Following the takeover of Carola by Spadel, the multinational group focussed on the bottling and distribution of natural mineral waters and various soft drinks. A new investment strategy called for a complete overhaul of the PET line in Ribeauvillé, Alsace (France).
With its low flexibility, limited buffer capacity and slow speed due to the limitations of some machines and poor working conditions, the ageing PET line was causing problems. More importantly, Carola, one of the largest bottlers of mineral water in France, could no longer keep pace with the rapidly changing beverage market and fluctuating consumer demand due to the line's poor performance. The company was also keen to minimise the weight of its bottles and switch to More modern packaging formats switch. The new owners' investment strategy also included a programme to reduce production costs.
Relying on a proven partnership
The success of an earlier project prompted Carola to commission Gebo Cermex with this modernisation as well. „We were able to test Gebo Cermex's expertise on a line for returnable glass bottles and were impressed by their expertise in line automation and project management. After this positive experience, we also wanted to entrust the partner with this upgrade, because we knew that its experience would be invaluable for our new PET line,“ emphasises Thierry Klein, Production Manager at Carola-Ribeauvillé.
With this type of system, the From the bottle conveyor to the palletiser The connections between the individual machines are of particular importance. Production output is largely dependent on the efficiency with which the plant manages speed increases and line stops. The project at the Carola plant in Ribeauvillé presented the Gebo Cermex team with several other challenges. For example, everything on the entire production line had to be replaced without causing supply problems for the water producer. Gebo Cermex therefore had a maximum of 21 days to replace all the machines and bring the entire line back up to full capacity. The upgraded PET line was also not allowed to take up any more space in an already cramped hall.
New PET line: targets achieved and expectations exceeded
„This project was a complete success. Our expectations were more than met. The productivity target was achieved and production output and line regulation were optimised for all packaging formats,“ emphasises José Lefort, Industrial Manager at Carola-Ribeauvillé. The new line has increased production output by 3,000 bottles per hour for all packaging formats. The Increased productivity enables Carola to produce larger quantities in shorter periods of time in order to respond to Peaks in demand and to answer the Stock which is managed by an external provider for this purpose. José Lefort continues: „The increase in production output by around 3,000 bottles per hour for all formats enables us to operate in two eight-hour shifts, meaning that we hardly have to produce at night.“
Demanding schedule prevents delivery interruptions
The most critical phase of the project, the dismantling of the existing line and the installation of the new machines, did not take longer than planned, and the restart went smoothly for all formats, which now also include packs of six, eight and 24 bottles. Production output was increased quickly, and in just one month the entire PET line reached a Efficiency of 75 per cent. All machines and conveyors have been positioned as low as possible so that they are directly accessible and, unlike the previous line, no catwalks are required.
The System control is one of the strengths of the new system, especially the innovative management of stops and restarts of the conveyors and buffer tables between the machines. Format changeovers are also more efficient on the new line than before. José Lefort concludes: „There were no problems at all. This project also enabled us to introduce a new, lighter bottle design. All the new bottles are absolutely stable on the conveyors. This means that we can supply our customers without interruption and at the same time offer them New packaging options can offer.“
Gebo Cermex at drinktec 2017: Hall A6, Stand 330
