02.

2011

22

Innovation

Aseptic linear filler:

maximum standards

Innovation

40

A deluxe shrink packer:

quantum leap

Solutions for Water Bottling Plants

Silver Springs:
bring on the water!

New Era
Innovative Filling Platform
For Glass Bottles

60

Editorial

Executive Management Board of KHS GmbH

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Niemeyer
Anke Fischer
Prof. E.h. Dr.-Ing. Johann Grabenweger
Marc Hartmann

Our objective:
Service and technology leadership.

competence

02/03

02.2011

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Voltaire coined the phrase: The best is the enemy of the good.
If we transfer this to KHS, we have started our journey to get to the best. Fit4Future is the
name of our eleven-component program that we use systematically to walk this challenging
path and to boost the already existing mood of awakening in the company.
What are the key points that show you our customers and partners that we have started our journey successfully?
With the goal of operational excellence, we will work even closer with you, improve the
pace in execution, and will respond flexibly to all inquiries and requests. Our declared goal is
the technological and service leadership combined with profitable growth. In this regard, we
can continue to count on the support from our parent company, Salzgitter AG, for the consistent development of our company and our product portfolio.

Operational excellence
through innovative and intelligent solutions.
Fit4Future means for us, first and foremost, lean processes and reduction of complexity while at
the same time growing physically closer together: The Keg Technology will move from Kriftel to
Bad Kreuznach, our second largest location. Aside from the excellent infrastructure, the plant
in Bad Kreuznach offers the possibility to better compensate for peaks in demands; in addition,
sufficient areas for extension to accommodate further growth are available.
We can only become better if we query the conventional, change the existing and find new, innovative solutions for developing and improving processes and products. Innovations are needed.
How successful innovation management works is a topic the editors have discussed in
depth with Dr. Tobias Mller-Prothmann. His credo: Companies must tackle innovations very
systematically. You can see and experience the result of our own innovation management in a
great number of new products that we are currently launching.
So what KHS innovations can we present to you in this issue of competence? The aseptic
linear filling machines Innosept ABF 611 and 711, the compact Innokeg Till CombiKeg, the new
filling machine generation Innofill Glass in consistent hygienic design, and a packaging process
for completely closed heat-shrink packs are some of the most important product innovations
that KHS is launching in 2011.
As you can see, KHS is highly innovative.

Enjoy reading!

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Niemeyer

Contents

06
Interview
06
Growing With Innovations
Dr Tobias Mller-Prothmann talks about
the importance of systematic innovation
management for companies

Innovations that give our

customers more
Main topic 

Page 1245

Innovation
12
Topic Overview: Innovations In Focus

14
New Era
KHS presents the innovative filler platform
for glass bottles

22
Maximum Standards

KHS subjects its products and systems to a continuous

process of improvement. In this edition of KHS
competence the company will be presenting a number
of different innovative technologies and further
developments. In all of these KHS has consistently
focused on the benefit to the customer, thus achieving
sustained product improvements and therefore also
cost and competitive advantages.

New generation of aseptic linear fillers

from KHS for still beverages and other
liquid products

28
Short Routes
New, resource-saving cleaning system from
KHS with a 15% investment benefit

competence

04/05

02.2011

22

60

67

Innovation

On the Spot

Solutions for Sectors

30

53

67

A Real All-Rounder

HotFill+ Efficient, Sustainable, Successful

Can Power

KHS has developed a space-saving keg line

Interview with Rajendra Gursahaney,

senior director of engineering,
Pepsi Beverages Company, the father
of the HotFill+ process

Frances largest family-owned brewery,

Meteor, works with a KHS large-can line

for medium-sized businesses

34

Special

Tempo, Tempo, Tempo

Preparing and palletizing shrink packs with
KHS technology

Market Report

38

56

The Space Saver

Underberg / Coca-Cola FEMSA /AST

Beverage / Distell / Cobega / La Casera

The Innoket 360 S labeler extends the

KHS roll-fed range

40
Quantum Leap
Innopack Kisters SP shrink packer
developed even further: a deluxe
shrink packer

Service
46
New System New Prices
Over half of the prices for KHS spare parts
now reduced

48
Keeping On Running
At the Karlsberg brewery a joint concept
provides systematic service

70
Hidden Champions
How smaller players conquer world markets

In-house News
Solutions for Sectors
60
Bring On The Water!
The first 72,000-capacity InnoPET BloFill
in operation at the Silver Springs Bottled
Water Company

76
KHS at Brau Beviale 2011
Technology. Performance. Reliability.

78
News from KHS

Focus on Quality

ECOPROFIT at KHS Corpoplast / KHS Asia

moves to new offices / FOX AWARD 2011
GOLD for KHS competence / Company runs
for charity / KHS website for smartphones

Kompania Piwowarska invests in its third

100,000-cph can line from KHS

79

64

66
Fifth Can Filler for CCE in the UK
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) Great Britain
installs its fifth high-performance can filler
from KHS

KHS competence
Publishers information and addresses

Interview

competence

06/07

02.2011

Growing

with

Innovations

Dr Tobias Mller-Prothmann talks about the importance

of systematic innovation management for companies.
/
Regardless of whether companies generate strong sales or have to
watch costs carefully when things arent going so well, the systematic
management of innovations is at risk of being neglected.
This is a fatal, creeping process. KHS competence talked to
Tobias Mller-Prothmann, head of innovation management at
Pumacy Technologies AG, about the appropriate handling of innovations.

Interview

Entrepreneurs have to deal with

innovations very systematically.
The focus must always be on the
employees.

KHS Competence: Dr Mller-Prothmann,

Whats the main motivation for employees

its a long way from a brilliant idea to an innovative

to contribute ideas?

product that prevails on the market.

The key is to inspire passion in each individual and let them

When is innovation management successful?

participate in success. This doesnt always have to be in the

Dr Mller-Prothmann: Innovation management itself

form of money. Showing appreciation for ideas and prais-

doesnt generate new ideas, and it doesnt market new

ing creative staff in front of the whole team can have a tre-

technologies. Rather, it supports the whole process from

mendous effect.

the early phase of idea generation to implementation to

ensure that in the end a new product or service will pre-

How does a manager steer such a process?

vail on the market. This, then, is the success.

He encourages individuals to come up with new ideas, filters out good approaches as quickly as possible, and avoids

Where do the enemies of innovations lurk in companies?

getting bogged down in the process. Its better to reject

When a company is doing well, everyone focuses on

an idea early if the prospects of success are questionable.

growth, while in bad times the focus is on costs. Systematic

Either way, staff should be praised for their suggestions.

innovation management can easily be neglected.

How do bosses encourage their executives to
Inventiveness cannot be ordered from above.

become catalysts for innovations?

What has to change in peoples heads?

All they need to do really is talk about success stories. A clas-

Ultimately the key is openness. Executives have to be open

sic example is the attempt to develop a superglue by a 3M

for internal ideas as well as external impulses. Within com-

employee, which turned out to have poor adhesion. The first

panies its important to have lively exchanges between de-

product to emerge from this was a flop and was stopped

partments. Whats needed externally is good communica-

by the boardroom before another colleague continued the

tion with research institutes and customers. In addition,

development because his bookmarks kept falling out of his

employees need sufficient freedom.

music in the church choir. Today we all have the result of the

competence

08/09

02.2011

innovation with apparently inferior adhesion on our desks

For example?

in the form of yellow Post-it notes. Such stories inspire.

Many aircraft now have an upwards facing angle piece at

the end of the wings. These winglets reduce turbulence

Whats the point of bosses encouraging their teams

at the wing tips, thereby reducing kerosene consumption

to let their minds wander as part of workshops?

significantly. Ultimately, the inspiration for development

Most ideas dont spring to mind at the workplace. Rather,

engineers came from the pinion feathers of raptors.

they do so in the shower or when jogging. Nevertheless,

creativity workshops during which a team has a clear task

What function do skeptics have in creativity workshops?

can be very useful. For example, a team could be asked to

Critics are important. After all, they may be right and can

develop 100 new ideas on topic X or solve a certain prob-

help by pointing out risks at an early stage. On the other

lem Y for the company. For such gatherings it can be help-

hand, objections may be rebutted. This helps to sharpen

ful to bring in an experienced external moderator, who

the argumentation, and everyone will come on board if

can point out new perspectives.

they feel they are being taken seriously.

How can vague brainstorming be turned into

How independent should the individual teams be?

concentrated creativity?

Today, companies tend to establish quite independent in-

Initially its important to think outside the box and ignore

novation centers with small teams. These innovation cells

possible internal constraints. For example, a question for a

have their own budgets and operate very autonomously,

round of engineers might be: What can we learn from the

although they are in contact with other departments in

animal world? Because nature has come up with systems

order to allow communication when problems occur. The

that have been tried and tested over long periods. Those

team can market its innovations to the associated busi-

who look carefully will see blueprints for pioneering inno-

ness areas in order to attract further sponsorship from the

vations. In other words, whats known as bionics is the art

respective management, or to hand over innovative ap-

of looking for solutions to technical problems in biology.

proaches for further development.

The interviewee
Dr Tobias Mller-Prothmann
is head of innovation management at Pumacy Technologies AG,
a leading systems provider for knowledge, innovation,
and process management. The 37-year-old studied sociology
and economics in Heidelberg, Germany, and did a PhD in
communication studies in Berlin, Germany. He is the author of
the book Innovationsmanagement: Strategien, Methoden und
Werkzeuge fr systematische Innovationsprozesse (Innovation
Management: Strategies, Methods, and Tools for Systematic
Innovation Processes), published by Carl Hanser.

Interview

How much influence should marketing be allowed

Many new products fail after generating immense costs.

to have when it comes to the prospects of success

Why is that?

of a product idea?

A much-quoted study found that a successful product is

Sales and marketing experts from the company should be

based on 3,000 raw ideas. In many cases theres a lack of

integrated from the outset, because they know how the

systematic support for the process and a lack of clear deci-

products have to be designed in order to go down well

sions. Its important to allow freedom in the initial phase

with customers.

and then decide whether or not to pursue the idea. The

decision-makers have to focus on profitable innovations.

How helpful is it to include scientific institutes in the in-

During the prototype production phase the number of

novation processes?

ideas that fail should be smaller.

This often works well, particularly in the early design

phase, and is today common practice in biotechnology,

What are the milestones during the development

for example.

of an idea into a marketable innovation?

Initially trends are scrutinized, and ideas are checked and

And how about integrating large customers?

assessed. A detailed system concept should be prepared

They should definitely be involved from the outset. Be-

during the pre-development phase. A prototype has to

cause they know exactly what they need and can often

demonstrate how the innovation can be implemented. Fi-

provide valuable inspiration for new ideas.

nally, the model is fine-tuned until it is ready for series production. In the software industry such a process can take

Can you give an example of a company

two months, in the automotive industry five to ten years,

with an excellent innovation culture?

and in the aerospace industry two to three decades.

Weve already mentioned the technology company 3M

who are a good example. They have a long tradition in this

Financial staying power is another important factor.

regard. Good ideas are not only rewarded by monetary

How can medium-sized companies avoid running out of

incentives, but also by appreciation. The company sells

steam half way through the process?

50,000 products from Post-its to stethoscopes. The mar-

Naturally much will depend on the required means and

ket share of new products that are less than five years old

the time frame. The central question is: When will the in-

is more than a third. We can also learn a lot from young-

novation find acceptance on the market and achieve a

er technology companies such as Google. Google intro-

return? The entrepreneur may obtain credit from fami-

duced the so-called 70/20/10 system for all employees at

ly members, acquaintances, or his bank. He can take ad-

an early stage. It means that 70% of the work time should

vantage of public grants, involve large customers in the

be spent on core tasks, 20% on collaboration with other

financing, or win over a venture capitalist for his idea.

teams, and 10% on an employees own ideas.

All these options should be considered early on. In many

Showing appreciation for ideas

and praising creative staff in
front of the whole team can have
a tremendous effect.

competence

10/11

02.2011

cases the individual phases of an innovative development

require several financing rounds.
Finally, lets have a look at process innovations in
companies themselves. How can ideas be called up in
order to make operational processes more efficient?

Ideas should be called up where they emerge. On the plant

The milestones
in successful
innovation

floor a small mailbox may be all that is needed, or a special

Dr Tobias Mller-Prothmann on important aspects

folder on the company server.

for systematic innovation management.

Is this where staff hand in good ideas?

Definitely, if appropriate incentives are provided. As an

example, the person with the idea could receive 25% of
the savings that his suggestion makes in the first year. This
works, but not on its own. As already mentioned, whats
also needed is appreciation that goes beyond monetary
incentives.

VII

How should bosses deal with the (understandable)

At the start there is a realization:

Companies have a clear need for action when it comes
to the management of innovations, even if the mental
strain is still small.

concern that individual members of staff could make

themselves redundant with a clever idea?

VI

This may indeed be a worry here and there, but the man-

This is followed by analysis:

Where does the company stand? How innovative is it?

agement can easily rebut it. They simply have to make it

clear that redundancies are not on the agenda perhaps
merely relocation to another business area.

In summary, what are the three main points which

ensure that companies achieve significant growth
with compelling innovations?

IV

Innovations aim to secure the companys future. The environment and the competition change. In the best case
the company will also grow. The crux of the matter is that
entrepreneurs have to deal with innovations very system-

III

atically. The focus must always be on staff, and innovation

management should be put on a robust basis right from
the start. In other words, potential interference factors
that might obstruct the process should be identified and

II

taken into account at an early stage. Obstructions may be

The next stage involves focusing on the

infrastructure for innovations:
How systematic can ideas be realized?
The possible interference factors, either internal,
technical, or external, then have to be identified.
In response, the relevant adjustment screws have
to be turned: If, for example, the knowledge exchange
between the departments is not working, this should
be corrected.
The next step is to formulate a strategy and to specify
the required actions.

internal, for example, departments working against each

other, or there may be technical problems. Those who
detect issues early and find solutions have good prospects for overcoming the hurdles and for growing with
innovations.
Dr Mller-Prothmann, many thanks for this interview.
The interviewer was Rudolf Kahlen

And finally, even if this may sound obvious,

the specified actions have to be consistently
implemented.

Innovation

ThinkTank KHS 

page 1245

Innovations

that give our customers more

Companies that want to play at top level in the Champions League of

their industry and repeatedly be in charge of their own destiny must subject
themselves and their products to a continuous improvement process. /
In line with this motto, the KHS team did not resign to stagnation in times
that were difficult for almost all companies, but instead pushed forward innovation in products, processes and technologies with even more intensity
and dedication. This is in the interest of the customer who thus receives sustainable productivity advantages and, as a result, also gains cost and
competitive advantages.

competence

12/13

02.2011

14 New generation of fillers

22 New standards in aseptic linear PET fillers
28 New resource-saving CIP cleaning system
30 New keg line for medium-sized businesses
34 New packaging system for shrink packs in the retail sector
38 New space-saving labeling machine
40 New deluxe shrink packer

In the Innovation box, you will find a QR code (left) pertaining to each article. Use your
smartphone to create a direct email contact to the corresponding contact person.
For this, simply download a corresponding application (app) and scan in the code with
the smartphones camera. You can do this with the following free apps, for example:

iPhone AppStore RedLaser

Android Market Barcode Scanner
Blackberry App World BeeTagg

Innovation

New

Era
KHS presents the innovative filler
platform for glass bottles / Not only
the technology of the new, innovative
glass bottle filler concept Innofill
Glass by KHS is the Best of the Best.
Whats more important is that the
optimized Hygienic Design concept
will give the companies who use it
direct competitive advantages. These
include improved filling quality and
considerable cost reductions. For
technicians and businessmen alike,
this is the stuff of dreams.

competence

14/15

02.2011

At a glance:
Innofill Glass
Increased filling quality
Faster cleaning
Higher availability
Reduced maintenance costs
Lower energy costs
Less water consumption
Less cleaning media
Short changeover
are achieved through comprehensive
hygienic design and modern, lubrication-free
components with optimized wear
properties developed by KHS with its highly
specialized partners.

Innovation

Innofill Glass: Significant reduction in weight

and parts in the filler carousel.

Our head ,
French writer, painter and graphic artist Francis Picabia

Until now, beverage machine engineering normally opti-

(1879 to 1953) discovered, our head is round so our

mized many individual components in terms of hygienic

thinking can change direction. The master was look-

design without considering the adjacent machine parts.

ing far ahead into the twenty-first century. Because, as

Problems: Optimizing, modernizing, and changing over

Michael Batz, dramatic adviser and light artist from

existing designs always reach limits and obstacles as

Hamburg (Reichstag, Speicherstadt Hamburg), put it,

long as the basic design needs to be preserved. Hygienic

for some time already, it is not either/or exclusivities,

design thus remained piecemeal. Solution: the complete

individual highlights or more or less rigid systems what

redesign of a filler line in that all design steps focus on

matter. Thinking today is formed by plurality, controlla-

the hygienic design aspect from the beginning without

bility that should be as easy as possible, time manage-

any regard of currently existing components. The team

ment and the ability to communicate combined with

put everything to the test, reassessed every detail and

low energy consumption and high efficiency.

eventually implemented the knowledge gained in innovative systems.

