24 MACHINERY UPDATE: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 www.machineryupdate.co.uk special feature sustainability There is no doubt that sustainability is steadily gaining importance with consumers, even during tough economic times, and many want ethically and ecologically sourced products packed in a resource-conserving manner. Fast moving consumer goods (fmcg) manufacturers are all devising corporate responsibility and sustainability plans – over many pages in a lot of cases – that set out their goals in this area. Much of which revolves around resource management, an area the machinery sector can contribute handsomely, especially in energy usage. Evidence of fmcg companies setting out their eco ambitions includes Unilever. For instance, the owner of brands such as Dove soap and Domestos household cleaner has talked about its plans to double its worldwide sales from the current 40 billion euros by 2020, and simultaneously halve its carbon dioxide emissions by improving efficiency in packaging and production. In the last twelve months, various companies have made announcements such as Birds Eye targeting a 15% reduction in its packaging over the next two years as part of its Forever Food sustainability plan; the Kerrygold Company investing in a plant billed as one of Europe’s most environmentally friendly facilities and many companies aiming to send zero waste to landfill at the very least. No to compressed air In terms of machinery, there has been a flurry of launches that no longer require or need very little compressed air. There has been an increase in the use of servo motors to achieve energy savings. And machines have had to adapt to run bio plastics or recycled materials. But how many customers ask directly about sustainability issues when buying new equipment? Machinery Update asked this question of a number of machinery manufacturers and although this is not a scientific poll, the average figure seems to be between 0 and 15%. And unsurprisingly, many of those customers that mention eco issues are larger, household names rather than SMEs. Not a huge number, given the emphasis by fmcg companies. Although only a few larger companies are asking Ilapak about such things so far, the company sees this whole area as an opportunity not a threat. “Since 2007 we have been redesigning our machinery to be less expensive to run and operate and we have also been experimenting with different types of sealing systems and materials to reduce energy and heat loss during sealing cycles,” explains Tony McDonald, divisional sales manager at Ilapak UK. Waste is a concern “Large companies certainly have sustainability as part of their corporate purchasing policy, particularly food companies where wastage is a major concern,” says Gary Cowlard, chief Corporate responsibility is slow to impact sector
There is no doubt that sustainability issteadily gaining importance withconsumers, even during tough economictimes, and many want ethically andecologically sourced products packed in aresource-conserving manner.
Fast moving consumer goods (fmcg)manufacturers are all devising corporateresponsibility and sustainability plans –over many pages in a lot of cases – thatset out their goals in this area. Much ofwhich revolves around resourcemanagement, an area the machinerysector can contribute handsomely,especially in energy usage.
Evidence of fmcg companies setting outtheir eco ambitions includes Unilever. Forinstance, the owner of brands such as Dovesoap and Domestos household cleanerhas talked about its plans to double itsworldwide sales from the current 40 billioneuros by 2020, and simultaneously halveits carbon dioxide emissions by improvingefficiency in packaging and production.
In the last twelve months, various
companies have made announcementssuch as Birds Eye targeting a 15%reduction in its packaging over the nexttwo years as part of its Forever Foodsustainability plan; the KerrygoldCompany investing in a plant billed asone of Europe’s most environmentallyfriendly facilities and many companiesaiming to send zero waste to landfill atthe very least.
No to compressed airIn terms of machinery, there has been aflurry of launches that no longer require orneed very little compressed air. There hasbeen an increase in the use of servomotors to achieve energy savings. Andmachines have had to adapt to run bioplastics or recycled materials. But howmany customers ask directly aboutsustainability issues when buying newequipment?
Machinery Update asked this questionof a number of machinery manufacturersand although this is not a scientific poll, the
average figure seems to be between 0 and15%. And unsurprisingly, many of thosecustomers that mention eco issues arelarger, household names rather thanSMEs. Not a huge number, given theemphasis by fmcg companies.
Although only a few larger companiesare asking Ilapak about such things so far,the company sees this whole area as anopportunity not a threat. “Since 2007 wehave been redesigning our machinery tobe less expensive to run and operate andwe have also been experimenting withdifferent types of sealing systems andmaterials to reduce energy and heat lossduring sealing cycles,” explains TonyMcDonald, divisional sales manager atIlapak UK.
