PACKAGING/PALLETISING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 09/23 www.petpla.net 38 ‘Mizu To Ikiru’ philosophy meets contactless accumulation solution Handling of lightweight bottles Suntory Japan, well known for the production and manufacturing of soft drinks and spirits, has adopted Gebo AQFlex, Sidel’s conveying and accumulation solution, to optimise product quality and line operations for its new bottling facility. With its non-contact single-file handling of containers, Gebo AQFlex enabled the product integrity required by Suntory Japan while improving the overall performance of the plant. “Our philosophy is `Mizu To Ikiru`, that is, `Living with Water`. By this, we endeavour to `satisfy people like water`. Our highest priority was to ensure the best quality for our customers,” said Toshiya Kobayashi, Chief Operating Officer, Global Technical Department. Suntory Japan’s newest bottling facility, Shinano-no-mori plant, is the production home for Tennensui mineral water, produced in one of the lightest PET bottles in Japan. The light weight of the bottle increases quality risks during production, such as dents being caused by contact between the bottles, or bottles falling. Suntory Japan required a product handling solution that would ensure full product care by protecting the bottle’s exterior and preventing the possibility of bottles falling. The beverage manufacturer turned to Sidel and made the decision to adopt Gebo AQFlex. Designed for all types of containers, Sidel’s all-in-one product conveying and accumulation solution is claimed to ensure a high level of product quality, due to its gentle, 100% contactless and single-lane handling of containers, thus meeting Suntory Japan’s expectations. Installation and commissioning With both companies sharing an ethos of innovation, Suntory Japan approached Sidel to implement the conveying and accumulation solution in its new plant after hearing about its success at Suntory France and witnessing it in action. “After several visits to the Suntory France site where the Gebo AQFlex was already successfully installed and running, we were reassured that the solution would be able to reach the high performance and output levels we required,” continues Toshiya Kobayashi. Offering a compact, all-in-one design and operating fully automatically at an efficiency of more than 99.5% whatever the speed, Sidels’ handling solution enabled Suntory Japan to improve its line layout and guarantee the brand’s high level of productivity while ensuring the safety of its employees. The improvements that the introduction of Gebo AQFlex has led to include space savings, simplicity of layouts, a comprehensive range of automation solutions and an increase in the operational efficiency and quality of the production line, states Suntory Japan. The installation of the Gebo AQFlex commenced during Covid-19, limiting the ability of Gebo AQFlex experts to physically visit the plant. However, they supported Sidel local technicians and Suntory teams by carrying out a remote Factory Acceptance Test using AR glasses, and by providing 24/7 assistance during installation and commissioning. Once able, they visited the plant to fine-tune the machines and optimise efficiency. As the only plant producing Tennensui mineral water, the site must run 24/7 therefore Sidel’s remote support proved even more important by ensuring the production line was never stopped. While Suntory Japan currently only manufactures two types of bottles at its new plant, the small, 550ml bottle and the large, 2 l bottle, Sidel’s Gebo AQFlex is claimed to offer enhanced flexibility which can increase and introduce new bottle formats if needed in the future. The solution can accommodate any product, whatever the application, in all container materials, formats and shapes, says Sidel. www.sidel.com PACKAGING
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