The result is a platform-based machine concept as we

Its about secured product

quality and protection of the
consumer

find in the automotive industry. There, a platform defines

the common technical basic concept, and the functions
of the different models are oriented towards that basic
concept. The definition at KHS is similar. A technical basis
is now available that the different computer-controlled
KHS filling systems are built on and that takes the respec-

In addition, and as the basis of all considerations, KHS fo-

tive individual criteria of the specific filling methods into

cuses constantly on the customer in its market. What are

account. The first filler for the KHS Innofill Glass platform

the latters requirements? What does the customer need

system is the DRS-ZMS pressure filling system used for

from a technological and economic perspective? How

bottling beer. Other filling systems for soft drinks, water,

does the customer gain a lasting competitive advantage

wine, sparkling wine, and spirits will follow.

through KHS technology and services? These were exact-

KHS thus heralds a generation change in filling ma-

ly the questions the developers in the KHS group asked

chines for glass bottles that offers a wide range of ben-

themselves when they worked on an innovative system

efits, such as an even better filling quality, higher line

for glass filling lines, which is now ready for operation.

availability, and reduced cost of maintenance, power,

The focus here: hygienic design and automation. Compet-

water, and cleaning agents. This is achieved primarily

itive companies regard hygienic design as a major criteri-

thanks to the use of modern and lubricant-free com-

on for lowering costs in production. Above all, however,

ponents with optimized wear behavior, which KHS has

it is about secured product quality and protection of the

developed in close cooperation with its highly special-

consumer, but also about health at work for the own staff.

ized partners.

competence

02.2011

16/17

Basic design. The function of the basic design in brief

The new technology at a glance

is to feed glass bottles into the machine, supply them

to the filling and capping process, and subsequently dis-

Hygienic design is always also a matter of calculated simplicity.

Simple design rules are therefore indispensable:

charge filled and capped bottles from the machine. The focus of the development work was therefore to design all
parts relating to bottle conveying, with focus on hygienic

Easy access to all machine surfaces (sanitizing, disinfection, inspection,

maintenance).

design. Key features: supporting pipe bodies that are open

on all sides (optimally accessible for cleaning and disinfec-

Avoidance of complex machine surfaces (wherever possible).

tion) / broken glass falls directly to the floor and is easy to

Avoiding hidden areas (where deposits and biofilms can accumulate).

remove / stars and cappers are interconnected by flange-

Unobstructed runoff of liquids.

less cross-pipes and secured towards the outside by hygienically designed sealing systems / all bottle format parts are

Innovation

1
Injection of water at high pressure into filled beer
bottles: the medium is fed through a hollow shaft
within the torque motor.

2
Ludwig Clsserath, Manager, Filling Technology
Competence Center: KHS is introducing a new era in
filling technology with the Innofill Glass concept.

designed to allow for optimal cleaning / weight-reduced

Torque motors. Transfer stars and cappers operate with

design with easy-to-operate shape and position fixing

low-wear and energy-efficient torque motors (without

locking pins / container format parts can be changed eas-

gearbox) / high torques / no mechanical abrasion / 96%

ily and quickly without any tools.

efficiency [conventionally: 85%] / minimized wear / long

service life). The energy conservation potential is up to

Conveyor. A new stainless steel conveyor with open de-

20%. Another advantage is the hollow shaft design. Me-

sign conveys the glass bottles directly to the feed screw.

dia are fed through the hollow shaft for injection at high

An automatic cleaning system can be integrated. The

pressure, for example.

feed screw has no large surface areas. Instead: many

rounded and sloped surfaces allow liquids to run off / the

Filling system. The Innofill DRS-ZMS filling process has

unit is driven by a stainless-steel encapsulated round ser-

been optimized further. At the same time, however, the

vomotor / attachment systems comprising bottle glide

tried-and-tested filling process principle is essentially main-

and guide strips (automatic cleaning) prevent the forma-

tained (filling level probe / triple evacuation / double CO

tion of gaps and niches where beverage residue could

rinsing / fast filling phase / precise fill level measurement /

accumulate and microorganisms could grow.

low-foam pressure-controlled pressure relief / speed-independent filling process / option for central changing of

Machine carousel. The lightweight construction of the

valves at any time).

lift cylinder table and the tubular ring bowl additionally

Modifications: Optimized swirler allows for improved

reduces the required driving forces / the tubular shape

low-turbulence and smooth filling while ensuring minimum

of the ring bowl allows for efficient cleaning results /

oxygen pick-up / bell rods exposed to the outside and sloped

the significantly reduced amount of materials saves en-

surfaces ensure easy cleaning of the filling valves / hose con-

ergy by shortening the heating and cooling phases /

nections no longer need to be hooked up separately.

electrical signal and output transmission to the carousel

by maintenance-free rotary distributors / linear drive

Electrical elements. There are no electrical elements, cables,

technology adjusts the height of all outer control cams

or pneumatic supply hoses in the area of the filling valves

and stop segments (control ring with additional height

and bottles / controlling pilot valves are arranged within a

adjustment motor, angle gears, universal joint shafts

protected area, completely encapsulated in a housing.

and lifting columns are no longer required) / bottlelifting elements offer more room for discharging bro-

Compact valve manifolds. Fittings are specifically con-

ken glass / height-adjustable scissor joints equipped

structed vertically and not horizontally / this offers the ad-

with aseptic sealing systems supply beverage and pro-

vantage of taking up 50% less space; maintenance and

cess media. The result is a noticeably reduced number

checks are easier / compact valve manifolds are positioned

and variety of parts in the filler carousel (more efficient

in the immediate vicinity of the filler cladding / advantages:

cleaning and maintenance).

media passages are very short; quick, and efficient cleaning.

competence

02.2011

18/19

Innovation

Vacuum Pumps: Systematic Modules

As part of the new product line for glass bottles, KHS presents a standard model for vacuum pumps that is also modular
in design. Naturally, it also offers a large number of advantages for bottling plants. And, whats more, it already fulfils
EU regulations on energy efficiency, which will become effective in 2017.
When bottling beer in glass bottles, vacuum pumps reduce oxygen

of these pumps differed as far as their electrical systems or size and

pickup and CO consumption thanks to gas exchange. The standard

equipment are concerned. In the future, KHS will offer a standardized

practice to date has been to customize only one vacuum pump for the

vacuum pump model. Only the following decision must be made de-

respective filling system, for example in terms of the filling output, the

pending on the output of the filling system: does the filler require one,

product temperature, or the CO content in the product. Many versions

two, or three identical vacuum pumps?

Example: becoming flexible!

An example of minimized power consumption and partial redundancy/redundancy:
a filling system processes 50,000 0.33-liter or 50,000 0.5-liter glass bottles.
Up to now: one vacuum pump
with 18.5 kW connected load.

Both versions

In the future: two vacuum pumps

with a connected load of 15 kW each.

Option 1: 0.33-liter glass bottles

Option 2: 0.50-liter glass bottles

Number of active pumps: 1

Number of active pumps: 2

Capacity in the operating point:

Capacity in the operating point:

Capacity in the operating point:

14.5 kW at 50 Hertz

50 to 60 Hertz / 8 to 12 kW

50 to 60 Hertz / 12 to 16 kW

Possible output of vacuum pump:

Possible output of vacuum pump:

Possible output of vacuum pumps:

26,000 liters per hour

16,500 liters per hour

25,000 liters/hr (2nd pump switches in*)

Possible line output if one

Possible line output if one

Possible line output if one

pump fails:

pump fails:

pump fails:

The line stops

100%

75%

(50,000 bottles/hr x 0.33-liter bottles)

(37,500 bottles/hr x 0.5 liters/bottle)

If one pump fails:

If pump fails:

Second pump is switched on

Second pump capacity is regulated upward

*At a low frequency value always in optimal operating point

Contact: Olaf Muszinski | KHS GmbH, Bad Kreuznach, Germany | Phone: +49 (671) 852-2704 | Email: olaf.muszinski@khs.com

competence

20/21

02.2011

Vacuum pump. For the new product line, a single pump

the process sequence can be monitored permanently

type is sufficient; depending on the output, up to three

even inside the bottle. The vacuum actually achieved in

are connected in parallel. This saves costs and reduces the

the bottles and the correct CO purging process can be

Just one type of vacuum

pump is sufficient for
the new range. Up to
three can be connected
in parallel depending
on the capacity.

footprint, lowers power and water consumption and en-

read, among other things.

sures fast supply with spare parts.

This is an important aspect in order to ensure lowoxygen filling.

Crown capper. A more open design improves cleaning of

many individual elements / closed servo motors substi-

Operator panel. The new multiple-award winning KHS

tute belt drives and other driving systems that were oper-

operator panel (Red Dot Award & iF Award) with integrat-

ated by belts or gear wheels / most important innovation:

ed RFID system controls the platform system.

ules without any preparing investment and can easily be

Conclusion: Innofill Glass rings in a new area in filling tech-

The KHS operating

panel has received many
awards thanks to outstanding ergonomics,
accurate navigation and
brilliant design.

docked to the platform (open bottles do not need to pass

nology. The platform offers maximum transparency and

through existing capping systems).

cleanliness while ensuring even greater product safety.

cappers for other closure types can be added like mod-

Oriented towards the requirements of the brewing trade

Exterior cladding. Free-standing, makrolon or glass exte-

to be able to fill beer pasteurized by a flash pasteurizer

rior cladding / advantage: unobstructed view of all ma-

under optimal hygienic conditions without the need for

chine components / dirt and deposits can be seen immedi-

bottle pasteurization after the filling and capping pro-

ately from the outside / sufficient access area for cleaning

cess, KHS development experts have done a perfect job.

and maintenance / basic exterior cladding can be upgrad-

Light artist Michael Batz sees it this way: It is neither the

ed to a closed sanitary room.

wind nor the sun thinking is the largest renewable energy source.

Timesaving. Rapid intermediate rinsing and cleaning

processes during product change / lines are installed
with a slope to ensure quick emptying of the product passages / advantage: significant time savings for frequent
changeover / in addition, reduced time for machine installation and initial operation.
Diagnostic system. Optionally, reference filling valves
can be equipped with pressure sensors that continuously record the pressure curve during a filling process and
send it to the display screen. This has the advantage that

Contact
Ludwig Clsserath
KHS GmbH,
Bad Kreuznach, Germany

Phone: +49 (671) 852 -2501

Email: ludwig.cluesserath@khs.com

Michael Beisel
KHS GmbH,
Bad Kreuznach, Germany

Phone: +49 (671) 852 -2205

Email: michael.beisel@khs.com

Innovation

Maximum
Standards

New generation of aseptic linear fillers from KHS

/
Now, aseptic cold filling of PET bottles for
non-carbonated beverages or other liquid products is
becoming more flexible, easier, and more costefficient. With Innosept Asbofill ABF, KHS sets worldwide
standards, for example with minimum sterile zones
or numerous options and one drop of liquid nitrogen.

competence

02.2011

22/23

New generation of linear filling machines:

Innosept Asbofill ABF 611 and Innosept Asbofill ABF 711
process up to 12,000 PET bottles per hour ranging between
100 ml and 2.0 liters. A twin concept doubles the capacity.

Innovation

Whats new is that KHS has developed a young generation

of aseptic linear fillers which incorporate many optimized
features. Users thus have a whole package of benefits if they
choose the process of so-called dry bottle sterilization before the filling process. This principle also applies to the new
aseptic linear fillers Innosept Asbofill ABF 611 and Innosept
Asbofill ABF 711 from KHS that reduce the required sterile
area significantly compared to the classical ACF wet process. Instead of the 65 cubic meters necessary, only 15 cubic meters are required when using the rotary design principle, while in linear operation the sterile area is drastically
reduced even further which is the decisive benefit that
linear technology offers. The Innosept Asbofill ABF 711, for
example, requires a sterile area of just 1.5 cubic meters and
the Innosept Asbofill ABF 611 only 0.9 cubic meters.

In linear operation,
no mechanical intervention is
required in the aseptic zone.
At the same time, this reduced area offers maximum aseptic safety as the system conveys the bottles in a single hold-

Our customers produce more

effectively and more cost-efficiently.
That was what mattered to us.

er through the entire machine. No switching from one carousel to the other as is the case in the rotary system is
required. Thus, mechanical intervention in the aseptic
zone is not necessary. All conceivable conversion and replacement measures take place in the unsterile area. Another benefit of the linear machine compared to the rotary system is that intermediate sterilization is not required.

Paul-Uwe Winterhoff

Oriented fully towards the respective product to be filled,

Head of Mechanical and Electrical Design,

the production cycle is between 48 and 72 hours.

Competence Center Aseptic Filling Technology

Aseptic linear filling machines generally cover a low

to medium output range. The new lines process up to
12,000 plastic bottles per hour (24,000 with the twin concept) with different shapes. Special sizes, including rectan

gular or square, are possible. The ABF linear fillers have

he basic three advantages of aseptic cold filling in

been designed for filling non-carbonated beverages, such

plastic bottles are known. Firstly, natural taste and

as milk, yoghourt drinks, fruit juices, and fruit juice drinks.

aroma of the beverages as well as their color are pre-

Pulpy beverages containing up to 20% pulp and with

served. Secondly, the lighter, cost-efficient cold-fill PET

fiber lengths of up to 18 millimeters can be processed. In

bottle can be used instead of the thick-walled hot-fill bot-

addition, Innosept Asbofill ABF 611 and Innosept Asbofill

tle. Thirdly, preservatives are no longer necessary.

ABF 711 are optimally suitable for filling pharmaceuticals,

competence

24/25

02.2011

provided they are liquid products for enteral feeding or

+ Measuring instruments. All measuring instruments are

health drinks for example.

new-generation components. Advantages include improved

Possible, retrofittable options

ease of operation and optimized information density.

Users can also integrate all options for the individual en-

+ Machine capacity. A twin-concept doubles the original

trepreneurial practice later.

machine capacity. This has the advantage of long-term

reduction of cost compared to the investment in two in

+ Pulp nozzles. Pulp nozzles can be installed in the filling

dividual machines. The reason for this is that essential

valves, especially when fruit juices with high pulp content

components can be shared. Only one valve manifold, one

are to be processed.

bottle conveyor, one product and steam supply, one controller, one operator terminal and one machine cladding

+ Nitrogen. Especially for beverages sensitive to oxygen:

are required, for example. Added to this are the cost ad-

nitrogen flushing before the filling process and flushing

vantages of reducing spare part stock keeping. In addition

of the head space of the plastic bottles with nitrogen af-

to requiring less space.

ter the filling process. This has the advantage that oxygen
in the beverage is reduced even further.

The most importnt stations in brief

An air conveyor carries the PET bottles reliably and gently

+ Liquid nitrogen. Another possible option is to place a

by means of neck handling while maintaining best pos-

drop of liquid nitrogen in the head space of the filled plas-

sible hygienic conditions. Each section has a frequency-

tic bottles. The advantage of this process, which has been

controlled blower that supplies the air channel and con-

uniquely designed for linear fillers, is that more oxygen is

trols the conveying speed of the bottles by means of

displaced. It is especially suitable for lightweight bottles.

various volume flows.

Also: the pressure inside the PET bottles ensures greater

bottle stability. This results in improved subsequent processing such as labeling, palletizing, and conveying. And finally, the fact that less plastic is used saves material and costs.
+ Filters. Double filters can also be used in the valve mani-

Permanent sterile air

in the
aseptic zone.

fold instead of single-filter units.

+ Code. Further options include coding of the plastic bot-

Infeed of the bottle is outside the aseptic zone. A chain

tles during the production process.

moves past the air conveyor. The end of the latter is provided with a curve that ensures that the bottles are insert-

Much easier at several levels

+ Sterilization zone. The number of components in the

ed in holders specially integrated into the chain for this

purpose (the Innosept Asbofill ABF 611 has 24 holders, the
Innosept Asbofill ABF 711 has 30 holders).

sterilization zone has been reduced even further. For ex-

After the checking process, the bottles are transferred

ample, only one single servomotor is used for all drying

to the sterilization zone where the system introduces

lances. Advantages include easier maintenance and low-

HO aerosol with temperatures between 90 and 120C

er operating cost.

into every bottle in cycles by means of a lance positioned

directly underneath the neck. All surfaces are uniformly

+ Cable routing. The cable routing has been optimized

coated regardless of the size and shape of the bottle.

even further, the location of the HO treatment and oth-

A partition separates the sterilization and the filling

er units has been changed. This has the advantage of even

process in different housings. The aseptic zone always ex-

better machine accessibility.

tends from the bottle mouth to the neck ring. Accordingly,

Innovation

At a glance:
the new aseptic linear fillers
Criteria
Process
Suitable for

Innosept Asbofill ABF 611

Innosept Asbofill ABF 711

Aseptic cold filling in PET / dry sterilization

Non-carbonated beverages, liquid products, e.g. pharmaceutical

Sterile area

0.9 cubic meters

Capacity

12,000 PET bottles per hour twin concept: 24,000

Standard bottles

0.1 to 0.75 liters

0.25 to 2.0 liters

Standard diameter

Bottles up to 85 mm

Bottles up to 120 mm

Standard height

Bottles up to 240 mm

Bottles up to 350 mm

Neck ring

1.5 cubic meters

Constant 38 or 43 mm
Pulp nozzles for products containing fruit / nitrogen flushing before

Options

and after the filling process for products sensitive to oxygen / liquid
nitrogen for displacing oxygen / double filters in the valve manifold /
coding during the production process

Special advantages

Easier to operate (improved accessibility) / cost-reducing options

(lighter bottles, time saving, higher availability)

competence

26/27

02.2011

a partition also extends only up to the cell carrier bar and

aseptic safety is increased even further while operator er-

only contains openings for the necks of the individual

rors that might result in malfunctions are prevented.

plastic bottles. Sterile air is blown permanently into the

From the sorter, plastic closures are transferred into a

area of the aseptic zone and is discharged downward by

feed chute. Aligned in the same manner, the caps fully

so-called positive displacement current via an adjacent

oriented towards the number of plastic bottles conveyed

perforated plate.

