Bulk Distributor Sept/Oct 16 | Page 11

Industrial Packaging September/October 2016 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Turnkey solution combines bagging and bulk bag filling systems within existing limited plant space T o replace an existing weighing, bagging and palletising system without enlarging or modifying the plant can be a challenge, but represents an opportunity for an entrepreneur. Concetti of Bastia, Umbria, Italy, recently supplied just such a turnkey solution, combining a fully automatic bagging system IGF600 designed for woven PP open mouth bags and a bulk bag filling system, to a South American manufacturer of pig and cattle feed. The customer had requested a robust, flexible answer, adapted to the tight space available in the plant and capable of filling both 25kg bags and 800-1000kg bulk bags, required by the local market. The technical solution offered by Concetti has optimised the space, in addition to reducing the capital investment. The installation, for example, uses a single net weigher, meeting the requirement to have two bagging options with a single complete line. Dosing is by net weight scale – one for both filling machines – and a conveyor belt. The product is weighed in a separate weigh hopper and is then discharged into the bag, or, alternatively, deposited on a conveyor belt linked to the bulk bag filling station, with multiple weighments making up the 1000kg load. The sacks are filled by a fully automatic IGF600 with capacity of up to 600 bags an hour, depending on the product fluidity and type. Concetti supplied the line complete with a PS-3A four-column robot palletiser. The big bag filling station has a capacity up to 8-10 per hour and requires the presence of an operator to fit the bag mouth to the bag-spout, close it and remove it with a forklift when filled. New KeyKeg production line opened in Germany L ightweight Containers is opening a new production plant in Grossbreitenbach, Germany. The fully automated production line has a capacity of 400 KeyKeg Slimlines per hour and is expected to be fully operational later this year. The line can produce all the members of the KeyKeg Slimline family of kegs. PET-Verpackungen Deutschland is the production partner and will manage the day-to-day production. The new production capacity will ensure that Lightweight Containers, a family firm based in the Netherlands with its focus on innovation, can meet the region’s sharply rising demand for the next few years. Anita Veenendaal, Chief Commercial Officer of Lightweight Containers, said: “We see service as a crucial element for our success. We aim to offer the best possible service, so we want to produce as close to our customers as we can. This new location and the extra capacity will reduce both delivery times and transport distances even more. “In the last six years, our sales have grown more than 40% each year, and we’re seeing accelerated growth in the demand for our kegs almost everywhere in the world we serve. With this new production line, we can continue to serve our customers in this region at the level they’re used to.” The new KeyKeg plant is being set up in close collaboration with the company’s production partner PET-Verpackungen Deutschland. Jan Veenendaal, CEO of Lightweight Containers, said: “Our one-way kegs have a lot of added value throughout the supply chain. They also fit in perfectly with trends like specialty beer exports and wine on draft, which partly explains why we’re growing so fast. “We intend to keep concentrating on solutions for the beverage industry, and on crucial trends. We can do this by collaborating with a professional and flexible production partner like PET-Verpackungen, who completely shares our view of quality.” WWW.BLUEPACK.DK 11