Waste is a concern“Large companies certainly havesustainability as part of their corporatepurchasing policy, particularly foodcompanies where wastage is a majorconcern,” says Gary Cowlard, chief
sustainabilityexecutive of Open Date. “But many smallcompanies are selling healthy or organicproducts and want their productionmethods and packaging to reflect this.Small does not mean 'indifferent' in thisarea,” he says.
One company that sees sustainabilityas becoming increasingly important forlong-term success is Beumer. “For us,sustainability is not a trend, but rather atopic of long term importance and wehave declared it to be one of our basicvalues,” says Regina Schnathmann ofBeumer. “We continually andsystematically access the sustainability ofour products and use a point system tovalidate our products in terms ofeconomic, ecological and socialresponsibility,” she says. “We call it theBeumer Sustainability Index.”
Embryonic interestWilson Clark, UK general manager ofLogopak says interest in the subject isvery much embryonic and the numbersare still very small. “However, while notone of our customers raised the issue ofsustainability last year, we haveexperienced small but growing interest thisyear and now have three projects underway as part of sustainability projects with amajor multi-site customer,” he says.
Interest in the company’s recyclingscheme for silicon-coated release paperhas been much higher and he expectsabout 15% of customers to be using thescheme by next year. “Particularly thosenow adopting a no-waste-to-landfillphilosophy,” he says.
Machine build qualityClark thinks that one important point toconsider is that sustainability surely alsoapplies to machine build quality, reliabilityand longevity.
“Specifically when buying coding andmarking equipment, we find that less than5% of our customers ask directly aboutsustainability,” says Charles Randon,product manager at Linx PrintingTechnologies. “We believe that this isbecause coding has a relatively low amountof waste and environmental impact.”
Neil Ashton, sales manager atPackaging Automation says that about10% of its customers ask directly aboutsustainability but as the larger companiesaccept their responsibilities andacknowledge the changing world, “it would
machinery sales,” says Alan Yates, mdand ceo of Endoline.
“From our experience, larger companiesdo have a kind of master plan they arecommitted to follow in this area andtherefore, they have a more frequentdemand,” says Ingolf Latz of OCSCheckweighers. “However, we believe thatsustainability cannot be a matter of size, itis rather a matter of time and available in-house manpower.”
The company’s factory inKaiserslautern, Germany has invested inalternative sources of energy to save fossilfuels and implemented many other ecofeatures into its plant.
One company that has taken theseissues on board is Rockwell Automation. Itsays that while working to makeoperations cleaner, safer, more energy-efficient and more competitive, it can turn‘sustainability challenges’ into businessadvantage. For example, advancedautomation solutions can save money inenergy, raw materials and scrap/waste.
Own label productsTorsten Giese, marketing manager – PR& exhibitions at Ishida Europe says thatalthough the majority of companiesasking about these issues are large, it isalso smaller firms who produce retailerown label products. Also, he says,manufacturers and retailers in snacks arepushing for film reduction, wastereduction, transport reduction and energyreduction.
At Domino, the company is witnessing ahuge upsurge in interest in these issues asWill Edwards, UK general managerexplains. “In the past, about 10-15% ofcustomers would ask directly aboutsustainability or corporate responsibilitywhen buying equipment,” he says.“However in recent times, this percentagehas changed dramatically to around 40-50% of customers.
“Increasingly, total cost of ownership isbecoming critical to equipment-buyingcustomers and part of these ownershipcosts takes the form of waste andenvironment costs,” he concludes.
Of course, using less material, lessenergy and less water is not only anenvironmental goal; it just makes plaingood business sense. And machinerymanufacturers who can offer benefits inthis area will be grabbing the opportunitysustainability issues can present.
be fair to say the smaller companies willhave to follow”.
According to Chris Bolton, sales andoperations director at PFM PackagingMachinery, not many customers askdirectly about sustainability as a subject inits own right, but a large number ofcustomers are looking at new ways inwhich machinery can help reduce thequantity of packaging they use and arealso studying biodegradable andcompostable materials.