at each cell carrier bar are distributed on eight lanes in the

Innosept Asbofill ABF 611, and respectively on ten lanes in
the Innosept Asbofill ABF 711. Sterilization is the same as

As there is no overfill,
product is saved.

bottle sterilization. Application of the screw caps has been

thought out right down to the last detail. In a first step, a
suction unit places the caps on the bottles, which are thus
largely protected against external influences. The capper
housing is divided into two chambers; the aseptic zones of

From there, it enters the machine room where it can ei-

these are separated by partitions. In the next step, the caps

ther escape or be specifically extracted. The actual sterile

are screwed on in a separate sterile chamber. The key ad-

air preparation is located in a valve manifold installed on

vantage is that the rotary capping motion, which usually

the machine, which also provides other media required for

entails greater risk in the aseptic zone, takes place within

the production process. Blowers convey the air to the valve

a sterile zone in which the bottles are as good as sealed.

manifold that includes candle sterile filters. Candle filters

Maximum aseptic safety is also the motto here. Apart from

offer the advantage that they can be sterilized with steam

classical plastic screw caps, sports caps can optionally also

prior to production. Any microorganisms that might be

be processed (retrofittable).

present are thus reliably destroyed while ensuring maximum process reliability.
Filling is carried out in two stages using the safe, aseptic open jet process with a filling valve which has been spe-

This step is followed by the closure check. After that,

the bottles are clocked up to a position from where a
gripping system takes them out and places them on the
conveyor.

cially developed for low-foam filling. The preset filling rec-

Conclusion: With the new generation of aseptic lin-

ipes can be accessed by pressing a button on the operator

ear fillers, KHS offers a technical system that fulfils the

terminal. Filling by means of electromagnetic inductive

demands required by companies. Maximum safety goes

flowmetering allows for exact fill levels without any over-

hand in hand with flexibility with regard to the product

fill (product savings). Changeover to other bottle sizes is

and also the plastic bottles to be filled and the closures

completed at the push of a button.

used on them. Thanks to a comprehensive package of op-

An adapter located within the filling station closes

tions, which can also be integrated into the latest genera-

the filling valves for cleaning. The result: continuous circu

tion of Innosept Asbofill ABF machines later, this is a ma-

lation during the cleaning process of the filling valves. The

chine generation that is perfectly equipped for the present

entire aseptic zone is always cleaned by foam cleaning pri-

and the future.

or to production. In this process, every individual place inside the aseptic room is reliably reached.
Possible closure types include seals (for dairies for example) or screw caps (for example for fruit juices). The capping process always takes place in a housing that is separate from the filling process. Consequently, the bottles
pass through a partition again after filling.
From the beginning, the sealing process is fully automatic. It is no longer necessary to place seals in hoppers
provided for this purpose. This has the advantage that

Contact
Thomas Niehr
KHS GmbH,
Bad Kreuznach, Germany

Phone: +49 (671) 852-2900

Email: thomas.niehr@khs.com

Paul-Uwe Winterhoff
KHS GmbH,
Bad Kreuznach, Germany

Phone: Phone: +49 (671) 852-2900

Email: paul-uwe.winterhoff@khs.com

Innovation

Short
routes

New, resource-saving cleaning system from KHS /

The newly developed Innopro CIP C cleaning system
offers noticeable additional resource savings and
an investment plus of around 15%. A clever aspect is
that long routes for media transport are avoided.

Question 1: What are the benefits?

n the beverage sector it goes without saying that fill-

The Innopro CIP C is a local CIP system that not only cleans

ing lines have to be perfectly clean. This is what CIP

the filling system but also an additional process compo-

(Cleaning in Place) is for. This process reliably removes pro-

nent, such as the flash pasteurizer or the mixer, as well

duction residues, deposits, and product-harming micro-

as itself. The key advantage of this solution is that me-

organisms. The new Innopro CIP C (Cleaning in Place Com-

dia transport over long distances is avoided. Compared

pact) system developed by KHS offers even more. It saves

with conventional CIP systems the energy consumption is

water, chemicals, energy (and therefore costs), doesnt re-

therefore significantly lower, because thanks to the cen-

quire a lot of space, and can easily be integrated in new

tral position and short media lines the heating losses are

or existing filling lines. From a filling operation perspec-

much reduced. In addition, media consumption is lower,

tive there are ten important questions regarding the ap-

and the smaller number of mixing phases means that the

plication in practice.

cleaner uses much less water and cleaning media.

competence

28/29

02.2011

Question 2: For which applications

is the cleaner suitable?

Deposits are removed with acid. With the Innopro CIP C,

The Innopro CIP C can be used for a wide range of filling

acid can be introduced into the existing hot water tank

applications, such as beer, water, soft drinks, juice, wine,

and from there fed to all components.

or milk, and containers such as cans, glass, plastic bottles,

or kegs. It is equally suitable for cold filling, aseptic filling,
ultra-clean filling, and hot filling.

Question 3: What is the technical concept?

Question 6: Can acid be used for cleaning?

Question 7: How does the system clean itself ?

The Innopro CIP C automatically deals with regular selfcleaning. The CIP media is introduced into the respective
tank using spray balls. At the same time the spray balls

The Innopro CIP C is equipped with three tanks: a caus-

flush the tank walls with cleaning solution or rinsing wa-

tic tank, a hot water tank, and a primary water feed tank

ter, resulting in optimum cleaning.

which serves as system isolator. This has the advantage

that the CIP flow pump cannot run dry and always has

Question 8: Manual or automatic?

water available, even in the event of an overload of the

The system offers a choice between manual and fully au-

water network.

tomated operation. In manual mode the operator has to

switch on the flow pump or the steam and fresh water
supply, for example. In fully automated mode all process

Innopro CIP C:
a true ecological package.

steps run as stored in the recipe.

Question 9: What accessories are available?

The options are limited in order to keep the system clear
and simple. Possibilities: Reasonably priced insulated

Question 4: How long does the installation take?

The tanks of the Innopro CIP C have been deliberately de-

media tanks (for additional energy savings) are available

as an option, as are tanks in standard stainless steel.

signed as rectangles. This makes the whole system compact

Question 10: Are special service options available?

and suitable for standardized overseas containers, result-

Included as standard: ReDiS (Remote Diagnostic Service)

ing in cost-effective transport. All components required for

is included as a standard. If assistance is required, you can

the system operation such as pumps, valves, heaters, media

contact the KHS ReDiS Service Center directly. The possi-

tanks, and the control cabinet with the controller are already

bility of reprogramming through ReDiS increases the sys-

installed on a stainless steel frame in the container and ready

tem availability.

for operation.

Question 5: How does the Innopro CIP C work?

Conclusion: The Innopro CIP C not only offers numerous

technical and system benefits, but also an investment ad-

The cleaning media and the hot water are heated using

vantage of around 15% compared with standard CIP sys-

a plate heat exchanger and saturated steam. The clean-

tems. This is achieved by deliberately using a compact

ing temperature is controlled electropneumatically. A

tank unit. The standardized system design minimizes the

flow pump ensures circulation of individual cleaning me-

design effort.

dia and maintains the cleaning pressure. While the fresh

water is immediately disposed of after the first cleaning
process, the conductivity and temperature of the caustic
are measured after the cleaning process. Should returned
caustic be discarded or returned to the caustic tank and
therefore the production process? The pneumatic metering system adds caustic. The system is then rinsed with hot
water and finally with cold water in order to cool down
the piping and components.

Contact
Alfons Abels-Rmping
KHS GmbH,
Bad Kreuznach,
Germany

Phone: +49 (671) 852-2211

Email: alfons.abels-ruemping@khs.com

Innovation

A Real
All-Rounder

competence

30/31

02.2011

Insights: Infeed station and first cleaning head; the exterior

cleaning booth is on the right in the background.

KHS has developed a special keg line for medium-sized businesses /

Special characteristics: very low space requirement, low budget, system
efficiency of 95%, capacity of up to 90 kegs per hour, expansion options.
The pilot system is running successfully.

hot tip for companies in the brewing, soft drinks, min-

empty kegs onto the infeed conveyor and, without having

eral water, fruit juice, and wine segments whose keg

to walk any distance at all, subsequently remove and pal-

filling capacity is unlikely to exceed 90 kegs per hour in the

letize the racked kegs straight off the discharge conveyor.

future is the Innokeg Till CombiKeg. The new development

Another exceptional feature is that the system is modular,

from the market leader in keg technology is an extremely

enabling a great number of options.

compact keg washing and racking machine.

All processes are integrated within a single frame and
include external and internal cleaning, the filling process,
up to five media tanks, the control system, and an infeed
and discharge conveyor. The system fits exactly into one
container and is ready-piped, cabled, and thoroughly pre-

Three or five
washing heads, depending
on capacity.

tested in the KHS plant. It can therefore be installed, connected up, and commissioned at the filling plant in just a
few days. Once the media and product connections have

The basic Innokeg Till CombiKeg R 3 machine has three

been prepared on site, all that remains to be done is to

washing heads and one racking head, and works with

erect and connect up the machine, press the start button,

a classic, pressure-dependent racking system and re-

carry out the first CIP operation and production can start.

turn gas control. Performance: 60 kegs per hour. The

Long live the Plug & Produce principle!

Innokeg Till CombiKeg R 5 is fitted with five washing

Features and advantages

heads and one racking head, and uses the patented KHS
Direct Flow Control (DFC) filling process (which can also

The new Innokeg Till CombiKeg processes 60 to 90 kegs

be integrated into the basic machine at any time). Per-

an hour and is based on the principle of rotary process-

formance: up to 90 kegs per hour. Further peripheral

ing which has been successfully employed and continu-

components, such as scales, keg turners, keg cappers,

ously developed by KHS for several decades. Advantages

and cameras can of course also be integrated into the

include cyclic processing and a low space requirement.

system concept.

If more than 90 kegs per hour are to be processed on a

The cladding, which is fixed within the machine frame

continuous basis, KHS recommends the in-line Innokeg

and is designed in accordance with Hygienic Design spec-

Till Transomat which can be expanded without difficulty.

ifications, is easy to clean and enables optimum process

But back to the main features and advantages of its

control and rapid maintenance access. Tried-and-tested

little sister, the Innokeg Till CombiKeg. With this machine,

KHS washing and racking heads, simple, clearly arranged

the infeed and discharge areas are not separate but are

matrix piping, and the use of hygienic membrane valves

arranged directly next to one another, making them ex-

for media supply make for easier servicing and reliable

tremely user-friendly. Just one operator can place the

processing.

Innovation

Innokeg Till Combikeg compact keg washer and

filler. Specially for small and medium-sized companies
in the beverage industry.

Proven technology

Filling takes place after the keg has been rinsed with

If the kegs are severely contaminated, the keg fittings can

hot water and finally blown out with steam. The filling

be sprayed with water as they travel along the infeed con-

process uses either the classical, pressure-regulated fill-

veyor. This ensures that no particles of dirt which may be on

ing system or the DCF filling process with its advantag-

the fitting are washed into the inside of the keg. Essential

es of a 40%-lower CO consumption, extremely accurate

features of the cleaning process naturally include a leakage

filling control, and reduced oxygen pickup for improve-

test, the blowing out of any remaining beverage with ster-

ment of the product quality. The whole process is distin-

ile air, and optimum pulsating cleaning with up to three

guished by significant savings in water, waste water, and

cleaning media. As an option, the exterior keg washer can

energy. An important aspect is that, for uncomplicated

be incorporated into the system housing. The space within

products, fewer steps and a less complex machine design

the system intended for the exterior washer otherwise re-

are possible.

mains unused. The system achieves optimum soaking of the

Once the keg has run through the racking process,

interior of the keg with caustic using two stations. Retro

it is sent on to the discharge station. Here, a check shoe

fitting is possible without any problems.

pushes it from the machine onto the discharge conveyor.

competence

32/33

02.2011

Practical experience speaks for itself

Innokeg Till CombiKeg pilot system at Schnbuch Braumanufaktur
The Schnbuch Braumanufaktur in Bblingen near Stuttgart is now in its sixth generation and managed
by Werner Dinkelaker and Gtz Habisreitinger, ably supported by master brewer Gustavo Tresselt.
Their company is already using the Innokeg Till CombiKeg pilot system from KHS. In the following, two
experts of the trade voice their impressions of and describe their first-hand experience with the new system.

Werner Dinkelaker: As we know that we

Gustavo Tresselt: There are no long dis-

the particular keg diameter to be processed

can rely on KHS in every respect, we were con-

tances with this system, as is common with

by means of an electric adjustment motor.

fident in investing in the pilot system for the

inline machines. This saves us an operator.

Gustavo Tresselt: We are extremely sat-

newly developed Innokeg Till CombiKeg. In

Werner Dinkelaker: Sustainability as a com-

isfied with our Innokeg Till CombiKeg. Our

pany tradition starts with the little things. We

confidence in KHS and our courage to invest

Gustavo Tresselt: Because our proportion of

are very careful to use resources sparingly in

in the pilot system have been rewarded by us

kegs is high, it was important for us to invest

every respect.

gaining a reliable, compact system.

Gustavo Tresselt: Actually, we hadnt in-

Werner Dinkelaker: This will enable us to

tended to include the brushing station in our

approach the future positively. However, we

Werner Dinkelaker: And it also saves space.

machine. Then during the KHS in-house exhi-

are also planning growth in the future, not

Our operators dont feel constricted in their

bition we noticed that kegs which had been

for growths sake but only if the profits are

work, even in this small space. It wouldnt

brush-cleaned looked considerably better. An

right. And also because our beer means a lot

have been possible to install a conventional

advantage with this option is also that the

to us. At Schnbuch, we believe in beer qual-

inline machine.

brush is automatically perfectly matched to

ity in the truest sense of the word.

retrospect, this was exactly the right decision.

in a robust, reliable system which takes into

account our high quality requirements.

An operator removes the keg or, in the case of bad kegs, a

required space but also provides tried-and-tested washing

warning signal is given. An automatic rejection station for

and racking quality with maximum flexibility and a line ef-

bad kegs can be provided. An automatic palletizing sys-

ficiency of 95%. This is not only of interest to the European

tem is also conceivable.

market but also to already growing keg markets, such as

The Innokeg Till CombiKeg also processes non-re-

that in the USA (in particular amongst craft brewers), and

turnable kegs. To this end KHS also supplies the Petain-

the still developing keg markets in Asia and Africa. And if

er keg, developed in cooperation with Petainer UK Hold-

that isnt a hot tip

ings Limited. All thats needed to rack them are additional

adapters made of plastic. These are pushed onto the plastic kegs prior to treatment so that they form a single unit
during the washing and racking process.
Conclusion: The Innokeg Till CombiKeg is in every
respect an advantageous all-rounder for medium-sized
businesses. The system not only cuts down on costs and

Contact
Rainer Deutschmann
KHS GmbH, Kriftel,
Germany

Phone: +49 (6192) 491-130

Email: rainer.deutschmann@khs.com

Innovation

Tempo
T e mpo
T e mpo

competence

34/35

02.2011

One of the largest mineral water bottlers in

Germany now uses KHS technology for preparing
and palletizing shrink packs / With the Innopal PBL,
Mineralquellen Bad Liebenwerda is able to distribute a wide range products in different sizes of
pack, loaded onto a single pallet from four separate conveyor sections.

1
R

Inline robot grouping enables side-clamped shrink packs

to be gripped, turned and moved with millimeter accuracy
and with considerable space saving.

etailers are in a quandary: On the one hand they want

VEB operation. Since then the company has been on the

to offer a comprehensive product range, on the oth-

up continually. By the end of 1991 the number of fill-

er hand they have only limited storage space. This also ap-

ings was already 14 million, in 1992 it was 50 million,

plies to the suppliers. Horst Kuhl, managing partner of

by the turn of the millennium 110 million, and in 2010

Mineralquellen Bad Liebenwerda in Brandenburg, reckons

150 million.

that this is also relevant for suppliers: Brand suppliers have

The KHS assembly line for shrink packs can process up

to be proactive and quick. This is precisely why his compa-

to 18,000 non-returnable PET bottles per hour. The line cur-

ny recently invested in a KHS line with the sole task of au-

rently manages six-packs with 1.5 and 0.50 liter bottles. It

tomatic assembly and palletizing of a wide range of shrink

is planned and this will also be possible in the future

packs for different non-returnable PET bottles. The advan-

for the line to handle 0.75, 0.33 and 0.25 liter bottles. Op-

tage for retailers is that they receive all the shrink packs

erating personnel used to stack the shrink-wrapped packs

they ordered ready mixed on a pallet, which saves space.

manually. Now four conveyor sections can optionally han-

With the new KHS line, Mineralquellen Bad Liebenwerda present themselves as industry innovators, and
not for the first time (see company telegram on page
37). The company is one of the first mineral water op-

dle different products. Costly and comparatively slow manual assembly will therefore be a thing of the past.

Practical example

erations worldwide to use this trend-setting concept.

Conveyor section 1: Shrink packs with mineral water.

Tempo has always been a trademark of Mineralquellen

Conveyor section 2: Teetrume shrink packs.

Bad Liebenwerda. Shortly after the German reunification

Conveyor section 3: Soda pop shrink packs.

the RhnSprudel group took over the former powerful

Conveyor section 4: Landtrume shrink packs.

Innovation

The trade requires widely differing

shrink packs to be ready mixed and
positioned on a pallet.

