Kronenbourg: single-sourcing the wet end

With an annual production output of around 8 million hectolitres, the Kronenbourg Brewery holds a market share of 40 % in France. With the aim of rendering its large brewery in Obernai more flexible, in the summer of 2006 Kronenbourg commissioned a new Krones bottling line rated at 60,000 bph. This was the first time that the brewery had single-sourced its wet end, breaking with its previous practice of drawing up the layout itself, and incorporating individual machines. The time from the beginning of planning work to commissioning was cut by six months. The new line bottles three different beers in four 0.25-l bottles.
Krones supplied the new line’s entire wet end, including all the container and pack conveyors. The rinser/filler BLOC is completely enclosed, comprising a double-channel Variojet rinser for sterile air and sterile water, a 132-valve Mecafill VKPV counterpressure filler, plus sealers for crowns and twist-off closures. A Vario-Clean CIP system from Krones handles cleaning-in-place at the filler, which has been installed on a gable-type table top for improved hygiene. At the filler’s discharge, a Checkmat inspects the bottles for the correct fill level, and for presence and correct positioning of the closure. The SynCo conveyors allow for a conceptual line design without interfaces. The pasteurised bottles are passed to two Topmatic labellers dressing the 0.25-l bottles in wet-glue labels.
Flexibility was an important aspect: The Topmatic labellers have been equipped with multifunctional starwheels at the infeed and discharge, so replacing the infeed and discharge starwheels is a thing of the past. The filler features Raptec transfer starwheels, rendering change-over routines both simpler and faster. All MultiCo pack conveyors permit automatic rail adjustment.
In addition to flexibility, compliance with a maximum noise level of 85 dB was another of Kronenbourg’s stipulations. Various measures have contributed towards achieving this, such as fitting the labellers with special worms and the enclosure of the rinser/filler BLOC or the inliners’ plastic covers.