Optimising multipack can output

The Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine cartons small, slim and wide 150ml, 250ml, 330ml cans into numerous pack sizes. Image: Belvoir Farm

Soft drinks manufacturer, Belvoir Farm, has invested GBP £2 million in a canning line at its Leicestershire on-farm factory, with T. Freemantle’s Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine playing a pivotal role in this move

 

The popularity of the canned ready-to-drink (RTD) format continues to be on the rise, especially  since  Covid-19  when  outdoor gatherings became the norm, well-suited to the light and convenient format of a beverage can. They are also one of the most sustainable forms of packaging as they can be infinitely recycled, something which appeals to the rise of conscious consumerism.

While the canned RTD is popular among the alcoholic market segment, low- and no-alcohol options are also becoming more in demand, with consumers seeking sophisticated soft drink options such as mocktails and botanical sodas. Premium soft drink producer, Belvoir Farm, had been servicing this market with a range of cans produced by a co-packer. However, by 2022, the company recognised it needed to bring can production in-house to fully capitalise on the canned RTD opportunity.

“Our canned portfolio was growing at such a pace that we needed to invest in in-house production,” commented Martin Reynolds, head of engineering and project leader at Belvoir.

Belvoir wanted to roll out a number of new lines in canned format, including RTD mocktails in 250ml cans, a new range of light soft drinks in 330ml slim cans and botanicals in 150ml cans, in addition to the multipack space, with fridge-friendly four packs of 330ml slim cans and six-packs of 150ml mixer cans. When looking for equipment for its canning line,

Belvoir approached T. Freemantle for its cartoning machine, which it invited to its facility to discuss whether it could meet Belvoir’s needs and be delivered within a six-month timeframe.

“T. Freemantle confirmed everything we were hoping to hear – that their machine could handle all of the can formats we were hoping to run as well as those we might want to introduce in the future, such as ten- or 24-can multipacks for export markets,” said Reynolds.

At this stage in the project, Belvoir had not finalised what form the multipacks would take. It utilised T. Freemantle’s design studio service to come up with a design that would be line- compatible, practical and aesthetically appealing.

“Initially, we were thinking we wanted an open- sided pack, but T. Freemantle’s advice was that a FEC (Fully Enclosed Carton) would be more viable. They gave us a good steer on what cartonboard would be suitable, and pointed us in the direction of Graphic Packaging for designing and printing the cartons. They also recommended a really good glue supplier,” said Reynolds.

T. Freemantle’s head of sales, Simon Holt (left)and Belvoir Farm’s Martin Reynolds (right). Image: Belvoir Farm

Belvoir placed its order for the T. Freemantle’s cartoning machine in January 2024, and the Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine was installed six months later. To achieve this, T. Freemantle decided to carry out the FAT (Factory Acceptance Testing) as part of the machine’s installation, to streamline the process.

High-speed packing of beverage cans into smaller cartons is a challenge many manufacturers face. Running four-packs on a machine designed for 12 or 24 can multipacks is possible but slow. However,

T. Freemantle utilised its expertise in high- speed food production lines to bypass this issue. Instead of wrapping a blank around a collation of cans and then gluing it,  the  Automatic  Beverage  Multipack Machine uses pre-glued cartons which are picked from a magazine holder, erected and presented to the can collation. This ensures continuous motion, speeding up the cartoning process.

Further, an infeed gate system facilitates the efficient release of cans into the machine, where they are guided into a diamond shape that is maintained along the length of the machine until they have been deposited in the open cartons.

Simon Holt, head of sales (UK and Ireland) at T. Freemantle, explained that the diamond formation makes the cans easier to insert than if they were square on, and reduces the risk of snagging.

To ensure safe passage of cans through the machine, they are supported throughout the insertion process so that can stability is maintained. Changeovers are optimised, and downtime minimised with easy to perform can size changeover with no change parts required, allowing format changeovers to be executed in as little as 15 minutes.

The combination of these optimisation features allow the Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine to be in the running for the fastest flexible can cartoning solution on the market currently, according to the two companies. Belvoir’s minimum line speed requirement – set by the filler – was 12,500 cans per hour, which equates to 50 cartons per minute. Reynolds reports that the line “easily and consistently” runs at 55 cartons per minute and could potentially reach 70 cartons per minute.

In the first six months of operation ( June to December 2023), Belvoir produced 1.5 million cans – more than a year’s worth of production under the co-packer arrangement. For 2025, Belvoir is targeting between five and ten million cans, produced across several canning campaigns.

The entire project was structured with short-term sales targets and a long-term goal of achieving payback within five years. To this end, in 2025, the company will invest £2 million in new pasteurising and palletising equipment to allow the canning line to run independently, thereby further increasing capacity.

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