PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2019

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 07+08/19 www.petpla.net 20 Slovak beverage producer Slovenské pramene a žriedla modernises its production facilities Boosting efficiency The water market in Slovakia is serviced by many small, regional suppliers and, accordingly, the competition is fierce. Market leader Slovenské pramene a žriedla holds its own over its strong rivals by continuously developing new prod- ucts. In doing so, the Slovakian beverage producer relies heavily on technology from KHS. For its plant in Lúka the bottler recently procured an InnoPET BloFill stretch blow moulder/filler block and an Innopro Paramix C blending system from the Dortmund systems supplier. The water market in Slovakia is dominated by a large number of bot- tlers. Consequently pressure from the competition is high. Market leader Slovenské pramene a žriedla, which also exports to the Czech Republic and Hungary, among other coun- tries, faces down its strong rivals by constantly developing new prod- ucts. “Here, it is especially impor- tant to recognise new trends early on and to gear the product portfolio accordingly”, explains Michal Hara- jda, technical director for the Slovak beverage producer. “The Slovaks are paying more and more attention to their health. Natural mineral water and beverages with added minerals and vitamins are currently very much in demand.” In addition, it is forecast that the home market share for water in PET bottles will rapidly increase by 2022. Particularly high growth rates of 13% and 11% are expected for flavoured and still bottled water respectively. In an attempt to success- fully satisfy customer requirements they now have an increasingly com- plex product range, which has meant heavy investment in KHS machines for their water bottling operations. Slovenské pramene a žriedla has relied on technology engineered by KHS since the early 1990s. At the start of the cooperation between these two companies the Slovak bever- age producer purchased only used machines. “Most of this machinery is still up and running today and still economically viable,” states Harajda. The beverage producer now operates KHS machines at four of its five production sites, investing in a blocked InnoPET BloFill at the plant in Tornaľa two years ago. During the same period the bottler initially also acquired two single KHS machines for stretch blow moulding and filling for its Budiš production site. However, the Slovaks were so convinced by the block system that they subsequently also had their existing KHS machines in Budiš blocked. In 2018 Slovenské pramene a žriedla then invested in a further InnoPET BloFill for its new bot- tling plant in Lúka. Latest procurements boost efficiency The latest investment was sparked by the move of one of the company’s old facilities to the village of Lúka. The previous bottling plant was in the mountains which proved difficult for some of the trucks, especially in the winter. The bottler therefore had to decide whether to relocate the machines from its old site to Lúka or to replace them. “Our posi- tive experience with the KHS stretch blow moulder block prompted us to purchase a BloFill for Lúka as well,” Harajda states. The impact the KHS machine had on the beverage pro- ducer’s electricity consumption alone was huge: this was halved following the installation of the new stretch blow moulder/filler block. “The sales figures for water in Slovakia have continuously risen over the last few years. At 14,000 bottles an hour, the production capacity of our old line was no longer sufficient,” says Haradja, giving another reason for the recent investment. By using the Inno- PET BloFill the output has increased considerably, with up to 26,000 0.33- to 1.5-litre bottles and a maximum of 22,000 2.0-litre containers now being produced per hour. In the course of the recent investment drive, the bottle caps were also changed over from the old PCO 1810 standard to the PCO 1881, which is 4mm shorter. This, along with various other factors, cuts down on the use of materials and therefore on the weight of the bottles. On the 2.0-litre variant the bottler now saves 4 g of material per bottle, with the 1.5-litre container weighing as much as 6 g less. At the Lúka site, Slovenské pramene a žriedla not only bottles natural waters but also soft drinks and vinegar. At its five bottling plants, Slovenské pramene a žriedla produce 300 million litres of water, soft drinks and syrups per year.