Another example: If the customer only wants to assemble

centering device arranged beneath the pusher plate. Also

two different shrink packs, two or three conveyor sections

integrated is a handling robot that uses suction elements

can handle identical shrink packs. In general, the new KHS

to remove pallet liners from a magazine and position

equipment enables up to four different shrink packs to be

them on the current layer.

combined in different ways on a single pallet. Individu-

The individual layers are palletized on half pallets or

al layer formations can be programmed and adapted to

Euro pallets. Additional gripper elements arranged on the

changing retailers requests at any time. This means maxi-

suction head of the handling robot position the pallets in

mum flexibility.

the predefined position. A stretch film wrapping machine

Quick overview:
How the Innopal PBL system works.

secures the load. This is followed by pallet labeling, transfer to a forklift truck, and transport to the store.
The integrated ReDiS system (Remote Diagnostic Ser-

An inline robot grouping assembles the required forma-

vice) has a direct online connection to the KHS ReDiS Ser-

tions for palletizing. The robots grip, turn, and move side-

vice Center for remote analysis. Managing director Horst

clamped packs with millimeter accuracy and only minimal

Kuhl says, With ReDiS we are on the safe side and can fall

space requirements. The gripper elements are lined with

back on fast KHS support at any time. This is important

plastic and are therefore suitable for processing sensitive

for high line efficiency. And, of course, for a good tempo.

shrink packs.
The line operates with a combined layer and row
pusher. The layer pusher incorporated within the palletizer also serves as a stop when the layer is discharged
onto the pallet. Extremely high palletizing accuracy of
the whole pallet structure is achieved thanks to a block

Contact
Jrg Hoffmann
KHS GmbH, Dortmund,
Germany

Phone: +49 (231) 569 -1877

Email: joerg.hoffmann@khs.com

competence

36/37

02.2011

Manually
this would be
impossible.
Short interview with Horst Kuhl, managing partner of Mineralquellen Bad
Liebenwerda.

KHS competence:

How satisfied are you with the

Mr Kuhl, hand on heart, do you see a

new assembly line?

long-term future for medium-sized mineral

Highly satisfied, not least because it would be

water operations?

impossible to achieve such quality and perfect

Horst Kuhl (laughs): Certainly! But only if the

layer formation manually. A crucial aspect for

companies position themselves in a targeted

us is that the line offers scope for further au-

manner. This includes top product quality, in-

tomation, should retailers start asking for

novations based on market demand, and a

even more sophisticated pallet assemblies.

comprehensive, constantly improving service

package.

What does the future have in store for

Mineralquellen Bad Liebenwerda?

What role does technology play?

Contrary to the current trend, in 2010 our

A very big role. High-quality, flexible techni-

brand products achieved around 5% sales

cal solutions that enable us to respond quickly

growth. For 2011 we expect similar growth.

are essential. Before you ask: KHS offers such

Thanks to extensive expansion investment we

technology and is therefore a key factor in our

are well equipped for 200 million fillings. Im

positioning strategy.

happy for things to continue in this way.

+++ Company telegram +++

+++ Mineralquellen Bad Liebenwerda +++
+++ Member of the RhnSprudel group, which also includes Mineralbrunnen RhnSprudel, Spreequell, and Bauer Fruchtsaft GmbH +++
+++ Among the 20 largest mineral water operations in Germany +++
+++ Mineral water accounts for 80% of fillings +++
+++ 40% of which these are conventional carbonated mineral water; 40% Bad Liebenwerda Medium; 20% Bad Liebenwerda Naturell +++
+++ The RhnSprudel Group is among the top ten of the German mineral water industry +++

Innovation

Innoket 360 S: compact and efficient

The Space Saver

processes 50,000 bottles per hour

competence

38/39

02.2011

The Innoket 360 S labeler extends the tried and tested KHS roll-fed range with a
compact model. The basic package offers a technical solution at an attractive price,
with modular extension packages available to suit demand. The key features
are described below.

Approx.
25m

1. Compact and space-saving

Approx.
16m

35%

3. Fast and precise

The Innoket 360 S with a size

2. Efficient and
cost-effective

The Innoket 360 S is quickly

4. Additional options
and benefits

708 carousel is a compact

In the basic version of the

ready for operation as a KHS in-

The machine features the first

model. This machine needs

Innoket 360 S, the standard elec-

duction heater ensures short

autosplice system that doesnt

around 40% less space than

trical cabinet is paint-finished.

heat-up times. Self-sharpening

need a costly, continuous supply

the Innoket 360.

The station and centering hood

cutters make sure that the la-

of compressed air. The segment-

are adjusted manually. Hinged

bels are always cut precisely. For-

ed vacuum drum makes change-

doors offer adequate access and

mat changeover is easy to un-

overs simple. Motor-driven ad-

CE-compliant machine protec-

derstand, reproducible, and

justment elements offer support

tion for safe operation at up to

fast, providing operational reli-

if changeovers are frequent.

50,000 bottles per hour.

ability. Overlap correction takes

place during operation without the system having to be
stopped. This ensures perfect label positioning.

Contact O
 liver Kress | KHS GmbH, Dortmund, Germany | Phone: +49 (231) 569-1748 | Email: oliver.kress@khs.com
Manfred Pschichholz | KHS GmbH, Dortmund | Phone: +49 (231) 569-1513 | Email: manfred.pschichholz@khs.com

Innovation

A deluxe shrink packer

QUANTUM
LEAP
Plus points
The main new features of the new shrink
tunnel generation at a glance
Improved heating flow saves up to 15% energy
 Savings package reduces energy consumption by
up to 20%
Gas heating saves up to 50% energy costs
Variable hot air nozzles
Even more gentle conveying
Automatic cleaning of the conveyor chains
Lighting and camera monitoring
Six tunnel versions are available

competence

40/41

02.2011

KHS has made further improvements to no less than four modules in its
Innopack Kisters SP shrink packer for the beverage, food, and non-food industries.
A new shrink tunnel concept ensures significant energy and cost savings.
It allows shrink packs to be produced without shrinkage holes, has a pioneering
feature whereby film can be printed on the inside of the pack, and an option
to form nested packs.

he fully automatic Innopack Kisters SP shrink p

acker

future. All functions can easily be integrated, and energy

for producing film-wrapped packs has been received

efficiency is a high priority. The twelve chief benefits of the

enthusiastically. The Advanced product line offers modu-

new shrink tunnel generation are described below.

lar packaging technology with tried-and-tested economic

efficiency and maximum flexibility. Yet things can get even

1. Heating system offers improved flow.

better. Based on requests from our customers, the KHS development engineers have implemented significant tech-

KHS has optimized the heating chamber by carrying out

nological improvements in four areas:

a flow simulation. New ventilators ensure improved flow,

which saves up to 15% energy. Thanks to the optimized

Shrink tunnel (with a whole range of optimizations),

Shrink wrapping of larger product formations
(now possible without shrinkage holes),
F
 ilm printing (inside pack printing now possible), and
Variable secondary packaging (nested packs).
But first things first. Lets take a look at shrink packs. Its

flow, the number of ventilators and heating elements

have been reduced. For each possible shrink tunnel version (see Page 45) only two instead of three heating chambers with one ventilator each are required. Additional
benefits include less servicing and fewer spare parts.

2. Energy-saving package: save up to 20%

hard to imagine life without them and they have long

since become popular worldwide, not least because they

An optional, additional energy-saving package offers po-

support the impact of the brand at the point of sale. There

tential for saving up to 20% of energy.

are two ways of doing this: with an unprinted film the

Key benefit 1: a newly developed roller shutter system

products make direct contact with the consumer. Printed

that adjusts the product infeed and discharge openings

film communicates the advertising message with a diverse

to suit the size of the pack during production and auto

range of options. In any case, the key for optimum presen-

matically closes them when the packing machine stops.

tation of the brand is a perfect shrink result.

This largely minimizes the escape of thermal energy.

This requires shrink technology that is well thought

Key benefit 2: standby mode. The electronically con-

out down to the last detail. And this is exactly where a lot

trolled standby function reduces the energy consumption

has been happening recently. KHS is now launching a new

of all functional units involved in the shrink process to a

shrink tunnel concept for the Innopack Kisters SP with re-

minimum. As soon as the production process calls for it,

fined technology, a modified approach to the subject, and

all functions return to normal operation.

100% practical orientation. The new Innopack Kisters SP

is a quantum leap for shrink packing; from a basic platform the modular system can be configured and expand-

3. Environmental bonus: optional

gas heating available

ed to specifically suit individual requirements. Moreover,

the new shrink tunnel concept, which KHS has standard-

The new concept includes an eco shrink tunnel with gas

ized for the Basic and Advanced product lines, is fit for the

heating instead conventional electric heating. In this way

Innovation

2
1

Shrink packs without shrinkage holes are particularly stable and reduce costs.

NEW (1)

NEW (2)

NEW (3)

Shrink packs without

shrinkage holes

Inside film
printing

Shrink packs with

nested packs

An alternative to nested packs and nested

KHS new online film printing setup integrates

The term nested packs refers to packaging

shifted packs would be to invest in a manipu-

film printing into the packaging prior to

where the number of containers in adjacent

lating unit that can form classic shrink packs

the shrink process. Advantages: the online

rows differs by one. Nested shifted packs

without shrinkage holes. These packs have all

print is on the inside of the pack / thermo-

differ from nested packs in that each row has

the advantages of nested packs and nested

transfer printers make a perfect print /

the same number of packs. In practice, this

shifted packs yet do not require any addition-

optimum contrast, e.g. for barcodes / wide

results in improved stability of can, glass,

al investment in the pack conveyor and pal-

range of print options (logos, additional

or PET packs. The film can be thinner and the

letizer section. In practice, the option to pro-

information, attractive images) / variable

cardboard trays or pads that were previously

duce shrink packs without shrinkage holes

print positioning and dimensions (width: 50 to

used are no longer required, thereby cutting

saves significant costs. The process uses less

128 mm; length: up to 50 mm) / costs for

costs considerably, so that the additional in-

material, increases pack stability, simplifies lo-

print material and paper labels saved / increased

vestment will pay off quickly.

gistics and reduces stockholding. In addition,

machine availability / no handling required.

only one material has to be disposed of when

In practice, this results in even more safety,

the time comes.

ease of operation, machine availability, and

targeted cost reductions.

competence

42/43

02.2011

companies can save up to 50% of their energy costs, de-

7. Constant speed with gentle transitions

pending on local energy prices. As an added environmental bonus the CO emissions are reduced by up to 60%.

While the tempo on the packaging machine varies accord-

Another important aspect is that a gas connection is suf-

ing to the production volume, in the shrink tunnel a con-

ficient, without the need for air supply and extraction sys-

stant speed is crucial for a perfect shrink result. For this rea-

tems (chimneys).

son a special functional unit has been installed between

the packaging machine and the shrink tunnel which com-

4. Variable positioning of hot air nozzles

pensates for the difference in speed between these two

machine sections.

Adjustable hot air nozzles give the best possible results for
each individual shrink pack. The air flow can be set exactly

8. Automatic cleaning of conveyor chains

as required to fully suit the individual pack format with regard to both height and width. The amount of air required

Another optional module is an automatic cleaning system

for a perfect shrink result can be configured for each indi-

for conveyor chains made of wire mesh. This system con-

vidual nozzle, either manually or electronically using servo

sists of a counter-moving stainless steel brush located un-

motors. Nozzles can also be parked, a feature that proves

derneath the conveyor chain which is engaged at fixed in-

especially useful when a product program requires opera-

tervals. Film debris and particles of dirt removed from the

tion both in a single and in multiple lanes. This ensures that

conveyor chain are swept into a drawer that can be easily

hot air is always precisely directed to where it is needed.

emptied, thereby eliminating the need for time-consuming manual shrink tunnel cleaning processes.

5. Manual or electronic format changeover

9. Lighting provides safe overview
The machine is set up manually for a different format by
means of spindles (standard). This is carried out accurate-

Optional hood lighting gives operators a clear view of

ly using digital displays and set-up documentation. As an

the hood interior. This makes any fine adjustments to the

option, operator-guided format changeover offers signif-

shrink process that have to be made by operators or main-

icantly more convenience. The key points in brief: The op-

tenance personnel immediately visible.

erator receives important information, such as when and

where an adjustment is to be carried out, at the control

10. Camera system for accurate monitoring

desk (HMI) / Optimum overview of the changeover process / All parameters are stored for every packaging for-

A camera system can be installed at the shrink tunnel dis-

mat / Transfer to the electronic digital displays on the set-

charge together with the lighting. This system transmits

up units / Accurate reproducibility / Shrink tunnel hot air

image files to a monitor installed next to the shrink tunnel.

nozzles adjusted fully automatically. The advantages in-

Images can either be in black-and-white or color, depend-

clude no troublesome paper lists / accurate reproducibil-

ing on the option chosen. This has the advantage that op-

ity / reduced operator errors / smooth restart.

erators can conveniently observe the shrink process from

outside. An air curtain is used in place of the standard

6. Toothed belt ensures reliable conveying

hanging curtains in the shrink tunnel infeed and discharge.

The type of conveying chain used in the shrink tunnel area

11. Hygienic design makes cleaning simple

depends on the stability of the product being conveyed.

Packs with cardboard pads require a bar chain and film

The cubic machine frame, already established in the Ad-

packs a wire link belt.

vanced series, provides even more space within the shrink

Innovation

Knig-Brauerei
The very best in packaging

Guido Christiani

that are permanently welded to

Production/

the machine; collection of de-

Engineering

tergents, rinsing water, and any

manager at

product runoff in drip trays.

Knig-Brauerei
+ Operator-controlled format
changeover is simple and

The operator-controlled format changeover is not only kept very simple, but
also saves time, resulting in high system
availability.

saves time
Knig uses a KHS Innopack
Kisters SP/TSP shrink packer

Key features: monitor provides

information on settings; no

A wide range of packaging op-

paper lists or checks required;

tions is available for the cans

quiet, easy to configure, main-

filled with Knig Pilsener. Both

tenance-free toothed belts are

packers have a capacity of up to

used where possible.

62,000 cans per hour. The main

benefits are described below.
+ Two servomotors
permit high speeds and
Heute ein Knig (Today a

also opted for quality by once

king) is a catchy advertising slo-

again choosing KHS technology.

a clear view and optimum

gan used by the Duisburg-based

The only way we can justify la-

hygienic design

Knig-Brauerei and familiar to

beling the products we sell our

most beer drinkers at least in

customers premium is by mak-

Together with a new protec-

tioning tool, resulting in high

Germany. The brewery with a

ing this concept of quality para-

tive hood concept the cubic ma-

speeds for a wide range of

long tradition has been commit-

mount in every single one of our

chine frame offers operators

product groups. Key features:

ted to top quality for more than

operations and measures from

an even better view into the in-

identical servomotors with in-

150 years. The latest investment

production to sales, says Guido

terior of the machine. The hy-

tegrated servo controllers; sim-

in shrink packer and tray shrink

Christiani, Knig-Brauereis pro-

gienic design is also very advan-

plified replacement if mainte-

packers for the existing canning

duction and engineering manag-

tageous. Key features: support

nance is required; reduced stock

line shows the company has

er, hitting the nail on the head.

systems made of painted tubes

of spare parts.

+ Cubic machine frame offers

rapid replacement
Each of the two servomotors
has a directly allocated sec-

competence

44/45

02.2011

Spotlight on Knig-Brauerei

tunnel section, among other things. Large exterior surfac-

Founded in 1858 by Theodor Knig

es make external cleaning easy. The double-walled clad-

Knig Pilsener since 1911

ding allows cables to be laid. An additional benefit is that

the insulating elements for the shrink hood have no ther-

Member of the Bitburger group

Market position Among the top 10 premium breweries

mal bridges whatsoever, so that the heat remains exactly

In Germany

where it is supposed to be: inside the tunnel hood.

Products Knig Pilsener, Knig Pilsener

12. Dimensions: six versions

Alkoholfrei, Knig Pilsener Radler (shandy)

Export to more than 60 countries on five continents
Packs 35% kegs (restaurant trade),

The new generation of KHS shrink tunnels is available in

60% glass bottles, 5% cans

lengths of four, six, and eight meters and widths of between 700 and 1,000 millimeters. In other words, the
range comprises six different shrink tunnel versions. The
right choice will depend on the respective packing tasks.
KHS can assist by recommending a suitable shrink tunnel version and advise on optional accessories that can
be integrated.

+ Minimized film consumption:

air nozzles accurately fit each

sustainable and cost-saving

individual shrink pack format ;

Result

100% reproducible.
Using a newly developed film

With the new shrink tunnel generation KHS also offers a

cutter and conveyor system, the

KHS tray shrink packer:

gas heating option with cutting-edge porous combustion

machine is able to process sig-

precise and flexible

technology that offers energy cost savings of up to 50%.

nificantly thinner film materials

High security of investment is ensured by the extremely

than in the past. Key features: ad-

The KHS Innopack Kisters TSP

high quality of the machines as to be expected where

justable vacuum belt; automatic

tray shrink packer also oper-

KHS is involved and also by the fact that all functions can

discharge of electrostatic charg-

ates very precisely with a down-

be retrofitted at a later date. The energy-saving package,

es; maximum conveying stabil-

stream KHS shrink tunnel, in

the eco shrink tunnel, automatic conveyor chain clean-

ity; system sets the length of film

cases where the customer re-

ing, additional pack cooling: should customers find they

section and position of the print-

quires loose cans in trays of 24

require the one or the other extra after initially operat-

ed image electronically after the

to be wrapped in film. By way of

ing the new shrink tunnel without, they can upgrade at

format is selected at the opera-

a summary, Guido Christiani en-

any stage for even more future potential. And thats what

tor panel; servo-driven cutter cuts

thuses, The good reputation

its all about.

the film with maximum precision

of KHS packaging equipment

and minimum cutter wear.

has very quickly proved itself in

practice.

