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MACHINING & MACHINERY PAC-E COOPERATION UNCAPPED
BERICAP UK / SUMITOMO DEMAG
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Bericap UK and Sumitomo( SHI) Demag present findings from 18-month collaborative development project testing every performance aspect of the latest PAC-E machine in a real production setting. Results corroborate the 50 %+ energy savings, market-leading all-electric fast cycle times and 1.5 year ROI claims.
It is uncommon for companies to embed end-users in the creation of a flagship innovation, especially in large-scale machinery. Defying convention, Bericap UK and Sumitomo( SHI) Demag rigorously tested the new energy-efficient, fast-cycle PAC-E machine for caps and closures using high-pressure production conditions. Through this collaborative approach, both organisations established a new industry benchmark, demonstrating the significant advantages of integrating operational insights from end-users throughout the development process.
“ With razor-thin margins, processing speed is everything in the packaging industry. We never imagined allelectric could meet our performance demands until the PAC-E machine proved otherwise. Utilising our highdemand production environment as the proving ground, Sumitomo( SHI) Demag delivered on their productivity promise, giving us the competitive edge to take our business even further,” explains Bruce Margetts of Bericap UK.
“ Working so closely with the Sumitomo( SHI) Demag team has been incredibly valuable. It led to a game-changing machine that is not only transforming our operations but could reshape the entire packaging industry,” adds Bruce.
PAC-E’ s functionality was stress-tested in situ, testing parameters such as cycle time stability, dosing consistency and thermal loading on the drives and spindles.
After observing the performance advantages and energy efficiencies throughout an 18-month testing period, Bericap UK proceeded to place an order for a serial production 350 ton PAC-E.
High pressure testing ground
Already conceptualised with significant input from Sumitomo in Japan and the German product engineers, the PAC-E development faced one major industry challenge. This new machine would have to demonstrate and convince packaging manufacturers that it could match the previously unparalleled performance of Sumitomo( SHI) Demag’ s El- Exis SP series, but deliver the environmental, cleanliness and efficiency benefits of an all-electric system.
Bericap UK in Hull provided the real-world, demanding production environment to validate and optimise the machine’ s capabilities. Accommodating a 350 ton PAC-E in active production, over 18 months the machine ran over 11 million cycles. This enabled the Sumitomo( SHI) Demag engineering team to fine-tune cycle speeds, furtherimprove component resilience and reduce energy consumption in cap production by over 50 %, all while delivering on Bericap’ s live commercial orders.
“ In fact, the machine was running continuously and proving to be so energy efficient and reliable, it was challenging to persuade the production team to switch it off to make adjustments,” notes Bericap UK process engineer Dean Bramley.
For the entire duration of the project, engineers, process managers, directors and technical specialists from both companies
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