Flexible Packaging
From data to action: digitalisation in packaging
Enrico Savani, product manager sensitive products filling at Sidel, says from optimising workflows to ensuring consistently exceptional standards, minimising downtime to supporting manufacturers in meeting their environmental targets, smart technologies have a key role to play in optimising packaging production
QUALITY ASSURED THROUGH END-TO-END TRACEABILITY AND DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT The key to the eff ectiveness of Qual-IS is its ability to track each bottle through its entire lifecycle. Each bottle is assigned a unique code that captures and stores all relevant information, including details about the preform and cap used, the product recipe, production parameters, and any critical events or alarms.
W
ith Sidel’s six decades of innovation and experience in packaging solutions, we are leading the industry through digital transformation using
data intelligence to drive quality, effi ciency and safety.
ASEPTIC INTELLIGENCE TO GUARANTEE SAFETY STANDARDS
As we all know, product safety is critical in the food and beverage industry. In the past fi ve years, nearly sixty percent of grocery companies have experienced a product recall event and over eighty percent view the fi nancial risks from product recalls as either signifi cant or catastrophic. This risk is particularly acute for sensitive beverages; a breach in aseptic conditions can lead to severe contamination which can impact both fi nancial stability and consumer trust. Whilst traditional methods of monitoring and responding to issues often lack the depth and responsiveness required to prevent contamination eff ectively, Sidel’s Qual-IS off ers manufacturers an advanced way to control quality using aseptic intelligence to proactively manage and prevent potential issues, rather than just monitoring them.
Lab microbiologists can access information associated with individual bottles by scanning the unique code to indicate which quality control tests are required, allowing manufacturers to quickly identify and resolve any issues.
Sampling, an essential aspect of quality control, is also signifi cantly enhanced by Qual-IS. The system is equipped with both tailor-made and pre- designed sampling patterns based on statistical methods and Sidel’s extensive experience. Leveraging data intelligence, these sampling patterns automatically adjust in response to microbiological test results, ensuring that sampling remains relevant and responsive to the ever-changing conditions of the production environment.
DATA INTELLIGENCE ACROSS THE PRODUCTION LINE
Qual-IS is not the only intelligent tool that we have introduced for beverage manufacturers. Sidel’s IntelliADJUST ensures consistent quality in PET bottle production by using interferometric sensor technology to achieve perfect material distribution, even when working with recycled PET (rPET). By operating within a ‘closed loop’ system, IntelliADJUST automatically regulates heating and blowing parameters in real time, compensating for variations in production conditions such as preform storage, workshop temperature, and relative humidity. This minimises the impact of variables on bottle quality, leading to uninterrupted production and a higher yield of marketable bottles. IntelliADJUST’s capabilities can be enhanced further by integrating Sidel’s Evo-ON cloud-based software suite that transforms raw equipment data into actionable insights. Evo-ON provides dynamic
38 May 2025
analytics for both historical and real-time data which can help improve overall equipment eff ectiveness (OEE) and reduce operating costs.
DIGITAL TOOLS HELP REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
In order to optimise production, digitalisation seeks to use resources effi ciently and reduce waste, which are also two key ways to reduce a manufacturer’s impact on the environment and help reach their sustainability targets.
Qual-IS, for example, streamlines all quality control activities—such as sampling plans, laboratory management, and traceability—into a single digital system, reducing the need for paper documentation and minimising waste associated with redundant testing. Intelligent sampling patterns adjust automatically based on test results, ensuring effi cient use of materials and reducing unnecessary sample waste.
With IntelliADJUST, manufacturers can enhance sustainability in PET bottle manufacturing by optimizing material usage, supporting recycled content integration, reducing waste, and improving energy effi ciency.
BEYOND THE PRODUCTION LINE At Sidel we’re also using intelligent systems across our wider business to facilitate employees’ daily tasks and boost productivity and creativity safely. SidelGPT is our newly built internal AI solution which integrates Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. Through SidelGPT, we are delivering maximum data privacy and full security control to our colleagues, while empowering us all with new digital technology.
At Sidel, we believe that the data intelligence tools such as our Qual-IS, IntelliADJUST, and the Evo-ON software suite will generate a shift in food and beverage packaging manufacturing from traditional monitoring to a proactive approach that will help our customers to increase profi tability while keeping costs under control and overcome challenges such as maintaining consumer trust, taking a lead in safety and quality, and helping to reduce their environmental impact.
www.convertermag.com
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