+ Variable hot air nozzles:

accurate fit and reproducible
Contact

The shrink tunnel with a conventional electric heater is

equipped with variable hot air
nozzles. Key features: the hot

Contact

Wolfgang Augel
KHS GmbH, Dortmund, Germany

Karl-Heinz Klumpe
KHS GmbH, Kleve, Germany

Phone: +49 (2821) 503-212

Email: karl-heinz.klumpe@khs.com

Phone: +49 (231) 569 -1635

Email: wolfgang.augel@khs.com

Werner Oster
KHS GmbH, Kleve, Germany

Phone: +49 (2821) 503-152

Email: werner.oster@khs.com

Service

KHS Spare Parts

Will you pleasantly surprise your customers?

We will indeed. Our customers will probably be

highly satisfied that we were able to reduce the
price of more than 55% of all KHS spare parts.
On what scale are you talking about
in this context?

KHS offers 100,000 common spare parts. We

define common spare parts as parts that the
market requests more than twice per year.

Many machines have to run for longer, and that not only since
the difficult times of the economic crisis. This is why KHS
has completely revised the price structure for well over
100,000 spare parts. The result: fair calculation, maximum
transparency, and price reductions for 55% of all items
while maintaining maximum quality. KHS competence
spoke to Gnter Unkrig, corporate service manager at KHS.

Best value means

maximum quality at
a fair price.
Why a new system at all?

In the past few years, many industries invested less in new lines and machines.
Accordingly, existing, in some cases older lines had to continue operating reliably.
I would like to say it very frankly here: especially during that time, numerous customers
gave us the feedback that our spare part prices were too expensive. That was sufficient

KHS Competence: Mr Unkrig, KHS will in

what we vouch for with our good name and

reason for us to analyze this in more depth, as

future mark its spare parts with a best value

this is what we promise

KHS always focuses on the customer.

Gnter Unkrig (smiles): No, not at all. To the cus-

and how to you arrive at the fair price?

How deep is in depth?

tomer, best value basically means getting maxi-

Secondly, we now have a uniform calcula-

For example, during the research, we found

mum quality at a reasonable and fair price.

tion basis for KHS spare parts worldwide. This

that some of our prices were not in line with

was initially achieved based on extensive mar-

the market. Here, we have to admit that there

What does this mean for the

ket price research on different continents. In

was some neglect at our end. Even though a

customers in detail?

addition, we separately analyzed each indi-

very harmonized calculation scheme was de-

Firstly, we produce each original spare part

vidual common KHS spare part in terms of

veloped for spare parts at KHS more than a

with identical material and identical produc-

complexity and manufacturing expenditure.

decade ago, however, it made provision for a

tion processes as those used for KHS new ma-

Eventually, a specifically developed calcula-

linear update of the prices. The model failed

chines. More quality is not possible. This is

tion model arrived at new spare part prices.

to sufficiently consider changed market prices

label. Isnt this just old wine in new bottles?

competence

46/47

02.2011

and increasing costs in manufacture and purchasing. We have put an end to this for now
and for the future.
Will the same KHS spare part price apply
worldwide in the future?

Basically yes. However, prices may vary slightly within narrowly defined general conditions
in individual markets. In some regions, for ex-

Our customers will probably be highly satisfied

that we were able to reduce the price of more than
55% of all KHS spare parts.

ample, special documents must be provided with spare part deliveries, which require
a certain amount of expense. In the future,
we will calculate this with clearly indicated surcharges for spare part deliveries. We
thus ensure maximum transparency for our
customers.

Gnter Unkrig
Corporate service manager, KHS GmbH

What is the quickest way for KHS customers to

find out if and how the new spare part prices
are advantageous for them in concrete terms?

Eventually, what matters to every customer is

the cost for the complete spare part shopping

manufacture or if the purchasing conditions

cart to be ordered. We therefore recommend

Parts can be requested day and night using

offered by our suppliers improve, KHS cus-

inquiring the required spare parts from KHS

the hotline on +49 (0)231 569 -10000,

tomers worldwide will benefit from this. On

and comparing the prices with those of other

our Innoshop e-commerce platform or

the other hand, we will pass on increased

suppliers. A decision can then be made based

the Internet.

costs, which the production of spare parts

on our quote obviously, one should never

for very old machines may incur, in the same

forget the quality aspect. What should also be

Simultaneously, we maintain separate spare

manner. An approach that we feel is fair and

considered is that our service staff offers the

parts warehouses in many parts of the world.

transparent in every respect.

customers extensive on-site advice in respect

After all, our logistics partners offer a high-

of preventative maintenance.

ly reliable and especially quick delivery ser-

With everything in mind, could you describe

vice worldwide and this is another decisive

your vision in one sentence?

point.

KHS wants to be the service leader in its mar-

Other important aspects include delivery

kets. No more but also no less than this. Well,

time and service

thats two sentences (laughs).

Of course. At our headquarters in Dort-

How likely are further price reductions

mund, we have approx. 60,000 pallet parking

in future?

stations for spare parts, which ensures an es-

Very likely. We are committed to passing

Mr Unkrig, thank you very much for

pecially high availability of parts. Our ware-

any price advantages that we achieve direct-

your honest words.

house is manned around the clock on 365

ly on to our customers. For example, if pro-

days a year.

cess optimizations can be implemented in

The interview was conducted by Friederike Arndt


Service

Keeping On Running

Systematic service
/
At the Karlsberg brewery a joint win-win concept with partner KHS
ensures long system service life and high availability, resulting in reduced
costs and ever improving sustainability. Positively exemplary.

ernd Franzmann is a man who likes to

life of our lines and to their high efficiencies.

with beverages and services (including trans-

come straight to the point. Two things

We have always been able to rely on KHS in

port and events) for beer, fruit juice, mineral

enable the above-average service life of our

the past, and no doubt we will continue to

water, and soft drinks.

filling and packaging lines. The first is the

work with KHS in the future.

good training of our machine operators, and

We could leave it at that. However, its

the second the comprehensive KHS service ac-

worth taking a look behind the scenes. What

tivities in our company. Were talking about a

are the facts behind the sound judgment of

machine operation time of at least 20 years.

an experienced specialist such as Franzmann?

This is how the Karlsberg brewerys manag-

What exactly happens, and who benefits?

er of machine equipment, servicing, and the

And finally, whats behind this partnership,

environment summarizes the joint success of

and on what basis does it all happen at the

the partnership between Karlsberg and KHS,

Karlsberg brewery?

The Karlsberg
motto is
Be successful together.
The group motto is Be successful together.

The answer to the last and possibly cru-

And the associated corporate strategy has

For Karlsberg Brauerei KHS is much more

cial question becomes apparent if we look at

been clearly recognized and specified: to con-

than just a supplier of filling and packaging

the obvious reasons for the Karlsbergs suc-

vince customers through performance, qual-

equipment. Franzmann says, Since the 1960s

cess story. The history of the Karlsberg Group

ity, and innovation.

KHS has been a reliable partner for us, not

began with the foundation of Karlsberg Brau-

For example, with Desperados Tequila-

only giving us high-quality line technology,

erei in 1878. Today the group is involved in

flavored beer the company was a pioneer

but also services that contribute to the long

a diverse range of business areas associated

for mixed beer beverages. At the same time

which has been sustained over decades.

competence

48/49

02.2011

Our filling and packaging lines have an above-average service life.

Were talking about a machine operation time of at least 20 years.
Bernd Franzmann
Manager of machine equipment, servicing, and the environment at Karlsberg

Karlsberg developed the MiXery Bier+ Cola+

The basis of all this success is the fact that the

line (installed in 1996) can handle 70,000 cans

X brand containing beer, cola, and a secret in-

company branches create a powerful com-

per hour (0.33, 0.5, and 0.568 liters). The keg

gredient, which according to market surveys

petence network that not only enables opti-

line manages 360 kegs in the hour, filled with

by Nielsen has a 30% share of the market in

mum market penetration but also forms the

either 15, 20, 30 or 50 liters of Karlbserg beer.

Germany and is regarded as the number one

foundation for genuine added value for cus-

among cola beers. In early 2011 the group

tomers, staff, and partners.

launched another innovation in the form of

The solution is a service system that was

precisely tailored to the requirements of the
company. In short, it includes regular consul-

an iced version of MiXery Bier + Cola+ X. At

Tailored service from KHS

the same time important beer brands such

This is where partner KHS comes in. The chal-

sponse in emergencies, speedy implemen-

as Karlsberg UrPils are deeply rooted in re-

lenge is that product ranges and packs that

tation of required modifications, and the

gional markets. The high quality standard

come in many versions (see Spotlight) require

transfer of updates and remote mainte-

of UrPils was recent rewarded with a gold

state-of-the-art filling and packaging equip-

nance via ReDiS (Remote Diagnostic Service).

medal from the German Agricultural Society

ment that is flexible and reliable. The start-

Contact between Karlsberg and KHS oc-

(DLG). Dr Hans-Georg Eils, engineering and

ing point: Karlsberg currently uses two glass

curs about every two weeks, so that any que-

logistics manager at the Karlsberg brewery,

lines, a keg line, and a canning line, which are

ries can quickly be clarified and any measures

says, The award from the German Agricul-

all mainly equipped with KHS components.

that may be required at the machines can be in-

tural Society shows that our policy of focus-

The glass lines (installed in 1991 and 2007)

itiated rapidly, while spare parts orders can be

ing on quality and high-quality raw materi-

each have a capacity of 60,000 glass bottles

discussed and triggered at the same time. Turn

als is spot on.

per hour (holding 0.33 and 0.5 liters). The can

to page 51 for some specific practical examples.

tations, regular technical overhauls, fast re-

Service

Spotlight: Karlsberg at a glance

1878

Karlsberg Brauerei founded

2011

Karlsberg Group with diverse business areas, including:

+ Mineralbrunnen berkingen-Teinach AG (MinAG) with Staatl. Fachingen,

Hirschquelle, and Teinacher

+ The latters subsidiary Tucano Holding, company with Merziger Fruchtsfte,

+ Brasserie Licorne, with production in France

Niehoffs Vaihinger Fruchtsfte, and Klindworth Fruchtsfte

+ Original Karlsberg Brewery with wide range of beer brands, including Karlsberg UrPils,

UrPils light, Feingold, Grndels Alkoholfrei, Pils, Export, Bockbier, and currently also

Karlsberg Weizen in four versions

competence

50/51

02.2011

Karlsberg Brauerei: regular overhauls

ensure high plant availability.

Service example:
regular overhauls

Service example: ReDiS Remote

Diagnostic Service

Service example:
bottle washing software update

KHS overhauls the lines regularly, includ-

For the latest KHS glass line, which is equipped

The partners recently implemented a soft-

ing overall inspection and listing of required

with cutting-edge control components, Karls-

ware update for the bottle washer servo tech-

spare parts. Spare parts have helpful labels in-

berg uses ReDiS (Remote Diagnostic Service).

nology which was installed in 2007, resulting

dicating how long the individual components

This is based on the principle that a connec-

in functional improvements and enhanced

are expected to be fully functional. On this

tion to the KHS ReDiS Service Center can be

operator convenience.

basis KHS makes the brewery an offer, which

established quickly at any time; this then

As a general rule, Karlsberg is never alone

both partners then discuss in detail and with

triggers a comprehensive remote analysis.

when it comes to making decisions. KHS is al-

plenty of expertise. This is essential for long-

In many cases machine problems can be re-

ways on hand to discuss pros and cons in or-

term cooperation. What follows is the actu-

solved through online access to electronic

der to reach a sound basis upon which a de-

al overhaul, with a time frame of around two

line components. If the problem involves me-

cision can be made. Franzmann summarizes,

weeks. Within this period the experts from

chanical components, the technician at the

Our lines achieve high availability not least

KHS and Karlsberg strip all relevant sections

machine is notified as to which exact actions

thanks to regular overhauls. The glass and keg

of the affected machines almost down to

must be taken. Other benefits include repro-

lines are more than 80% efficient, and the can

their individual parts. In the filler area the key

gramming or transfer of software updates.

line even reaches more than 90%.

components which are removed and disman-

These are outstanding values which the

tled are the filling valves, the product and gas

Karlsberg brewery relies upon in view of lim-

controllers, and the probe adjustments. Its

a continuous learning process. Furthermore,
the service team checks the chain tension of

Service example:
filler conversion

ited storage space, a large range of items and

comparatively low stockpiling. The machines
simply have to keep on running, sometimes
in two shifts but usually in three-shift mode.

the bottle washers every three months, while

the machine controller continuously moni-

A recent project as part of a scheduled over-

tors the torques of the individual drives.

haul at Karlsberg Brewery involved retro-

And thats exactly what they do.

fitting the filling valves of the KHS can fill-

Service example:
24-hour hotline

er. As a result, the filling quantity can be set

even more precisely, and oxygen pickup in
the product is minimized. This is added value offered by a new, mechanically controlled
KHS can filling system. Bernd Franzmann says,

Should problems occur despite all preventive

The investment will pay for itself in less than

measures, the central KHS telephone hotline

two years. No overfilling means we save prod-

is available around the clock.

uct, and we can improve the product quality

thanks to even lower oxygen pick-up. Thats
what I call a true win-win situation.

Contact
Jrgen Vandree | KHS GmbH, Dortmund, Germany

Phone: +49 (231) 569 -1851

Email: juergen.vandree@khs.com
Jrgen Thielen | KHS GmbH, Dortmund , Germany

Phone: +49 (231) 569 -1543

Email: juergen.thielen@khs.com

On the Spot

Hot Fill
Interview
with Rajendra Gursahaney,
Senior Director of Engineering,
Pepsi Beverages Company

efficient, sustainable, successful

Pioneering achievement by PepsiCo and KHS
for hot filling of thin-wall PET bottles /
Rajendra Gursahaney instigated the HotFill+ project and was
confident of success right from the start. Read on in the following
interview to learn more about how the project unfolded.

Mr. Gursahaney, I could rightfully refer to

same as for a classic soft drink line. Hot filling

weight of the PET bottles, we had the idea of

you as the father of the HotFill+ process, as it

would, however, cost more, largely due to the

flushing the head space of the freshly filled,

was you who decided to develop a new PET

higher costs for energy and the PET bottles

classic PET bottles with nitrogen to compen-

bottle for Lipton Tea without vacuum com-

which required vacuum compensation panels

sate for any shrinking of the PET bottles af-

pensation panels and to fill them with the

for hot filling and would thus be heavier. My

ter hot filling, thus making vacuum compen-

help of a new hot filling method. Where did

idea was to go down the hot filling route but

sation panels superfluous.

this idea come from?

eliminate the drawbacks associated with it.

Gursahaney: The trigger behind it all was

Where did this idea come from exactly?

that Lipton Tea without any preservatives was

This sounds simple but did in fact present

I was at Packexpo in Chicago to find out more

to be introduced to the Russian market. Two

quite a challenge. How did you start to

about new technologies and new ideas on the

options were available to us for filling Lipton

tackle the problem?

market. While I was there, I spoke with a com-

Tea without preservatives: aseptic cold fill-

We very quickly found a solution to the en-

pany that markets nitrogen flushing systems

ing and hot filling. From our perspective, the

ergy problem. Working with KHS, we devel-

and asked the following question: is it possible

high investment and operating costs associ-

oped an innovative energy recovery process.

to inject liquid nitrogen into a PET bottle con-

ated with an aseptic cold filling line were a

Heat, which is transferred to the water in the

taining a hot beverage and to do so in such a

distinct disadvantage. If we invested in a hot

bottle cooler, is returned to the beverage

way that the nitrogen stays in the head space

filling system, we would be paying about the

heating process. Regarding a reduction in the

and does not get into the beverage?

competence

52/53

02.2011

They told me that they did not have an answer

to the question but that they were willing to
work together with PepsiCo to find out. That
was the first step towards HotFill+. To carry out
the research, we also needed a partner that
specializes in filling systems and another partner that specializes in PET bottle production.

Go down the hot filling

route but eliminate
the disadvantages
associated with it.

As your PET bottle manufacturing partner

you specifically opted for what is now KHS
Corpoplast, with KHS as your preferred
partner for filling technology. What is the
reason for this?

The weight of a 1.5-liter PET bottle has been reduced

from 63 to 48 grams.

I presented my ideas to both KHS Corpoplast

and KHS; both companies were enthusiastic

Rajendra Gursahaney

and prepared to bear the risks should my idea

Senior Director of Engineering, Pepsi Beverages Company

not work. In them I had found just the kind of

pioneering spirit that was needed to develop
In order to try out the HotFill+ idea, you

The new bottle was developed in line with

set up a team of six people who carried out

the well-known KHS Corpoplast Bottles &

KHS took certain risks when it became

tests in the KHS Corpoplast laboratory.

Shapes program. We tested various PET bot-

involved in the project. What kind of risks

Who was on the team exactly and what was

tles with differing distributions of material

did PepsiCo face?

this test phase like?

to see how they behaved during hot filling,

PepsiCo was taking a significant risk. For one

The team was made up of specialists from KHS

during the ensuing flush with a precisely

thing, we had to invest in a blow-molding ma-

Corpoplast, KHS filling technology, and the

stipulated amount of nitrogen, and during

chine which in the worst-case scenario would

company that was responsible for nitrogen

capping.

have been of no use to us. On top of that,

flushing. Liptons marketing manager was also

We even set up a kind of manual filling

production of Lipton Tee without preserva-

on site to assess the newly developed PET bot-

line for testing. First, we filled each PET bot-

tives would have been delayed by six months

tles from a marketing point of view.

tle with hot water. At the next station on the

something new.

had the experiment failed. According to vari-

In addition to this permanent team, many

line, an exact amount of nitrogen was added

ous studies, this would have meant that Pep-

employees from the companies involved in the

to each PET bottle. The PET bottle was then

si would have lost a large share of the Russian

experiment also came into the lab from time

capped and cooled with ice-cold water. After

market for tea. However, like our partners, Pep-

to time to see how we were progressing. I was

cooling, each and every PET bottle was exam-

siCo was willing to run this very significant risk.

also in Hamburg several times.

ined down to the last detail.

