Specialist plastics packaging technology business Petainer has appointed two new sales staff as part of an expansion aimed at further developing the company’s business in Central and Eastern Europe.

Product safety and glass bottles

Beer bottles made of glass represent a product hazard in and of themselves, which from the standpoint of both the glass manufacturer and also the brewery cannot be completely eliminated. Repeatedly, spontaneously exploding beer bottles cause property damage and often result in personal injury. In order to minimize this unavoidable risk, an agreement must be reached between the glass manufacturer and the brewery in the form of a contract specifying the minimum requirements regarding the quality of the glass bottles. When designing glass bottles, one must avoid raised embossing or irregular bottle shapes that can compromise the strength of the glass. This article summarizes the essential requirements and also provides assistance for exercising due diligence regarding this issue; in fact, it is a condensed version of a presentation given at the Second Brewing Science Seminar in Wuhan, China (March 7 – 11, 2011).

Perfection lies in simplicity

A new generation of full crate inspection systems offer a high level of flexibility in terms of application and user-friendliness, with reduced mechanical and sensor requirements. An innovative process uses a camera and a line laser that counters the disadvantages of current systems.

Thinking outside the bottle

It is the experience of a particular product which appeals to the consumer, according to Rik Olthof of international branding and packaging design consultants Claessens Cartils. He adds: “Branding used to be about information and, more recently, about identification. Nowadays, ‘experience’ is a new dimension that brand owners create with their packaging. It is not the ‘bling’ effect that creates brands, it is the brand’s ability to surprise and inspire, underline the consumer’s identity, and create an emotional atmosphere that is worth sharing”. Innovative

Compact design for small and medium-sized companies

KHS has introduced a new keg washing and racking machine that cleans kegs inside and out, racks them, and has integrated into its cladding up to five media tanks, all controls, and the infeed and discharge conveyors. The Innokeg Till CombiKeg has been designed so that it fits into one container and is supplied ready for action as a Plug & Produce machine, resulting in less time required for installation and commissioning.

Methods of level measurements

The process of level measuring and monitoring can be based on various technologies – capacity, conductivity, pressure, ultrasonic, light or radar being a few of them. A basic criterion for the choice of the most suitable measuring principle is the medium to be measured. Depending on that, further factors such as measuring or switching and contact or non-contact sensors play an important role.

Packaging design from the world over created or brought out in 2009/10 was judged by a likewise international jury composed of twelve professionals from the sector, with Gérard Caron in the chair. The panel selects the winning packages on the basis of creativity, branding, and the quality of the packaging design for the year.

At a consolidated level, operating profit (EBIT) increased 79.6 percent in the first nine months, to EUR 40.6 million, reflecting the effect of positive operating leverage owing to a combination of improved top-line momentum and the rationalisation of the cost base. Net profit increased 192.0 percent in the first nine months, to EUR 19.0 million.

Spa mineral waters with new sparkling crate washing machine

In 1994 a Bohrer crate washing machine was delivered to Spa Monopole in Belgium. In 2009 the producer of mineral water started looking for a new one. It was quite clear from the beginning that it should be a Bohrer type TW again. Why change a well-proven system?

High speed washers & fillers

In 2005, the R&D department of Comac Group developed new technologies for keg filling. The resulting HS6T keg lines include process plants like CIP systems and flash pasteurizers with nominal outputs up to 500 hl/h and provided with high quality components (APV, Alfa Laval, GEA Tuchenhagen).