PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2016

BOTTLING / FILLING 19 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 03/16 www.petpla.net been solved,” says Martin van den Booren, plant manager at the Heer- hugowaard facility. Another aspect of crucial importance was that by using the new technology, the group was able to increase filler output by 15-20%. Martin van den Booren detects some more advantages: “All of the control kit need no longer be accom- modated in the filler turret, but has been grouped together directly in the valve, thus eliminating the possibility of mal- functions between turret and valve. And that has beneficial effects on mainte- nance as well,” he explains. It is claimed that maintenance outlay in the event of a fault is minimal. Since the electronic and mechanical equipment is accommodated together in a single housing, a defective PFR is replaced in its entirety, eliminating time-consuming fault-finding. With con- ventional filling technology, by contrast, trouble-shooting is definitely more com- plicated, because the electronics are in the control cabinet and the mechanical parts are on the valve. Thanks to the The Burg Groep makes vinegar, fruit syrups and fruit-juice concentrates, household cleaning agents, plus cleaning and care products for the car, mar- keted as private labels. It operates seven state-of-the-art production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. The group’s registered headquarters is in the Dutch town of Heerhugowaard, 50km to the north of Amsterdam. In the Netherlands, the company has a total of four plants; in Belgium natural vinegar is filled on one line, while in France special types of vinegar are made, like balsamic, for instance. In the south of Germany, Burg processes vinegar in canisters for the preserved-food industry. Another vinegar plant is located in the Czech Republic. In one of its four Dutch plants, the Burg Groep produces fruit syrups in a widely varied range of flavours, sugar-free syrups, concentrated juices, and vitamin-C-fortified fruit syrups. All these products are available in PET containers, glass bottles and cans. plug-and-play principle, the flow regula- tor is quickly ready for operation: during maintenance, the times for replacing a complete valve are short – all that is needed is to move three cable plugs and two flanges. Energy-economy As Europe’s second-biggest vin- egar producer, the Burg Groep likewise wishes to play a pioneering role in terms of sustainability, which is why it is continually optimising its production processes. Teams comprising tech- nicians and researchers examine the options provided by new raw materi- als and production methods. As far as PFR is concerned, energy will only be consumed when something actually moves, since pneumatics have been dispensed with. A valve self-locking function is provided using a trapezoidal spindle solution. For the first machine in actual operation, this resulted in the energy consumed at the filling valves being reduced by up to 90%. In 2015, the Burg Groep intends, in the next stage of its investment programme, to also replace the now-too-small PET blow-moulder in this line with a higher-output model, thus increasing overall line output to 16,000 containers an hour. www.krones.com www.kosme.com