On the Spot

HotFill+ for PET bottles from PepsiCo:

nitrogen in the head space

them met the defined criteria. The other half

In the space of two years, we have had ab-

was either too unstable or too heavily inflated.

solutely no problems with the quality of PET

My conclusion from the trials was that

bottles filled using HotFill+ technology. There

the technique worked. All we now had to do

have been no complaints whatsoever ei-

was to ensure that we duplicated the perfor-

ther from retailers or consumers. That is an

mance that had produced the perfectly filled

outstanding achievement, and it proves once

PET bottles. Specifically, this meant that all

again just how good the new HotFill+ process

three companies had to aim for a repeated

really is.

accuracy of their process of almost 100%. All

three partners gave me a clear yes. This was
what prompted us to invest in our first KHS
line in Yekaterinburg which operates on HotFill+ technology.
What were the filling results like on
the new line installed at Yekaterinburg?
Did everything run satisfactorily?

We thus save
approximately 2.5
million dollars a year in
costs for PET bottles
just for one filling line.

When we first started operating the machinery, we initially had a loss of 10%. After further
Do you know how many PET bottles went

optimization, about four weeks later we had a

HotFill+ technology was initially developed

through this test phase?

rejection rate of less than 0.1% which we still

exclusively for PepsiCo. After its development

Several thousand. All in all, the test phase last-

have now. This is the standard in our branch of

proved successful, you decided not to patent

ed half a year. By the end of this period we had

industry, and we are very satisfied with it.

it just for yourself but to allow all interested

developed a PET bottle that was perfectly suited for defined nitrogen flush after hot filling.

The reject rate for

PET bottles using the
HotFill+ process is
currently less than 0.1%.

companies access to it. Why?

When you now look back, did you make

We wanted to share the advantages of this

exactly the right decision for the company?

technology with others, if for no other reason

It definitely was the right decision, but there

than HotFill+ saves significant amounts of PET

were a few things that were absolutely crucial.

material, and that is good news for the envi-

We had to find the right partners who were

ronment. By making this process freely avail-

willing to take risks with us. That was essential.

able to everyone including our competitors,

The project resulted in a significant image en-

we are making a tangible contribution to the

hancement for the partners who invented Hot-

environment and our planet.

Fill+. HotFill+ has produced very significant cost

savings, which is a major benefit to PepsiCo.
The weight of a 1.5-liter PET bottle, for

What came next?

example, has been reduced from 63 to 48

The next step was to test everything that we

grams. This saves us approximately $2.5 mil-

had learned in practice. KHS rented a filling

lion a year in PET bottle costs just on one fill-

line in Germany specifically for our project. On

ing line. We now have three filling lines which

it we tested the new HotFill+ process using the

use the HotFill+ process at our sites in Yekater-

PET bottles that had been specially designed

inburg and Moscow , saving us $7.5 million a

for this purpose. We filled roughly 5,000 PET

year. The reduction in PET consumption is also

bottles. It turned out that only about half of

good news for the environment.

Mr. Gursahaney, thank you very much

for this interview.

Contact
Frank Haesendonckx | KHS Corpoplast GmbH

Phone: +49 (40) 67907-475

Email: frank.haesendonckx@khs.com

competence

54/55

02.2011

HO
+HOT AIR

Spotlight
Preform Sterilization
For UCF Applications
HO process now in the heater: sterile preforms
with a precise heating profile

Filling fruit juices or spritzers calls for an inexpensive process that ensures
that production is germ free. Sterilizing preforms isnt that easy, however; not
every process can guarantee first-class PET bottle quality. Applying the decades of experience amassed by its various PET experts, KHS Corpoplast has
now developed an extremely beneficial preform sterilization process. This is
how it works:

The preforms are heated in the blow molder heater according to a

specific heating profile.
A mixture of hot air and of hydrogen peroxide (HO) is fed in and
sterilizes the preforms.
A final heating process applies the precisely defined heating profile to the
preforms just upstream of the blow station.
The preforms pass through a tunnel purged with sterile air to the respective
blow station; finished bottles are also discharged through a sterile air
tunnel and arrive at the filler protected from possible contamination.
In the filler a constant stream of sterile air ensures that the bottles also
cannot become contaminated here.

The great advantage of this process is that the preforms pass to the blow
mold with the exact heating profile the customer requires. This ensures that
specifications are kept to and also permits ultra-lightweight bottles to be
manufactured. And we also mustnt forget the economical use of media here!
EXTRACTION

Market Report

Market Report
Successful customer projects and KHS acceptance tests around the globe.

competence

56/57

02.2011

Underberg Group, Berlin plant

Small Bottles Big Success

Underberg is a world famous brand. For nearly 35 years, the company has been
using KHS systems tailored to its exact needs. A new fully automatic glass
depalletizer recently went into operation at Underberg. The company produces
around 300 million miniature bottles a year, and it is totally satisfied
with the great performance of the new bulk depalletizer.

hen Hubert Underberg took a trip to

making it the Groups center of expertise for

into a staging area where they are picked up

Holland in the middle of the 19th cen-

miniature bottles. Until recently, the follow-

by a shuttle car equipped with two pallet sta-

tury, he had no idea that he was destined to

ing scenario was commonplace on all filling

tions. Depending on the quantity of bottles on

become the founder of a global company.

lines: the operators unloaded pallets contain-

the conveyor, the system automatically detects

Briefly, the story is as follows. While he was

ing new glass bottles (four large trays per lay-

which of the two lines has a greater need for

there, Underberg drank an herb elixir which

er) and brought the miniature bottles to the

a supply of bottles. Based on that information,

the publicans diluted with Dutch gin as they

line where they were needed.

the servo-controlled shuttle car very gently po-

saw fit. Underberg liked the herbal drink as a

sitions the correct pallet in the depalletizing

bitter cordial, but he was irritated by the ran-

zone with tenth-of-a-millimeter accuracy. The

dom addition of Dutch gin so much that he

decided to create a beverage that combined
the soothing properties of the herbs with

10 downers in
200,000 bottles.

toothed belts are maintenance free and also

noticeably reduce the noise level.
A handling robot with an inverted tray
chute first removes the inverted tray. A push-

modern methods of production.

er head then travels over the layer to be re-

So there it was, the 0.02 liter single-portion bottle (the straw paper wrapping was

Now, operations have moved into the mod-

moved and pushes the gripped layers of min-

added later). Millions of people in more than

ern age. A fully automatic KHS new glass bulk

iature bottles onto the bottle table. Sensors

100 countries now consume the beverage con-

depalletizer has been installed that supplies

detect whether the miniature bottles are

taining herbs from 43 countries every day. Un-

bottles to two filling lines one of which han-

standing upright. If not, the machine auto-

derberg has remained the Groups core brand

dles six different 0.02 liter bottles and the oth-

matically stops. Plant Manager Edgar Bischoff

to this day. In the meantime however, other al-

er eight different versions of that size bottle.

is extremely satisfied with the KHS new-glass

luring names such as Asbach, Xuxu, Pitu, Uni-

The list includes Asbach, Averna, Hubertus,

depalletizer. KHS provided a complete system

cum, and Dettling have been added to the

Boonekamp, Wrfelspiel, and Libero bottles.

and we are totally satisfied. Despite the fact

portfolio. The list also includes Riemerschmid

KHS was at the customers side to pro-

that were depalletizing extremely delicate

fruit and bar syrups, Schlumberger sparkling

vide advice at an early stage. A joint team

miniature bottles, we have recorded less than

wines and Blanc Foussy. Today, the Underberg

comprised of employees from the Underberg

10 downers per shift with over 200,000 bot-

Group and it approximately 900 employees re-

Group and the glassworks developed the ideal

tles processed. Instead of working with three

alize a turnover of roughly 500 million.

layer pattern for the pallets loaded with new

to four operators as in the past, we now only

In the meantime, the company main-

glass to be depalletized fully automatically

have one operator in the new glass bulk depal-

tains production sites in Austria, Hungary,

by the bulk depalletizer. Depalletizing takes

letizing area. I would call that a super achieve-

France, and Switzerland and plants in Germa-

place essentially as follows: a forklift truck plac-

ment. Excellent concept excellent results.

ny in Berlin, Erding, and Wilthen. Three hun-

es two new-glass pallets in parallel on desig-

dred million mini containers of between 0.02

nated segments. Operators remove the film.

and 0.2 liters come off the line in Berlin yearly,

With the new system, the pallets are placed

www.underberg.com

Market Report

Series IV blow molder at its Ixtacomitn plant

in the state of Tabasco. This is the second Blomax system with a full set of features within the space of two years. Both lines have the
flexibility to handle carbonated and non-carbonated beverages in non-refillable PET bottles (0.6 3 liters, 19,000 44,000 bottles per
hour). The heating module of the new system takes up 50% less space, heats the preforms with near infra red, and saves up to
40% energy.
Coca-Cola FEMSA is Mexicos leading
bottler and number one supplier of carbonated soft drinks and still non-alcoholic beverages. The company, which has sales of around
Coca-Cola FEMSA, Ixtacomitn, Mexiko

27% Capacity
Increase

14 billion liters, is part of the highly successful

oca-Cola FEMSA, the worlds second larg-

FEMSA group.

est Coca-Cola bottler and the leading

supplier of Coca-Cola brand products in Latin America, took delivery of a filler line com-

www.coca-colafemsa.com

plete with a new-generation InnoPET Blomax

AST Beverage, Bangladesh

150,000
PET Bottles
per Hour

ST Beverage in Dhaka (Narayanganj,

service engineer stationed on site for a peri-

Bangladesh) has placed its fourth order

od of twelve months. Harunur Rashid (pho-

for a complete turn-key PET line for CSD bev-

to), Chairman of AST Beverage, is pleased

erages within the space of only thirty months.

with the increased line capacity, high prod-

The company, part of the internationally re-

uct quality, lower energy consumption, and

nowned Globe Group, now has the capacity

reduced preform weight made possible by

to produce 150,000 bottles per hour (280/500

KHS technology. His company, founded in

milliliters) on KHS lines (Line 1: 28,800 bottles

2001, is a leading national bottler and one of

of CSD water per hour; Line 2: 44,000 bottles

the countrys largest. It has a 40% share of to-

of CSD hot fill per hour; Line 3: 28,800 bottles

tal CSD output in Bangladesh. Every month,

of CSD per hour; Line 4, ordered in July 2011:

AST Beverage also exports more than a mil-

50,000 bottles of CSD per hour).

lion cartons of its carbonated TIGER Energy

After a change of suppliers, a strong bond

based on mutual trust, integrity and excellent

product, making it the countrys leading beverage exporter.

service quickly developed between AST Beverage and KHS Asia Singapore. KHS provided
ongoing support to the customer including a

www.globepharmagroupbd.com

competence

58/59

02.2011

Distell, South Africa

KHS for the

Second Time

he Distell Group of South Africa will be

pasteurizer is particularly important for Dis-

taking its second delivery of a 60,000 bph

tell. A KHS Advanced series shrink packer and

non-refillable glass line to bottle and pack-

a KHS Advanced series wrap-around packer

age cider and alcopop at its Springs plant

give the company maximum flexibility. The

(near Johannesburg). The long-standing KHS

KHS palletizer with robot grouping station

customer is very satisfied with the cider line

also supports a full range of palletizing op-

(installed in 2009), the high efficiency of the

tions. Distell is so satisfied with its KHS ma-

machinery and local KHS service. The Distell

chines that it has placed another order for

Group has its headquarters in Stellenbosch

delivery of an Advanced series KHS shrink

and a number of production sites in the coun-

packer and an Advanced series KHS tray

try (e.g. Springs). It is South Africas largest

packer to be installed at the same plant. We

producer of wine, cider, and spirits. The com-

should also mention that the glass line deliv-

pany, which exports a significant amount of

ered two years ago is configured with virtual-

what it makes, is highly successful. Turnover

ly the same machines. So the company and its

of cider in particular is growing faster than

employees are already familiar with KHS ma-

the market.

chines. The advantages for the customer are

The machine on order is a state-of-theart, high-tech line with electronic Innofill DRF

reduced training needs and a common spare

parts inventory for both lines.

filler that delivers outstanding filling performance. Precision control of product pas-

www.distell.co.za

teurization using the KHS Innopas C tunnel

Cobega, Spain

La Casera, Spain

The
Versatile One

Three at
One Go

obega, Spains largest Coca-Cola bottler, has bought a complete KHS PET

line for use at Martorellas in the Valles Ori-

panish bottler Casera, part of the global Orangina Schweppes Group, has or-

dered three packaging machines at once for

ental region.

its Alcal de Guadaira site near Seville. The

The palletizing system in particular will

Innopack Kisters SP A-H, PSP 050 B and WP

enable the bottling plant to work with max-

A-H are capable of processing up to 28,000

imum performance and flexibility. Cobega

1.5-liter bottles per hour. Excellent machine

decided to place the complete project with

reliability and efficiency were the factors that

KHS in the light of their excellent coopera-

swayed the management team in favor of

tion during the development phase. With

KHS. The machines, which can easily handle

corporate headquarters in Esplugas, Cobega

0.2, 0.31, 0.5, and 1.5-liter PET bottles, offer

operates a number of glass, PET and can fill-

great versatility.

ing lines at its plants in Martorellas, Palma de

Mallorca (Balearian Islands), and Tacoronte
(Canary Islands).

www.cobega.es

www.oranginaschweppes.com

Solutions for Sectors

BRING
ON T H E

WATER!

competence

60/61

02.2011

World premiere: The first 72,000-capacity InnoPET BloFill is up and running

at Silver Springs Bottled Water Company
/
The next-generation monoblocked stretch blow molder/ filler line
will have a part to play in the ongoing success story of Americas leading
family-owned supplier of bottled water. A high-performance version.

It was the right decision

... to play the pioneering role in the latest KHS

so many movies. Kane Richmond, CEO of Sil-

The company is fully focused on custom-

pilot project, enthuses Kane Richmond, Pres-

ver Springs Bottled Water Company, readi-

er needs. The success story only shifted into

ident and CEO of Silver Springs Bottled Wa-

ly admits that this is definitely an asset to the

high gear when Karl and Margaret Richmond

ter Company. In this context, it is important

company which was founded in 1985. Silver

took over the company in 1991. At the time,

to know that back in 2008, Silver Springs was

Springs is a tourist attraction which projects an

the company had six employees and the bot-

the first beverage company in the world to

image of the exceptional quality which we of-

tled water business in the US was struggling

use the new InnoPET BloFill monoblock on a

fer with the Silver Springs water bottled here.

to make headway. However, the Richmonds

were looking well out into the future. The

monoblocked KHS stretch blow molder / fill-

company currently has 150 employees. Sales

er line. The Florida-based company was able

to exploit the technological advantage which
it gained at the time.

Focus on the customer.

have grown by an average 20% over the past

10 years. The product is supplied in large containers as well as in a variety of PET bottles

But first, let us take a brief look back. Na-

ranging from 0.24 liters (8 oz.) to 1.5 liters.

tive Americans in the sixteenth century ful-

We also set an example with our pricing,

ly appreciated the excellent quality of Sil-

our service and our diverse packaging op-

According to son Kane Richmond, We

ver Springs water. Primarily because of the

tions. We provide real added value to our

are totally focused on customer needs, be-

breath-taking scenery which has featured in

customers.

cause the customer is the boss.

Solutions for Sectors

Richmond is highly impressed with the in-

seconds. The new design also significantly re-

novative KHS technology: The pilot project

duces compressed air consumption.

has enabled us to further reduce energy contional lightweighting in our PET bottles. This

Filling system: lower product

consumption.

is the advantage which the company gained

The blocked Innofill NV operates at normal

by being the first customer worldwide to in-

pressure under electronic control. Non-con-

stall the KHS InnoPET BloFill block including

tact filling using a free-flowing filling valve

the next-generation InnoPET Blomax Series IV

ensures excellent microbiological and hygien-

stretch blow molder on the production floor.

ic safety. Volumetric filling, which eliminates

The line is the high-end version with an out-

the need for overfilling, is designed specifi-

put capacity of 72,000 0.5-liter PET bottles per

cally to reduce product consumption. Silver

sumption in production and achieve addi-

hour (the maximum bottle size is 2.0 liters).

The underlying concept and KHS technology give the Silver Springs company a whole

Springs also has a simple way of filling nonThe successful duo Karl (Right) and Kane Richmond
(President and CEO of Silver Springs).

carbonated water which has little or no electrical conductivity, because the system uses

range of impressive advantages backed up by

non-contact impeller flow metering rather

in-depth expertise. The main ones are listed

than electromagnetic flow metering.

below.

filler is now even easier on the new InnoPET

BloFill block than in the past. After exiting the

Bottles & Shapes: optimized bottles.

The first consideration was bottle optimiza-

airlock, the PET bottles move directly to the

filler infeed star.

tion undertaken with the long term in mind.

Optimal advice and perfection in on-site service.

Richmond explained: The KHS Bottles &

Servo motors: less material (II).

Shapes program provided valuable assistance.

