PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2017

BOTTLING / FILLING 29 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 manufacture.” Eckes-Granini was, in 2006, the first in the fruit juice sector to go to market with Plas- max and it is pioneering again. The first InnoPET FreshSafe block from KHS went into operation at its plant last year, the system comprising a stretch blow moulder and a Plasmax coating machine. “Blocking makes two efficient machines better and more economi- cal,” says Andreas Klages from KHS. “Doing away with about 60 metres of air conveyor eliminates a potentially maintenance-intensive source of disruption. The block’s compact, space- saving layout makes it more operator friendly.” The stretch blow mould- ing and coating machines are linked by a transfer module where the blow- moulded bottles are cooled before they are given their glass coating. Blocking and consistent neck handling, where the bottles are held by the neck until they have been coated, make for a fully controlled process. The InnoPET FreshSafe block produces and coats up to 36,000bph in sizes from 500ml to 1.5l. Long-lasting collaboration “We enjoy a very close and trusting partnership with Eckes-Granini which goes back many years,” says Bernd-Thomas Kempa, head of Barrier Technology Global Account Management at KHS Corpoplast. “Since 2003 – since taking our first steps with glass coating – we’ve compared notes on how to provide optimum prod- uct and quality protection for sensitive juices and soft drinks.” In looking for what’s best for its products, Eckes-Granini abandoned all constraints and was subsequently totally recep- tive to new developments and processes. Bernd-Thomas Kempa, head of Barrier Technology Global Account Management at KHS in Hamburg