The district of Knetzgau in Lower Franconia is home to a good 6,400 people. Not far from the idyllic center of this little town on the River Main stands one of the biggest Coca-Cola factories in Germany. Here, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) employs around 500 personnel, producing its popular classics Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Mezzo Mix, Sprite and various others on a site measuring 200,000 square meters.
The group has made it its aim to create a more sustainable future and has adopted a holistic approach to this end. Saving energy, water and materials is beneficial to the environment and at the same time cuts costs. The production plant in Bavaria has now taken a further step in this direction by investing in the resource-conserving InnoPET Blomax from KHS.
Near infrared and Double Gate considerably reduce energy consumption
The latest generation of KHS’ proven stretch blow molding machinery is not only distinguished by its high performance but also scores in direct market comparison with various measures designed to save energy. Two in particular stand out here: firstly, the heater used to heat the PET preforms operates with what’s known as near infrared radiation (NIR) that in itself is far more efficient than many of the infrared heaters otherwise installed. Secondly, the InnoPET Blomax conveys the preforms without primary reflectors in two lanes on both sides of the lamps, enabling their energy to be applied much more effectively for heating. In addition to its specific energy savings, the Double Gate is also more compact than standard preform heaters.