The stretching process takes place under ser-

Since 2008, we have succeeded in reduc-

vo control at constant speed. As a result, pre-

The filling system is also suitable for other

ing the weight of our 0.5-liter bottle, which

forms can be used which optimize materi-

non-carbonated beverages in the future such

makes up 70% of our PET sales, by nearly a

al consumption down to the last tenth of a

as fruit juice and flavored water.

third, from 13.2 grams to 9.1 grams.

gram. That was not possible in the past, be-

Kane Richmond sums it all up: You cant

cause the stretching process was cam con-

improve on the customer focus that we have

trolled which resulted in speed reductions.

seen from KHS. We are extremely satisfied

Sights set on 8 grams.

with the new technology. KHS also provides

The next step is to go below 9 grams, and we

excellent advice, and the on-site service we

your memory, Bottles & Shapes is the service

Heating module:
energy consumption reduced by 30%.

and consultancy portfolio offered by KHS Cor-

A new heating module in the InnoPET Blo-

none. As a result, we can fully concentrate on

poplast for plastic bottle development and

max Series IV cuts the time it takes to heat

customer needs in our markets. Compared

design, and there is nothing like it anywhere

the preforms roughly in half compared to

to what the competition has to offer, it is my

in the world.

the Series III. Short-wavelength infrared ra-

view that KHS technology has given us a clear

are actually aiming for 8 grams. To refresh

receive from the US subsidiary is second to

diation (near infrared) heats the preforms.

advantage in terms of engineering, availabili-

Monoblock concept: less material (I).

Richmond explained: We now use 30% less

ty and total cost of ownership. You might say

The lines monoblock design reduces material

energy, despite the fact that the new line de-

that the boss is always right.

consumption during production of the plastic

livers significantly higher performance than

bottles. Because the PET bottles which have

the 43,000 bph line which was installed in

just been produced are handled very gently,

2008. Another plus is the fact that the high

lighter weight PET bottles can be used than

energy density and small mandrel pitch sig-

would be the case with air conveyors. In ad-

nificantly speed up the preform heating pro-

dition, monoblocking the blow molder and

cess, cutting the startup time to a mere 15

Contact
Michael Brancato | KHS USA, Inc., Waukesha, USA

Phone: +1 (262) 787-1664

Email: mike.brancato@khs.com

competence

02.2011

Showcase project:
the new KHS InnoPET BloFill block

62/63

Focus
on
Quality

Solutions for Sectors

Polands No. 1 brewery Kompania Piwowarska invests

in its third KHS 100,000 cph can line / The SABMiller
subsidiary continues its unparalleled market
conquest. The company maintains its uncompromising
commitment to top-quality and total customer focus.

omasz Miazek, Manufacturing Develop-

So what is the secret behind the stratospher-

ment Manager at Kompania Piwowars-

ic rise of Kompania Piwowarska? It all began

ka, gets straight to the point as he outlines

when SABMiller, one of the worlds largest

his expectations for the huge new filling line

brewery groups with operations in 60 coun-

which has a throughput capacity of 100,000

tries and a product portfolio which includes

0.5-liter cans per hour. For us, high system

200 beer brands, acquired a share in the Lech

availability and total control of the produc-

brewery in Posen in 1995. Two other brew-

tion process are crucial. He then immediate-

eries, Tyskie in Tychy and Dojlidy in Bialystok,

ly adds a compliment for his preferred sup-

were added later on. The decision was made

plier KHS: Even the acceptance test data for

in 1999 to consolidate all of the breweries un-

the new line was exceptional, with an effi-

der the Kompania Piwowarska umbrella. The

ciency level of 96%. To date, the average ef-

breweries in the group have a total capacity

ficiency is well over 90%. That is outstanding

of 18 million hectoliters.

performance.

Excellent product quality has always

been a priority for the management team,

100%

and the company only uses top-class line

96% efficiency

equipment at its breweries. Market share increased from 22% in 1999 to just under 42%
in 2011, and that is no coincidence. The peo-

80%

60%

He is also full of praise for the way in which

ple in charge recognized early on that there

the project was managed: We made the

were thirsty customers in Poland just waiting

space for the line available to KHS as agreed.

for beer. Per capita consumption was a mere

KHS took charge of everything after that in-

37 liters in 1995. The figure increased to 63

cluding furnishing the offices, documenta-

liters by 2001 and peaked in 2007 at 93 liters,

tion management, and installation of the

falling back to 90 liters in 2010.

complete line. This was a turnkey project

The Kompania Piwowarska brewery

in the truest sense of the word. The end re-

group continues to generate the largest

sult was nothing less than outstanding.

turnover for the SABMiller Group in Europe.

That is hardly surprising, given that Kompa-

The leading brands are Tyskie (more than

nia Piwowarska and KHS have been work-

50% of total turnover) and Zubr. The main-

ing well together for the last three decades.

stream brands include the premium brands

Roughly 80% of all technical systems at the

Lech Premium, Wojak, and Debowe Moc-

company were supplied by KHS including a

ne malt liquor. Kompania Piwowarska also

whole range of glass lines and three gigan-

markets a number of international premi-

tic 100,000 can-per-hour lines.

um beers including Pilsner Urquell, Peroni

competence

64/65

02.2011

The can line: special features by the dozen

1. Pressureless discharge to the conveyor belt
for gentle handling of the cans.
2. Two vacuum bridges, two rinsing stations and
two filling and seaming systems.
3. Electromagnetic inductive flow metering for
maximum filling accuracy.
4. Deviations in tolerances on cans supplied by
different manufactures are no longer an issue.
5. Mechanical parts no longer come into direct
contact with the product being filled.
6. Membrane sealing technology on the electro-

7. Stainless steel can guide parts for long

service life.
8. Rapid changeover at the press
of a button.
9. At two-hour intervals, a nozzle system performs
a cleaning cycle with chlorine dioxide water
when the filler is stopped.
10.  Prior to seaming, the system checks that the
cans have been filled properly.
11. X-ray checking of fill level and lids.
12. Second fill level check enhances measurement

pneumatically controlled filling values ensures

precision and identifies inaccurately seamed

microbiological safety.

beer cans.

Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch, and Miller Genu-

50% of total sales. Just under 10% is sup-

The advanced production data acquisition

ine Draft.

plied in kegs and the remaining 40% in

system (AIS) keeps a watchful eye on the pro-

Nor should we forget Redds and Gin-

cans. Tomasz Miazek explained that people

duction flow. With the system which is based

gers mixed beer beverages. Major emphasis

in Poland like the convenience of cans. He

on the Weihenstephan standard, Kompania

is always placed on the brand strategy. Each

continued: With our new KHS canning line,

Piwowarska now has an excellent tool for

brand has an exact target group definition.

we are prepared for further growth. The

managing batch tracking, product liability,

The target group for Lech, for instance, is ac-

line gives us the versatility to cater to a full

documentation requirements, quality mon-

tive, educated 25 to 35-year-olds who play

range of customer preferences in terms of

itoring, system availability enhancement,

sports and are chiefly city-dwellers. Tyskie on

can sizes and packaging options. The new

benchmarking, and cost control.

the other hand is the brand for tradition-con-

line is dedicated exclusively to filling dif-

scious beer lovers in the over 30s age group.

ferent brand products into 0.5-liter cans. It

Beer produced by Kompania Piwowar-

could also handle 0.568 and 0.33-liter cans.

ska is delivered to consumers primarily in

Besides 24 and 12-can tray and pad shrink

returnable 0.5-liter glass bottles. Products

packs, smaller packaging units can also be

supplied in glass bottles generate around

put together.

Contact
Jaroslaw Gajda | KHS Poland

Phone: +48 (22) 646 8490

Email: jaroslaw.gajda@khs.com

Solutions for Sectors

Fifth Can Filler for CCE in the UK

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) Great Britain will be taking delivery of its fifth
KHS Innofill DVD high-performance can filler within the space of two years,
and there are undoubtedly good reasons why.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) in

the UK produces and markets many

1. MILLIMETER-PRECISION FILLING ACCURACY

different soft drinks on the island. The

Volumetric filling on the DVD delivers

will be in the can. The volume is measured

company is the worlds third largest

leading-edge can filling precision, even at

by means of an electromagnetic inductive

independent Coca-Cola bottler, and

the high-end of the performance range.

flowmeter. This not only guarantees consist-

each year it sells more than four billion

The product filled into the cans meets the

ently uniform filling results in all capacity

bottles and cans. CCE recently placed

most demanding technological standards.

and operating phases, but also that the fill-

an order with KHS for delivery and

Can tolerances are irrelevant. If the filling

ing process can be carried out independently

installation of an additional can filler

volume is set to 0.33 liters, exactly 0.33 liters

of the respective machine speed.

for its high-performance production

operations. The CCE site in Sidcup is the
destination for one of the worlds largest can fillers.

2. KEY MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFETY FEATURES

Non-contact technology is deployed for volu

the electro-pneumatically controlled filling valves

metric flow metering. No mechanical parts come

for added safety. Additional features such as

In the last two years, KHS has already

in contact with the product being filled.

CIP caps with automatic control, automatic valve

delivered four of these lines to the CCE

Membrane sealing technology which has a

manifolds, foam cleaning, and hygienic enclosure

Group. All of the lines deliver enormous

proven track record on bottle fillers is used on

ensure maximum microbiological safety.

performance, ranging between 90,000

and 120,000 cans per hour. Four followup orders clearly indicate that the cus-

3. PUSH-BUTTON CHANGEOVER

tomer is totally satisfied with the lines,

Changeover times are reduced to a mini-

which offer great technical features

mum when the filler is used in combination

component Innopro Paramix C starts mixing

along with excellent reliability and cost-

with the KHS Innopro Paramix C blender.

the new beverage, the filler is still finishing

efficiency. The CCE Group has very

Using the program select function, a simple

the last cans. The changeover takes no

high confidence in our our exceptional

click switches the system on the com-

more than ten minutes. A new benchmark

can technology expertise and values

puter-controlled can filler from product 1 to

in can filling.

product 2, for example. While the two-

the ease of doing business with KHS.

The new line for Sidcup meets the
same high customer expectations. The

4. 120,000 CANS PER HOUR ON REQUEST

brief summary below outlines the main

Like the four previously installed lines,

Such a capacity is among the worlds

features of the filler.

the new can filler at CCAs Sidcup site pro-

highest outputs in can filling technology.

duces 90,000 to 120,000 cans per hour.

competence

66/67

02.2011

can

power
Frances largest family-owned brewery consistently relies
on the trendy 5-liter can
/
Triple the performance with the same number of filling heads.
Nearly 100% efficiency. Flexibility to handle all can types.
Maximum hygiene, minimal O pickup, minimized CO loss,
fewer operators. That is the power of the new KHS large-can line at
the Meteor brewery in Alsace.

Solutions for Sectors

We are expecting continued growth. We are ideally equipped

now that we have the new KHS line.
Bernard Oster
Engineering Manager at the Meteor brewery

ust imagine how far back this business

on a forward-looking three-pronged strate-

Meteor also fills 0.33-liter and 0.65-liter one-

can trace its roots. In 1640 while the Thir-

gy. To start with, an additional filling station

way bottles along with the 0.75-liter refilla-

ty Years War was still raging across Europe,

can easily be added to the line. Secondly, the

ble bottles which are commonly used in Al-

what is now the Meteor brewery brewed its

brewery is adding a second production shift.

sace. The conventional keg range includes 20,

first beer. And for three centuries, Frances

Thirdly, Meteor is investing in this production

30 and 50-liter kegs as well as non-refillable

No. 1 among family-run breweries has held

capacity in order to take on contract filling

KeyKegs. The only cans filled are those that

fast on three unshakable central guide lines:

work from other breweries.

hold 5 liters.

quality, flexibility, and creativity. The compa-

The company decided in favor of the new

ny intends to considerably increase the sale

KHS can line because, in the words of Oster,

of 5-liter large-size cans that are currently the

trend while relying on cutting-edge filling
technology from KHS with all of the related
advantages (see: Highlights).

The seventh generation

is now at the helm of the
family-owned company.

Back at the beginning of the 1980s, Me-

the overall concept fits our needs. In addition, the management team has great confidence in KHS technology. Both glass lines at
the brewery plus a keg line were supplied by
KHS. Oster expressed unreserved praise: All

teor demonstrated its innovative creativity by

of the machines are very reliable. When we

being the first brewery in France to introduce

It is worth taking a look at the success story

have needed service (and for us that is an-

the 5-liter container. This was an astute and

and the structure of the brewery, neither of

other crucial consideration), we have always

visionary decision. Initially, sales amounted to

which was the result of chance. Instead, they

been very satisfied with the KHS response.

only a few hundred hectoliters a year. Howev-

reflect a business strategy that was well con-

The business relationship brings together sev-

er, consumer demand for small-size kegs con-

ceived and continually developed. Since the

eral hundred years of expertise and tradition.

tinued to rise. By 2009, sales had increased to

Haag family acquired it in 1844, the compa-

30,000 hectoliters. We are expecting contin-

ny has been 100% family owned. The seventh

ued growth, says Bernard Oster, Engineering

generation is now in charge.

Manager at the brewery. We are ideally po-

Meteor handles a wide variety of con-

sitioned now that we have the new KHS line,

tainer types. The biggest seller in the glass

he continues. This brief assessment is based

segment is the 0.25-liter non-refillable bottle.

Contact
Rainer Deutschmann | KHS GmbH, Kriftel

Phone: +49 (6192) 491-130

Email: rainer.deutschmann@khs.com

competence

02.2011

The right overall concept: the Meteor Brewery decided

on a 5-liter canning line from KHS.

Highlights of the 5-liter can line from

the customer perspective
The major features and advantages
Great versatility. In addition to conventional 5-liter cans, the line easily handles cans
with CO cartridges that extend the beer shelf life.
Three times the output. Previously, maximum output was 170 5-liter cans per hour.
With the same number of filling heads, maximum output has now increased
to 600 cans per hour in spite of fewer operators being required.
High efficiency. Line efficiency during acceptance testing was 98%, and performance
during ongoing operation has been outstanding as well.

68/69

Special: Hidden Champions

Assault on conventional models

Hidden
Champions

competence

70/71

01.2011

How smaller players conquer world markets

/
In Germany alone, more than 1,000 world market leaders
are medium-sized businesses. With their sights set on
ambitious goals, many of them give their global competitors
a real run for the money as they rise to the top in inter
national markets. KHS competence looks at the strategies
behind the success of these world champions.

he crisis has passed. It has been a long

Simon coined the term hidden champions

time since Germanys economy was in

to describe this group. That may sound like

such good shape. Once again, the impetus is

downplay, and that is just what it is. To start

coming largely from the medium-sized busi-

with, many products remain inconspicuous

ness sector, led largely by companies that

in our everyday lives. German companies are

have been front runners for many years and

the world leaders in the button (Union Knopf

are now the world market leaders in their ar-

in Bielefeld), book cloth (Kaliko in Bamberg),

eas of specialization. Despite their impressive

and fly trap (Aeroxon in Waiblingen) markets.

achievements, very few people know any-

Another reason for the low profile of these lit-

thing about them.

tle giants lies in the fact that they prefer to fo-

Who are these world-class companies?

Kern-Liebers, to take one example, produces

cus their time and energy on business activities rather than on PR.

80% of the springs that are used in seatbelts.

The memory chips on four out of five of the
worlds smart cards are mounted using a special adhesive made by Delo. The market share
held by these mid-tier world market leaders

Staying away from

talk shows.

often exceeds 50% and in many cases, their

slice of the market is twice as large as that of
their next-largest competitor. Nevertheless,

PR (if any) zeroes in on the essentials. Con-

the companies remain largely invisible to the

ventional mass-media advertising and CEOs

general public.

making the rounds on the talk show circuit

For around 25 years Hermann Simon,

are not something you see much from medi-

Professor of Economics and management

um-sized market leaders. The reason is that

consultant based in Bonn, Germany, has

demonstrating the companys strengths and

been analyzing mid-tier companies which

capabilities to customers, competitors, and

are world market leaders in their segments.

employees tends to be more important than

In the German speaking region alone, he has

public posturing. Beacon projects are a good

identified 1,316 medium-size market leaders.

example. Otto Bock HealthCare supplies hightech artificial limbs that restore mobility for

Klais organ at Overture Hall

in Madison, WI, USA

the disabled. What could be better for getting the message across than the countless

Special: Hidden Champions

1
2
3
4

The worlds longest textile-reinforced concrete bridge in

Albstadt, Germany, produced by Groz Beckert, the world
market leader in precision tools for the textile industry. The technology extends the useful life compared to
standard concrete.
Johannes Klais Orgelbau in Bonn, Germany is one of the
worlds leading organ makers. Philipp C. A. Klais is the
third-generation CEO of the company which was founded in 1882. 60 employees, turnover 6 million.
Professor Hans Georg Nder is the CEO of Otto Bock
Health-Care in Duderstadt, the world market leader in artificial limbs. Latest technology: a mind-controlled prosthetic arm. 4,300 employees, turnover 529 million.
Dr. Thomas Lindner, Executive Board Chairman at Groz
Beckert in Albstadt-Ebingen, Germany, world leader in
precision tools for textile production. 7,000 employees,
turnover 531 million.

medals which disabled athletes have won

merely reacting to events. Is there a better

with the companys support? Klais, who de-

way? They seem to mull over this question

signs, produces and restores organs, is yet an-

always and everywhere, starting within their

other champion. The virtuosity and perfec-

own four walls.

tion of the companys craftsmanship is truly

Developing in-house capability. No

admirable. The portfolio ranges from resto-

company is immune to the ups and downs of

ration of a bamboo organ in the Philippines

the business cycle. Everyone does well when

(originally built in 1824) to one of the worlds

times are good. Many are satisfied with that,

biggest organs at the new National Theater in

which is a problem. In contrast, the success of

Beijing. Or take Groz-Beckert, the world mar-

world-class players is based on continual im-

ket leader in precision tools for textile produc-

provement. They never stop looking for ways

tion. The company constructed the worlds

to improve and often find opportunities in

longest textile-reinforced concrete bridge in

many of the small things. The search extends

Albstadt, Germany. The innovative textile-

beyond production and engineering to in-

based design significantly extends useful life

clude the entire value-added chain.

compared to conventional steel-reinforced

concrete bridges.

