, a logical move as the two traditional companies have enjoyed a long and trusting cooperation for many years now, with their history of development and success inextricably linked.
“We not only share a bold enterprising spirit but also the desire to give our customers sustainable and future-proof systems,” explained Dirk Dünnhaupt, KHS sales manager for North Rhine-Westphalia. This company philosophy was a key aspect in the implementation of the current project.
Convincing KHS service and line performance
In 2018 the first talks were held between the mineral water bottler and KHS. After complicated technical negotiations, Bad Meinberger decided to turn its existing returnable PET line into a combined system that can process both PET and glass bottles.
Contributing factors on this decision were (1) the condition of the machinery in the machine park was good, even though some of it had been in use for over 15 years and (2) the training received by Bad Meinberger’s expert personnel to regularly service and clean the plant engineering.
In 2019 the project entered the concrete planning and offer phase, and the conversion of Bad Meinberger’s KHS Innoclean EM bottle washer, which had been in successful operation for 17 years, commenced.
Challenging conversion
The KHS team converted the machine to sanitise both PET and glass bottles, which according to Dünnhaupt, was a “very challenging” undertaking.
“The cleaning processes for the two containers differ greatly. There’s the difference in temperature for a start, as glass bottles are washed at considerably higher temperatures,” he said, explaining that a further challenge was the fact that labels on PET bottles must be cut off before rinsing, while labels on glass bottles do not, as they are washed off by the machine.
These challenges were addressed through the smart optimisation of the Innoclean by firstly developing a more efficient and sustainable re-cooling and heating procedure during container changeover which greatly improves the consumption values on the bottle washer.
Secondly, the KHS team engineered a label discharge system and optimising the existing spray pumps, and thirdly, the spray pumps were optimised, and only run at full power when there are bottles in the machine. During downtime or breaks the spray pump pressure levels are automatically lowered, which helps Bad Meinberger to save on water and electricity.
In addition to the bottle washer, the plant’s packers and unpackers in the Innopack PPZ series were also adapted to the new setup. The KHS experts fitted the packaging machines with new format sets and packing heads so that they can now cater for the different bottle and crate formats for PET and glass.
Increased efficiency and improved hygiene
Bad Meinberger also made a vital investment in its existing Innofill DRS bottle filler. The machine was converted to a combined system, which Dünnhaupt said “was unavoidable”.
combined system
“As glass bottles don’t have a cap ring like PET containers, the filler can’t grip them by the bottle neck. This means they must be conveyed by the base, a feature the old machine didn’t have.
“The former model is also inferior to the DRS when it comes to the efficient use of resources. The filler’s high level of hygiene was another key factor that triggered the decision to opt for this particular system. This is facilitated by the machine’s rotary design and installation of the motors in the frame. The automatic CIP caps also play a role here. Thanks to the practically operator-free technology, not only are hygiene and safety improved but also the degree of efficiency,” he explained.
The modernised system went into production in the middle of March 2021. The line fills and processes up to 30,000 returnable 1.0-liter PET bottles or a maximum of 33,000 0.75-liter glass bottles per hour.
Bad Meinberger
Schlingmann said that he didn’t take it for granted that the conversion would run so smoothly and without any delays.
“Quite simply, the people at KHS did a really good job. They managed this mammoth task extremely professionally and on time – despite all of the corona restrictions,” he said.
He believes that his company is now perfectly set up for the future with its sophisticated conversions and new investment. The mineral water bottling plant not only profits from more flexibility that allows it to react quickly to changing market demands; its improved line and resource efficiency also helps it to achieve its ambitious sustainability targets.
The team at KHS is also pleased.
“This project has once again proved that we can effectively perform challenging conversions on existing machines with a long service life. Our solution is a sound option for all beverage producers who can’t or don’t want to invest in new plant equipment,” said Dünnhaupt.
Sustainability focus
Bad Meinberger is a German company that prides itself on its ‘taste of home’. Since the age of Goethe, the spring that made the farming village on the slopes of the Teutoburg Forest a spa, has lent the Bad Meinberger brand its name. Besides the popular regional brand for North Rhine-Westphalia, the traditional family-owned company also markets calcium-rich Forstetal600 Calciumquelle mineral water, particularly in the north and east of Germany, which has been acclaimed as ‘excellent’ by German consumer magazine Öko-Test.
Bad Meinberger is also a contract filler for the popular soft drink brand Thomas Henry.
Since May 2021 both the company and all Bad Meinberger products have been climate neutral throughout the entire product life cycle. For its outstanding commitment to sustainability, in 2019 the mineral water bottling plant was heralded as a pacesetter at the KlimaExpo.nrw exhibition.
The mineral water bottling plant pursues an ambitious sustainability strategy that incorporates every single aspect of the company – such as the choice of packaging and the machine technology. For this reason, Bad Meinberger only uses returnable bottles that are ecologically advantageous.
In Australia, KHS is a member of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA).