Biodegradable film“Twinings, for example, is runningbiodegradable film on PFM flowwrappers,” he says.
Meanwhile Endoline Machinery findsenergy savings are an issue withcustomers. “While sustainability is not adirect question asked by our customers,the energy saving factor and ultimatelycost saving while producing highervolumes, is factored into about 50% of our
“Our suppliers are nowadapting to moresustainable equipmentto deliver cost andenvironmental benefitsand recognise that itʼs amajor part of ourthinking. Our needs atthe Wakefield site arestill the same, butcorporate responsibilityand sustainability isnow part of our DNA.”
Ian Johnson,operationsdirector atCoca-ColaEnterprises’Wakefield sitefeels thatsuppliersneed torecognise thechanginglandscapethat everyonenow operates in and how consumers aresavvy on sustainable issues
Machinery Update talks to Ian Johnson, operations director at Coca-Cola Enterprisesʼ Wakefield site, to find out how corporateresponsibility and sustainability works in practical terms at the largest soft drinks manufacturing facility in Europe
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is by anymeasure a big business. It is the world’sthird largest independent Coca-Colabottler, operates in seven Europeancountries, and in Great Britain aloneemploys about 4,500 people at 22production facilities, regional offices anddepots. It has a national manufacturingfootprint, with plants in Wakefield, Sidcup,East Kilbride, Milton Keynes, Edmontonand Morpeth producing brands such asCoca-Cola, Fanta, Powerade and DrPepper as well as Appletiser, Oasis andCapri-Sun.
Through its Commitment 2020 corporatestrategy, CCE has set out bold plans tominimise the environmental impact of itsproducts and operations, with a particularfocus on sustainable packaging andrecycling, water stewardship, and energyand climate protection.
And Wakefield is leading the way on thatagenda – it was, for instance, the first CCEplant to send zero waste to landfill (a status it achieved in 2009), has hadanaerobic digestion in place since 1989,and is exploring the use of combined heatand power.
But Ian Johnson is the first to admit thatcutting the impact his huge site – it coversa staggering 167,650 sq metres in total,with 72,000 sq metres under roof – has onthe environment makes good businesssense as well as being the right thing to dofrom an ethical standpoint. “The majority ofcorporate responsibility and sustainability(CRS) type projects we undertake havefinancial benefits which make it a win-winsituation for us,” he says. “But as abusiness, we apply a lower threshold withlower payback parameters for CRSinitiatives.” As the specific payback oncapital investments is different totraditional spending, more CRS projectsget board approval and therefore moreprojects are put into place.
At Wakefield, monitoring and targetingwater and energy are key themes at thesite – in line with the CRS masterplansthat every CCE production plant has inplace. A real time monitoring system (withnearly 150 individual meters on site)measures how much energy and water is
being used, where, when and under whatcircumstances. And the company has hadmuch success in reducing its water useratio which currently stands at just 1.22litres per 1 litre of beverages made at theWakefield site.
This has been achieved through theintroduction of new water nozzles, airrinsing, dry lubrication, utilising recycledrinse water and even collecting rainwaterto wash its vehicles.
“Water usage on can rinsing reduceddramatically when we simply introducednew nozzles,” says Johnson.
As for energy usage, new efficientboilers have been installed saving 15% ongas and reducing emissions, all the centralchilling plant on site has been replacedwith a system that uses about half thepower of the old ones, and low energyLED lighting is now being installedthroughout all offices and corridors.
There are ten lines in all at the plantfilling soft drinks at mind-boggling ratesinto various packaging formats from 330ml
Operations director Ian Johnson (right)shows David Cameron around the Wakefieldplant during the election campaign last year
Sustaining soft drinks for future generations
Close to £200m has been invested in various equipment since the Wakefield site opened in 1989
sustainabilitycans to 3 litre PET bottles. Indeed, close to£200m has been invested at Wakefieldsince the site opened in 1989, making itone of the most efficient and sustainablesites in the Coke system.