They prepare themselves for business

downturns as well as for the good times. At a
time when others are running all of their vital
systems in standby mode as the recession sets

Beacon projects only

come from the best.

in, the really successful companies increase

their emphasis on improvement and innovation. This gives them the strength to achieve
a quantum increase in market share when
the markets recover. In our experience, mar-

Beacon projects reflect achievements which

ket share realignment takes place when times

only the best can deliver. The ultimate goal of

are tough rather than in phases when busi-

the worlds best is market leadership. Based

ness is booming, Hermann Simon confirms.

on the strategy attack is the best form of de-

Developing the market and sharpening

fense, these companies proactively shape

competitiveness. Do you have to accept the

their business environments rather than

current definition of the market? The best of

competence

72/73

01.2011

At a glance:

LESSONS FROM THE

HI D D E N
C HA M P IONS

In his analysis of hidden champions, Professor Hermann Simon has identified seven factors that
apparently make these companies particularly strong.

1. Leadership and goals

5. Globalization

Hidden champions not only know what they want, but they also

Nothing will change the world over the decades ahead more than

have the willpower and energy and sometimes the obsession

globalization. Companies that take advantage of the changes will

to achieve what they set out to do. Leadership means that they in-

have enormous growth opportunities.

still this burning desire in people with different national and

cultural backgrounds.

However, setting up worldwide production and sales networks

often takes generations. Sales is the first area where internationalization takes place followed by the workforce and finally

2. Strong team

management.

Hidden champions manage to create conditions which keep staff

turnover extremely low, and they reap the benefits. You only get

Strategies and practical implementation at most hidden champions

the very best from your people if they are highly motivated and

are still very much work in progress. Simon observes: To exploit the

identify very strongly with the company. To achieve that, you have

opportunities, you have to get rid of national limitations and be in it

to recruit the right employees.

for the long haul.

3. Decentralization

6. Innovation

Many hidden champions operating in narrow markets where they

Most hidden champions have plans for massive innovation activi-

have a large market share are left with limited growth opportuni-

ties. The market and the technology have priority in driving inno-

ties. They then decide to diversify. In order to avoid putting their tra-

vation. Few large corporations are able to achieve this balance. In-

ditional strengths at risk, they opt for full decentralization, normally

novation stems primarily from creativity and quality and is by no

in the form of legally independent companies.

means only dependent on money.

4. Focus

7. Customer proximity

Focus normally provides the only route to world-class performance.

Proximity to the customer is more important for hidden champions

Hidden champions are better able to concentrate their limited re-

than a focus on competitive strategies. Customer relationships over

sources than others, and they continue to do so until they have

many years are their real strength. Delivering top value to the cus-

reached the top. The definition of the playing field is itself part of

tomer automatically creates a competitive advantage. Simon rec-

the companys focus.

ommends, Using top customers as well as top competitors as performance stimulators.

Special: Hidden Champions

WHERE THE
Champions
ARE HIDING
Search game
Quitting time. Just under two hours to go until the
theater performance starts. Mr. Jones takes his
cell phone off the charger and heads for the office building door which opens automatically. On the way
home, he stops by the supermarket. He hurriedly
places eggs, hot chocolate, beer, fish fillet, and a great
wine from Chile into his shopping basket. Done.

On the way home, the road is closed for construction

(he didnt need that). Fortunately, his intelligent navigation
system routes him through a detour. When he gets home,
he has just enough time to take the dog out for a walk.
Not long thereafter, Mr. Jones reaches his seat at the theater
in time. The curtain rises, and he hasnt missed a thing.
Or has he? On this brief journey, he came across a dozen
hidden champions.

WHERE THEY WERE HIDING.

competence

74/75

01.2011

Professor Hermann
Simon has been researching mid-tier
world market leaders for 25 years. He
coined the term
hidden champions
to describe these
SOLUTIONS

companies.

Charger: Friwo Gertebau is synonymous with power supplies and chargers

worldwide.
Automatic door: Dorma Holding is the
world leader in door closing systems.
Dairy eggs: Deutsche Frhstcksei in

the best do not think so. They redefine their

benefit, build long-term customer relation-

Neuenkirchen-Vrden is one of Europes

markets and narrow down the playing field.

ships, constantly innovate, conscientious-

largest egg producers.

In other words, these companies look

ly work on the task at hand and make sure

Cacao: Bhler Barth in Freiberg is the

specifically for niche markets where they can

that they are better than the competition

world market leader in cacao processing

make a success of what they are really good

where it really counts, enabling them to de-

at. This allows them to concentrate their re-

liver even more customer real benefits.

systems.
Beer: The Nuremberg-based Barth Haas

sources and focus expertise in their particu-

However, Simon warns against inter-

Group is the worlds largest supplier of

lar area of specialization to gain a clear com-

preting these lessons as a panacea which will

petitive advantage. An example of that is

automatically turn every mid-tier company

Winterhalter Gastronom which makes dish-

more or less automatically into a world mar-

washing systems exclusively for the commer-

ket leader. Instead, companies should care-

cial market. Brita is yet another example.

fully examine their own expertise and goals.

The company has created its own market for

The next step is to analyze the market and the

is the worlds leading logistics supplier for

household drinking water filtration systems.

competition. The third phase is implementa-

the wine and spirits industry.

By cleverly staking out markets for them-

tion, starting with generation of an action

Shopping carts: Wanzl Metallwarenfabrik

selves, the companies support their strate-

plan and continuing right through to results

in Leipheim is the world market leader in

gies for achieving market dominance as they

analysis.

shopping carts.

gain ground on competitors.

hops and hop products.

Fish fillets: Lbecks Nordischer
Maschinenbau has an 80% share of the
worldwide fish processing machinery
market.
Wine: The JF Hillebrand Group in Mainz

The hidden champions prove that man-

Road paving: Wirtgen Windhagen has a

agement will continue to be based primarily

70% share of the world market for road

on good common sense as we move into the

stripping machines.

Success spiral.

twenty-first century. If you do a lot of small

Traffic management system: Ahrens-

things better, you can even become a world

burg-based Basler is the worlds leading

market leader. This view was expressed by

producer of digital cameras used in appli-

Developing customer benefits. In his best-

Reinhold Wrth who was at the helm while

seller Hidden Champions of the Twenty-First

a small medium-sized company transformed

Century, Professor Simon describes seven

itself into the worlds leading wholesaler of

very useful lessons for prospective champi-

fastening and assembly products. It should be

ons (see Lessons learned from the hidden

interpreted by the CEO of every mid-tier com-

champions, page 73). It is interesting to note

pany as an exhortation to act. Now is time to

only company in the world that makes

that these factors complement and rein-

go into the offensive!

large theater curtains.

force each other. This results in a kind of suc-

cations such as intelligent traffic management systems.

Dog leashes: flexi - Bogdahn International
in Bargteheide is the world market leader
in retractable dog leashes.
Stage curtains: Gerriets of Umkirch is the

cess spiral. Companies deliver real customer

Horst Kern, Munich / Jrgen Jacobs, Cologne

In-house News

KHS at
Brau Beviale
2011

Technology. Performance. Reliability.

At Brau Beviale 2011 in Nuremberg, Germany, from November 911
KHS will be presenting a whole host of innovative ideas and exhibits.
One of the main focuses will be on the area of service. Presentations
in this area include countless upgrades for older KHS machines
which boost the performance of older-generation KHS technology.

For all beverage operations

Innofill Glass: new filler platform

The Innofill Glass bottling concept heralds the arrival of a new generation of fillers for glass bottles. KHS provides a
base machine to which various electronic KHS filling systems can be added. The benefits: higher line availability and
reduced operating costs.

For all medium-sized companies

Especially for breweries

For beverage, food and non-food companies

For all beverage operations

The Innokeg Till CombiKeg: new keg line

KHS has developed an extremely compact, space and budget-saving keg washing and racking machine with an

output of up to 90 kegs an hour, especially designed for medium-sized businesses. This system has a very high efficiency
(approx. 95%) and a number of very interesting options.

The Innopro ECOStab: new PV PP filter

Another outstanding innovation is the newly developed Innopro ECOStab. This system is a regenerative beer stabilizing
system which uses PVPP. The advantages of this as opposed to classic filters are reduced investment costs and a low PVPP
volume. PVPP from various manufacturers can also be used with a high degree of automation.

Innopack SP: New concept

KHS has taken a quantum leap with the Innopack Kisters SP shrink packer. No less than four modules have been further
improved. A new shrink tunnel concept ensures sustainable energy and cost savings. Shrink packs without shrinkage
holes are now also no problem in practice. Film printing inside the pack and nested packs are also possible.

The Innoket 360 S: new compact labeler

KHS has now extended the proven Innoket 360 roll-fed labeler series to include the compact Innoket 360 S. As a modular
system the Innoket 360 S permits a number of possible variations and options. The new compact labeler saves space,
produces up to 50,000 labeled bottles an hour with the shortest glue heating times and permanently precision-cut labels,
and also offers plenty of practical options. Can be seen on the Nordson stand in Hall 7, Stand 320.

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02.2011

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3

KHS
In-house
practice

We look forward to seeing you!

Visit KHS at Brau Beviale 2011
in Hall 5, Booth 127
Contact: manfred.rueckstein@khs.com

In-house News

Sustainable budgeting

New offices

but also for quick action and ambitious perfor-

KHS Cuts
Energy Costs
W ith ECOPROFIT

KHS Asia
Moves
To The Top

mance. Werner Gessner, vice president of KHS

the past few years due to the Hamburg com-

fifth floor of the Keypoint Building. The open-

panys involvement in the plant environment

ing, complete with a two-day program that

management program ECOPROFIT. The pro-

dealt with several specialized topics, was well

ject, which is a cooperation between the lo-

received by the guests, many of whom were

cal authorities and local businesses, aims to

long-standing customers of KHS. Seventy bev-

systematically introduce environmental cost-

erage industry representatives from all over

cutting measures in the participating compa-

Southeast Asia were present at the event. The

nies. The project has a number of interlinked

KHS Moving to the Top slogan stands not only

HS Corpoplast has been able to save well

over 700,000 in costs for electricity, gas,

water/wastewater, and refuse disposal over

Asia-Pacific Market Zone, says, This move not

only indicates that KHS is one of the top suppliers of filling and packaging technology for
the Asian beverage industry, but also that KHS
intends to consolidate its leading position on
this market.

HS Asia in Singapore is going up in the

world. The team recently moved from the

third floor of the German Center to the twenty-

Singapore: over 70 guests attended

the opening ceremony

for the elevated location of the new offices

Well rewarded

KHS competence
W ins The
FOX AWARD 2011
Lights out at the end of the shift

he jury was impressed and awarded

KHS competence a gold FOX AWARD

2011 in the Mechanical Engineering Customer Magazine category. The cross-medial supplements and the readers ability to get into
direct contact with the authors were what
made the most impact. The FOX AWARD is
the first efficiency award in corporate pub-

components, with the relevant topics being

lishing, where a jury of science and media

tackled by delegated employees at various

professionals assesses in-house and external

workshops held throughout the year. At the

communication media with regard to their

end of these they take stock of the situation at

development, range of distribution, proof of

their company, analyze the relevant data, de-

performance, sales impulse, quality of distri-

fine targets, and implement suitable measures.

bution, and market conformity. The overall

The costs for such measures are also reasona-

impression the pleasure and curiosity gen-

ble. These could include automatically switch-

erated in using such media also affects the

ing off lights in rooms not constantly in use,

total number of points. In 2011, 87 compa-

reusing packaging, and regulating heating sys-

nies and agencies submitted work. This is a

tems to sensible levels. In other cases, such as

great start if you consider that companies are

waterless urinals, investments pay off within a

giving us an insight into their sacred efficiency

very short period of time. ECOPROFIT has certi-

analyses, concludes initiator Pia Dahlem, ed-

fied and awarded KHS Corpoplast several times

for its exemplary behavior in this field.

itor-in-chief of the CPWISSEN corporate pubA question of honor: the FOX AWARD 2011

lishing forum.

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02.2011

Company run

KHS Employees
Run For Charity

KHS competence
PUBLISHER
KHS GmbH, Dortmund
EDITORS
KHS: Matthias Damm, Manfred Rckstein;
jj-media, Cologne; Friederike Arndt, Bonn

his was a fine growth indeed: as opposed to 40 in

2010, no less than 80 KHS employees lined up for

GRAPHICS
Trawny/Quass von Deyen, Konzeption+Design, Cologne

the 6 pm start of the second Bad Kreuznach company run on June 9, 2011. At the event organized by local radio station Antenne Bad Kreuznach part of the
proceeds go to charity. Around 2,400 runners from
local companies of all sizes braved the five-kilome-

CONTRIBUTIONS
Alfons Abels-Rmping, Werner Ageling, Michael Beisel, Ludwig Clsserath,
Rainer Deutschmann, Jaroslaw Gajda, Frank Haesendonckx,
Matthias Hahn, Jrg Hoffmann, Rudolf Kahlen, Horst Kern, Oliver Kress, Thomas Niehr,
Werner Oster, Manfred Pschichholz, Olaf Reinecke, Achim Schlicher, Jrgen Thielen,
Gnter Unkrig, Jrgen Vandree, Paul-Uwe Winterhoff

ter (three-mile) course. Incidentally, KHS was the fifth

TRANSLATIONS
Fachbersetzungen CP MacKusick

fastest single team out of over 600 groups, had the

twelfth fastest female runner, and notched up place
24 in the mens category.

PHOTOS ILLUSTRATIONS
AST Beverage, Friederike Arndt, Timo Beylemanns, Groz Beckert,
Johannes Klais Orgelbau, Knig-Brauerei, Otto Bock HealthCare, PepsiCo, Frank Reinhold,
Jakob Schneider, Joerg Schwalfenberg Photography, shutterstock (Valentin Agopov, nuttakit)
Simon-Kucher&Partners, Anne Vogt
This information is non-binding. Only the technical specifications of our quotes are determinative with regard to design and scope of delivery. Subject to design modifications.
INFORMATION FOR ORDERING
KHS Competence is published in English, German, French, Spanish, and Russian.
Those interested can order further copies of the magazine at www.khs.com.

Addresses

The enthusiastic team of KHS runners

Modern times

KHS W ebsite For

Smartphones

ervice at its best: On the KHS website customers and other interested individuals can find all

the information they might need on the company,

browse through detailed descriptions of its products
and services, gain interactive, 24/7 access to the service center, and order spare parts quickly and easily
from the Innoshop. And what about users who are
out on the road without an online laptop connection? In November KHS is launching a technology
which will make their entire Internet presence available to iPads and smartphones. We live in modern
times indeed

KHS GmbH
Juchostrasse 20
44143 Dortmund, Germany
Phone: +49 (231) 569-0
Fax:
+49 (231) 569-1541
Planiger Strasse 139147
55543 Bad Kreuznach, Germany
Phone: +49 (671) 852-0
Fax:
+49 (671) 852-2411
Enzingerstrasse 139
67551 Worms, Germany
Phone: +49 (6247) 97-0
Fax:
+49 (6247) 97-3300
Ruwoldtweg 14
22309 Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (40) 63703-37100
Fax:
+49 (40) 63703-37150
Boschstrasse 13
47533 Kleve, Germany
Phone: +49 (2821) 503-0
Fax:
+49 (2821) 26110
Kapellenstrasse 4749
65830 Kriftel, Germany
Phone: +49 (6192) 491-0
Fax:
+49 (6192) 491-144
Email: info@khs.com

KHS Corpoplast
GmbH & Co. KG
Meiendorfer Strasse 203
22145 Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (40) 67907-0
Fax:
+49 (40) 67907-100
KHS Plasmax GmbH
Meiendorfer Strasse 203
22145 Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (40) 67907-364
Fax:
+49 (40) 67907-353
KHS UK Ltd.
Unit 6, Monkspath Business Park,
Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull
West Midlands B90 4NY,
Great Britain
Phone: +44 (121) 713-6900
Fax:
+44 (121) 713-6935
Email: info@khs.com
KHS USA, Inc.
880 Bahcall Court
Waukesha, WI 53186, USA
Phone: +1 (262) 797-7200
Fax:
+1 (262) 797-0025
Email: mike.brancato@khs.com
5501 N. Washington Blvd.
Sarasota, FL 34243, USA
Phone: +1 (941) 359-4000
Fax:
+1 (941) 359-4043
Email: john.turner@khs.com

KHS Pacific Pty. Ltd.

P.O. Box 378
13 Freight Road
Tullamarine, Vic. 3043, Australia
Phone: +61 (393) 35-1211
Fax:
+61 (393) 35-1331
Email: info@khspacific.com.au
KHS Asia Pte. Ltd.
25 International Business Park
# 315/19 German Centre
Singapore 609916
Phone: +65 (6560) 9313
Fax:
+65 (6560) 9910
Email: info@khsasia.com
KHS Machinery Pvt. Ltd.
15, Madhuban, Nr. Madalpur
Underbridge, Ellisbridge,
Ahmedabad - 380 006, India
Phone: +91 (79) 2644-0331
Fax:
+91 (79) 2644-5146
Email: khs@khsindia.com

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