Bundaberg Brewed Drinks is an iconic Australian business that has created brewed soft drinks since the 1960s. Recently, the company decided to introduce a canned option for its popular ginger beer product, which is traditionally sold in glass bottles.
The company needed the new line to be cost effective in terms of ongoing operating costs. This meant the new line had to have a degree of automation, with minimal intervention from operators. Also, there was limited space available for the new line.
The line was supplied by Fibre King, an Australian business with 40 years’ experience in canning lines. The solution is a 200ml slimline canning line that accepts empty cans on pallets and delivers filled, coded cluster-packed and case-packed cans on pallets ready for dispatch.
Fibre King CEO James Windsor says the company’s extensive experience with canning lines allowed it to provide Bundaberg Brewed Drinks with an efficient, high-quality canning solution.
“It is important for Australian manufacturers to know that they don’t have to look to Europe for high-quality, cost effective equipment,” he says. “Our equipment standards are world renowned; we even have equipment in select facilities in Europe where they couldn’t find a suitable local solution.
Windsor said Fibre King’s offshore manufacturing option enables flexibility to deliver projects locally in Australia and around the globe with local design and technical support.
Project manager for Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Darren Smith said there are many canning systems available and sourcing a small-scale, moderate-sized introductory canning line can be a challenge.
“These systems are aimed at the rapidly growing craft beer industry. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks wanted a solution that could produce greater volumes than the craft beer industry but, was still moderate in size,” Smith says.
“Fibre King was able to present a full turnkey system at a competitive cost yet still maintain high build quality and exceptional design based on proven technology to meet the scale required without excessive, over engineered methods.”
Smith says the predicted targets for line output and efficiency were met and surpassed after the line was commissioned and got up and running.
“Bundaberg Brewed Drinks values quality packaging to match our superior products,” he says.
“The new line installation has not diminished this quality and all products produced on the new can line meet our customer’s expectations.”
A key goal for the can line was to reduce labour costs, Smith says.
“Introductory lines need enough time to build customer sales to fulfill the full output potential. This can place excessive pressure on operating expenses,” he said.
“Fibre King understood this dilemma from the start and has installed a solution that allows Bundaberg Brewed Drinks to operate the full line with the minimal number of operators.”
The project was no different to many others during the scoping and definition work, Smith says, but canning and packaging lines are complex solutions with sometimes many transition points between multiple suppliers.
“All project team members had a professional manner and breadth of experience that eased the scoping, definition, planning, and implementation phases,” Smith says.
“Bundaberg Brewed Drinks only required three key equipment suppliers to be engaged for this whole solution.”
This article originally appered in the most recent print edition of the APPMA and PKN publication Machinery Matters, which can be read online here.
Fibre King is a member of the Australian Packaging & Processing Machinery Association (APPMA).
