If required, a module can be added to the Innopack Packcell machine to processe additional packaging units such as tray-shrink, tray, pad, and wrap-around packaging,the company said yesterday.
"The decisive feature of the Innopack Packcell concept is that it is a blocked solution, with individual machines being handled as functionalmodules," the company said in a press release. " Buffer segments are no longer necessary between these functional modules. Compared with similar conventional projects, this results in space savings of nearly tenper cent."
Innopack Packcell can also process a range of packs or containers in different sizes and shapes, ranging from plastic and glass bottles, cans, up to and including plastic cups and drinkcartons.The modular form of the machine would allow faster project planning, less upkeep, less wiring, fewer powersupplies and less cleaning, the company claims. In addition, only one machine operator is needed to operate theInnopack Packcell.
"The lack of buffer segments makes it possible to implement state-of-the-art controltechnology," the company said. "The functional modules are interconnected the same way different functions are interlinked in a single machine."
In other related news KHS Till, a companysubsidiary, announced today it has achieved a 70 per cent share of the Russian packing market for beer racked in kegs.Heineken's four Russian breweries all use KHS Till plant technology, the company said.
KHS Till plant equipment at Heineken's packaging plant can processes 50-liter kegs in addition to 30-liter kegs at an output of up to 140kegs an hour. The heart of the line is the Innokeg Transomat 5/1 Duo. The two-lane machine operates with one racking and six washing and sterilising stations.
Due to the large number of washing and sterilizing stations, themachine is suitable for specialty beers requiring special treatment. The keg line is currently used to rack Heineken and Löwenbräu brands of beer in addition to theBotchkarev brand of local beer. Various styles of Botchkarev brand beer are available including standard lager, heavy dark beer, white beer, and non-alcohol beer.
The new KHS Till keg line is the fifth kegging line to be delivered to Heineken for the Russian market to meet the increased demand in the restaurant trade for beer racked in kegs. With aneight per cent share of the market and sales totaling six million hectoliters per year, Heineken isnumber three in the Russian beer market following BBH and Sun Interbrew.