The plant also has to be highly flexibleto cope with the increasing number ofpack formats that have to be producedwith ever-lighter cans and bottles.Johnson, who joined the company whenWakefield was built in 1989, says that inthe 1990s the plant packed 330ml cansinto trays that were then shrinkwrapped.Today, multipacks in either board or filmare produced for 4s, 6s, 8s, 10s, 12s, 15sand 18s. And they have be able to handlelighter cans – the weight has reduced by30% since 1989 – and PET bottles thatnow weigh 21.7g compared to weighing39g in 1994.
Another big change is the use of rPETin growing volumes. And CCE is nowworking towards incorporating 25% rPETin all its bottles by next year. Thatmaterial will be sourced exclusively froma new recycling facility being built by CCEand ECO Plastics inLincolnshire. This jointventure, for whichJohnson sits on theboard of directors, wasannounced in Marchthis year with aims tomore than double theamount of high qualityrPET currentlyproduced in Britain.
“We feel we have totake a lead onrecycling,” says Johnson.
Wakefield also manufactures PET pre-forms on site on a further two lines which it
started in October 2009. This one movecut 135,000 road miles a year. It alsoinvested in a new bottle blower in
machine and not just the capital cost,” hecontinues.
And the company is more than willing totake on board new ways of working toachieve its CRS ambitions. As Johnson’sengineering manager Mark Rollerson,says: “steal with pride” when it comes tonew ideas.
Johnson feels that suppliers need torecognise the changing landscape thateveryone now operates in and howconsumers are savvy on sustainableissues. “Our suppliers are now adaptingto more sustainable equipment to delivercost and environmental benefits andrecognise that it’s a major part of ourthinking,” he says.
“Our needs at the site are still the same,but corporate responsibility and sustainabilityis now part of our DNA," he asserts.
PET pre-forms are manufactured on sitewhich has cut road miles drastically
At Wakefield, monitoring and targeting water and energy are key themes at the site
allows for further lightweighting of bottles. This autumn will see the start of building
a new Hi Bay automatic warehouse onsite which will reduce dependence onoutside storage as well as taking moremiles out of the process.
With such high levels of investment,what does CCE want from suppliers,particularly of new equipment?
“We look for leading-edge technologyon energy and water consumption,” saysJohnson. “We also look for a partnershipapproach with suppliers that will take onboard our own suggestions. We like toget close to suppliers and are willing towork with them to achieve our goals,” hetells Machinery Update.
For instance: when a new line 7 wasinstalled last year, the company workedwith KHS on developing equipment with afully welded construction. “Buildingequipment to handle very light cans at2,000 a minute, hygienically and withoutdamage, was achieved and KHS did afantastic job,” he says.
“We look at the total lifecycle cost of a
February last year which, says Johnson,has a vastly reduced requirement for airover the original equipment purchased and
As consumers, we are all feeling the pinchwhen it comes to our heating bills and aredesperately lagging our lofts, replacing ourwindows and insulating our cavity walls totry to make a difference. It is, of course, nodifferent for the manufacturing sector who,as well as wanting to save money, is oftentrying to meet corporate responsibility andsustainability goals within their businesses.
This is why machinery manufacturersare developing equipment that uses lessenergy and here we highlight some of themost recent launches. For instance,Packaging Automation (PA) has developeda new version of its Eclipse range of highspeed tray heat sealing machines tooperate without using any compressed air.This, says PA’s sales manager NeilAshton, provides food manufacturers withthe environmental benefits they areclamouring for without raising costs orcompromising reliability.
Incorporating PA’s E-Seal technology, thenew Eclipse SL4 is a fully electrical machinethat requires zero air for full operation whileachieving the same standards of reliability,versatility and performance.
With all operations driven directly bysmall servomechanisms, running costscan be as low as 8% of an equivalentpneumatic system, resulting in significantsavings. The SL4 is the first of the range tobenefit from this new technology but theentire range will be upgraded.
“Some areas of the industry, such as softfruit producers, do not have the year rounddemand for compressed air infrastructureso a tray heat sealer that can just plug andplay when seasonally needed is an
Users benefit fromlow energy options
The Eclipse SL4 from Packaging Automation operates without using any compressed air
The all-electric labeller from Allen Coding uses lesspower than a hair dryer and no compressed air
enormous advantage,” argues Ashton. “Weare acutely aware of the need for versatilityin all sectors of the food industry and haveworked with our customers to identifycurrent operating and production prioritiesand build in future-proof flexibility.”
