PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2021

BOTTLING / FILLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 01+02/21 www.petpla.net 39 recycling and use recycled PET in our containers. We’re also trying to continuously reduce the weight of our bottles. At the same time we’re lower- ing the impact on the environment by cutting energy and media consump- tion in production.” In order to so do IDS Borjomi has invested a considerable sum in the consistent modernisation of its bot- tling plants. Two new filling lines from Dortmund systems provider KHS were installed and commissioned at the production sites in Novosibirsk and Lipetsk at the beginning of 2018 and at the end of 2019 the production shop in Kostroma was brought up to date. Here, too, this has resulted in the output being doubled in the first quarter of 2020. The lines, which have a capacity of up to 44,000 0.5 l bph, are identical in their design and feature a blending system for near- water products with a stretch blow moulder, labeller, filler, shrink packer and palletiser. At all three bottling plants a uniform, high standard of quality, production and logistics has thus been created which also allows for future growth. Light and stable KHS has been able to score on the bottle weight. With the help of KHS’ Bottles & Shapes experts the container design has been further developed so that the base is lighter – without making any concessions regarding stability. This means that the weight of the 0.5 l bottle has been decreased from 20.5 g to 18.8 g, thus also reducing the amount of materials used and cut- ting CO 2 emissions. One can imagine that an invest- ment project like this wasn’t without its challenges. “There were sometimes a few language or cultural barriers to overcome yet this was absolutely no problem thanks to our highly pro- fessional and friendly cooperation,” emphasises Evgeny Vturin, opera- tional director for IDS Borjomi Russia. In some respects the climatic condi- tions actually proved more demand- ing. “It’s not that easy to ship a line to Novosibirsk and install it there in the winter. It was so bitterly cold that even the heat exchanger froze during trans- port. In the end everything turned out well, however, and the line went into operation on time.” www.khs.com Easy transport: The finished PET bottles travel from the stretch blow moulder to the filler on transfer stars.