Economics and higher efficiency are the key factors that underline the success of ACI’s bottle and can drying systems installed at !nBev’s plants in Magor (South Wales) and Leuven in Belgium.
Handling lines speeds of up to 55,000 bottles/hr and 80,000 cans/hr the ACI systems offer an increase in performance ranging from 33% up to 75% over the original compressed air systems.
In addition, !nBev also benefits from significant financial savings resulting directly from a reduction in operating costs. These come from substantial energy savings (compressed air), less maintenance and around a 50% reduction in the volume of label adhesive used. All of which contribute to a return on investment in a matter of months.
Further, the efficient drying ensures that the inkjet codes are always clear, because the surface is dry. Yet another cost and quality advantage is the prevention of moisture reaching the packaging stage.
“When I showed the figures for the savings there was no argument about installing the ACI bottle and can drying systems”, said Bart Simonet, Packaging Manager at !nBev, Leuven. “The agreement was immediate.”