Allen Coding Systems introducedDiagraph’s platinum E series all electriclabelling system earlier this year which aswell as using less power than a hair dryer,does not use compressed air. It can alsobe moved from one production line toanother without any problem.
“We are now able to supply an all-electric labelling system that offers all theperformance and throughput featurescustomers are used to, with the addedfinancial and environmental benefitsassociated with using less energy,” saysSteve Ryan, UK sales and OEM managerat Allen Coding.01438 347770www.allencoding.co.uk01565 755000www.pal.co.uk
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Energy managedwith efficiencyWith energy costs continuing torise, manufacturers from everysector strive to use less toproduce more wherever possible.
The range of products to helpthis happen continues to expand,and includes the latest family ofAC inverter products fromYaskawa Europe which have justbeen listed on the UK government’sEnergy Technology List.
This means the J1000, V1000and A1000 products are officiallyrecognised as ‘green’ technologyideally suited to saving energyand reducing carbon emissions.
Yaskawa inverter products canbe used in applications such asfans, pumps and compressors aswell as many other applicationsusing standard AC motors.
Meanwhile, Siemens
Industry Automation & Drive
Technologies has extended itsrange of products for energymanagement in industry.
In its new Version 4.0, theSimatic powerrate softwarewhich measures and monitorsenergy values in production, isnow also suitable for Simatic-S7-315 controllers and PC-basedsolutions using Simatic WinACRTX 2010. Already applicable tothe Simatic WinCC visualisationsystem and the Simatic PCS 7process control system in itsexisting version, Simaticpowerrate now also performsenergy management tasks insmaller-scale applications.
With the KW1M series Eco-Power Meter, Panasonic offersthe basis for an intelligentenergy management system.
Energy consumption is identifiedefficiently and energy requirementsof the various sub processes aremade transparent so that anoverview of where energy can besaved is provided quickly. www.yaskawamotoman.co.ukwww.siemens.co.ukwww.panasonic-electric-works.co.uk
Krones has developed LitePac, which itdescribes as “a more resource-economicalalternative to shrink wrapped packs” for largePET containers.
Following numerous experimental trials, adiagonal handle was deemed the sturdiest formatand strapping technology as the equipment todeliver it.
The horizontal strapping band consists of 8mm-wide PET which is fitted with a broad teartab for simple opening and assured by fixing arelief tab at two welding points with a loop. Thevertical strapping is used as a handle and ispositioned diagonally between the bottles – it ismade from soft, easy to carry polypropylene andis 15mm wide.
The handle simultaneously centres andsupports the strapping band, even at lowtemperatures and a low CO2 concentration in thecontainers. A barcode can be included with anadhesive film at the strapping band, or a codenumber can be printed on the vertical handle.
Testing pack stability has been a key theme ofthe development and comparative trials were runon film-wrapped shrink packs and their strappedcounterparts. The pack’s stability was also verifiedusing tests on conveyors as well as palletisers.Palletising tests were carried out successfully with1.5 litre bottles on half-pallets and for the trackloading operation, bottles were not damaged.
One of the paramount goals pursued with thispack strapping was to reduce energyconsumption and dispensing with shrink tunnelshas achieved this, while the requirements forpackaging materials also goes down, as well as
achieving a reduction in domestic waste.Another crucial benefit is higher pallet capacity
utilisation, says Krones. The diagonal bottleformation creates a more efficient layer patternand, claims the company, pallet capacityutilisation can be increased by up to 20%,depending on the bottle diameter involved.
The requisite technology required for LitePacis provided by the newly developed EvoLitepacker, comprising a container infeed moduleand a container strapping module. In the infeedmodule, the containers are divided into twocontinuous lane flows, while four strapping unitsthen create the LitePac packs in the containerstrapping module.
This equipment has also been designed withthe environment in mind and includes efficientmotors specifically matched to the movementsand acceleration functions in the machine;reduced power consumption is optimised withfine-tuned motor dimensioning and standbycircuits minimise heat losses at the weldingtongues. Reduced compressed-air consumptionis achieved thanks to optimised pipingconfiguration and use of the best possible cross-sectional areas.
