PROCESS EQUIPMENT UPDATE
E
veryone in Japan is familiar with the brands produced by Asahi Soft Drinks. Outside the country, too, the enterprise is also a known
entity as a shareholder in or even owner of famous beer brands such as Tsingtao (China), Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic) or Grolsch (the Netherlands). Asahi beer is a premium product and now exported worldwide. Not so well known outside Japan – but no less important for the holding – is the local soft drinks and water market. In 2018 Asahi achieved a turnover of over 360 billion yen (around €2.96 billion) in this segment. With over eight production sites Asahi
Soft Drinks off ers a wide selection of products from ciders and teas through milk beverages to still and carbonated mineral waters. T e company bottles its ‘Rokko No Mizu’ water at the location of the same name which is not far from the cities of Kōbe and Osaka. Rokko was one of the very fi rst mineral waters produced by what is now an international concern, always driven by the high requirements made of the quality of the product. Today, it is fi lled into PET bottles to also meet consumer demand for a simple, safe and sustainable container.
When looking for the best-possible combination of bottles manufactured reliably and to a high quality the choice fell on the KHS InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow molder. T e KHS InnoPET Blomax Series V was exhibited at the BrauBeviale trade show in Nuremberg, Germany, in November 2018. Prior to the event Asahi kept up to date with KHS’ new developments and was one of the fi rst customers to commission the new series. T is was also the case in 2008 when a prototype of the InnoPET Blomax Series IV found its way to Japan. Twelve years later the Series V is now producing 600ml to-go bottles and large 2L receptacles of still Rokko mineral water. A total of around 200 million containers a year are manufactured on the KHS system.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION CUT BY UP TO 40%
Asahi can attest that its energy consumption has been demonstrably reduced by up to 40%. T e systems supplier from Dortmund has made this possible by including a number of further developments in its next generation of Blomaxes.
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The InnoPET Blomax Series V
STRETCH BLOW IMOLDERMPRESSES
T e InnoPET Blomax stretch blow molder has always been one of the most reliable and effi cient machines of its kind. T e Series V saves up to 40% in energy compared to its predecessor through the implementation of a completely new heating concept. T e near infrared (NIR) heater centrally installed in the closed refl ector tunnel forms the nucleus of this. In the heater the preforms pass the centrally arranged heating units to both the left and right. T is means that every single NIR heater is used twice, so to speak. In the Series V KHS has supplemented its AirbackPlus air recycling system for an up to 40% saving in compressed air with its new EcoDry air management system. T is uses the residual air from the blowing and recycling process to replace a separate air drier in the base mold area and in the
Smart machine running successfully in Japan aids focus on sustainable production
blow wheel, again yielding signifi cant savings in energy.
FURTHER PROJECTS PLANNED KHS also affi rms that its customer is satisfi ed with its new machinery. “When a Japanese company such as Asahi trusts in us thanks to the notable effi ciency and reliability of our machines, then that’s a great honour indeed,” says Matthias Gernhuber, at KHS Corpoplast. “For saving energy in the interest of the environment and the demand for product quality are of especial importance to the Japanese.”
Convinced by the system performance
and in order to meet its own requirements and keep up with its rate of growth, Asahi recently announced that plans for a second stretch blow molder from the new series are already underway.
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