Also, the use of lifetime-lubricated bearings andspecial brush technology for lubricating conveyorchains means almost complete elimination oflubricants while specially selected componentshas minimised noise emissions and maximisedpersonnel safety.01942 845000www.krones.com
A broad tear tab is included for simple opening of theLitePac format, making it easy to use
Following numerous experimental trials, a diagonalhandle was deemed the sturdiest option
Optimal safety for all palletised loading units.Proven reliable in all weather conditions andkeeps its appearance at the same time. Thehigh-capacity packaging machine, BEUMERstretch hood®
control technology, sophisticated function
more information about the BEUMER companyand its products on the Internet.
Proven Energy, the UK’s largest supplierof small wind turbines, turned to LaidlerAssociates to help with the self-declarationof its latest P35-2 12.1 kW wind turbine tothe new European Machinery Directive.
Completing the compliance procedurealso included the preparation of thetechnical file.
The company was well aware that itcould satisfy the CE marking requirementsin relation to its products by self-declaringthem for compliance with the EMC, LowVoltage and Machinery Directives. Itdecided, however, that due to the changesto the requirements with the newMachinery Directive, it would be prudent toget expert help.
“Laidler Associates was not only veryresponsive, it was also clear that thecompany had a deep understanding ofhow the requirements of the regulationsimplementing the Machinery Directive
related to our product,” explains JonathanNowill, engineering director of ProvenEnergy. “But what was really impressivewas the report that it produced for us.
“This included a detailed ‘to do’ list thatlaid out very clearly the exact steps weneeded to take to ensure compliance,” hecontinues. “The list was easy to follow, andundoubtedly saved us a lot of time andtrouble.”
As an example of the type of issueidentified by Laidler, the user manual wasfound to contain insufficient information onforeseen ways in which the wind turbinemight be used or misused. Thisshortcoming, and the others highlighted inthe Laidler report, was quickly remedied.
“Having carried out the workrecommended by Laidler, and organisedour compliance documentation in the waythat the company suggested, we can havetotal confidence that the P35-2 satisfiesthe requirements of the latest version ofthe Machinery Directive,” says Nowill.0333 123 7777www.laidler.co.uk
Turbine compliance proved
The P35-2 turbine is an ideal choice for useby agricultural landowners, in commercialpremises, and in small-scale wind farms
contact us for more informationProseal uk Ltd Adlington Estate Adlington Cheshire SK10 4NL
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A compact sieve from Russell Finex is helping Newlife Paints inits recycling process of waste emulsion paint.
A successful on-site trial proved that the sieves compactdesign and ease of use made it a hit with Newlife founder KeithHarrison. “The compact sieve is very easy to strip down andclean,” he says, “and it is clearly built to a high standard and asa result, out performed other competitor vibratory sieves that wetrialled at our site.”
The compact sieve is mounted onto a stand high enough to fita 210 litre drum underneath it. The sieve is hand fed and oncethe paint passes through, it is pumped into the paint tins. Whenan entire batch has been processed, it is instantly stripped downand cleaned.
“As different batches of colours are processed through thesame machine, a key benefit of the sieve is that there is nocolour contamination from one batch to the next and cleaningonly takes a matter of minutes,” says Harrison.020 8818 2000www.russellfinex.com
Void fill brings green benefitsAirPouch has unveiled EarthAware pillows designed to deliverclean, lightweight and efficient void fill with better environmentalcredentials.
AirPouch company Automated Packaging Systems hasdeveloped two options: oxodegradable pillow or pillow made fromreprocessed film at the manufacturing facility in Worcestershire.The AirPouch Express 3 machine outputs filled EarthAwarepillows at speeds of more than 15 metres a minute. The newpillows are being introduced in Europe following success in NorthAmerican markets. They are available in green and transparentfinishes as standard, and can be custom-printed.0800 731 3643www.airpouch.co.uk
Wasting no paintis messy process
Newlife Paints founder Keith Harrison surrounded by his raw material
